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Today's #RecommendedRead is the multi-award-winning Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby. Believe me when I say it is worthy of all the praise that it has earned.

The book is set in the US State of Virginia and follows Beauregard “Bug” Montage. A skilled mechanic and loving family man, he's long since moved on from his former life as a 'wheelman' - the best getaway driver east of the Mississippi. Now he runs his own garage with his cousin, Kelvin, and takes part in illegal drag races in the over-powered Duster left him by his long-gone father.
But when life deals him repeated blows and everything starts to fall apart, he is unable to turn down one last job...

This book is so many things, but first and foremost it is a fantastic, page-turning thriller. The action is relentless, vividly described and visceral. The plot twists and turns, and Cosby invokes a real sense of jeopardy; he's brutal when he needs to be, but isn't afraid to be tender if necessary.
The central character, Bug, is wonderfully complex. Likeable and unpleasant by turns, you find yourself rooting for him, whilst despairing at some of the choices he makes.
The book itself is a study of poverty, embedded as it is in rural communities for whom the 'American Dream' is just a fantasy. Cosby depicts both poor black Americans in a society where overt racism is still rife, and self-confessed white trash, with an equally harsh, yet oddly sympathetic eye.
But what elevates it most is Cosby's use of language. From the vivid descriptions of the sun-baked Virginian plains, which verge upon the poetic, to the authentically rendered-dialogue, the pages are filled with idiosyncratic turns of phrase.

This was an absolutely fantastic read, and I can't wait to see what Cosby writes next.

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Neil Lancaster is a former Military Police officer and Metropolitan Police detective, and so, as a writer of police procedurals myself, I was excited to read something by somebody who really knows what he is talking about!
Dead Man's Grave is the first in a new series starring DS Max Cragie, a former Metropolitan Police detective who relocates from London to Scotland, after an armed operation goes wrong.
The book starts with the discovery of a grave by the head of one of Scotland's most notorious crime families, inscribed with the ominous words 'This Grave Can Never Be Opened' . The murder of the crime boss uncovers a blood feud dating back to the 1890s and leads to the unmasking of a corruption conspiracy at the heart of Police Scotland.

As you'd expect from a man with Lancaster's experience, the book is packed with authentic police procedure, but more importantly, it's a damned good read! The plot is complex, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Several times throughout the book, the story seems to be heading for a conclusion, but Lancaster throws in a sudden swerve that takes the story off in a different direction, until it finally reaches an explosive and satisfying conclusion. 
From the outset, the characters leap off the page; from Cragie's gloriously foul-mouthed boss DI Ross Fraser, to the sparky DC Janie Calder, they are all expertly realised. Cragie and Calder make for a compelling duo, with just enough revealed about their backstory to hint that the series has legs.


In the interests of disclosure, Neil and I share the same publisher, which in part is how I obtained this advanced reader's copy. But as I have always   made clear, books only appear on this blog if I have genuinely enjoyed them and think others will also.
So I have no hesitation in making this a #RecommendedRead.


Dead Man's Grave is available for pre-order from HQ Stories, and is published in July 2021. 

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Today's #RecommendedRead is something a little different for me. Having read a number of police procedurals and thrillers over the past few weeks, I was looking for something with a different pace and less structure, and so I jumped at the chance to read a copy of Caroline England's domestic psychological thriller.


I will say from the outset, that this is a masterclass in slow-burn plotting.
The protagonist of the book is Ellie, a mother of three living in suburban Greater Manchester. All we know, when the book opens is that something happened almost twenty years previously during a stoned game of truth or dare in a student house in Leeds...
Ellie's story slowly unfolds in the present day as events in her somewhat humdrum domestic existence are interspersed with hidden memories of a confusing childhood, flashbacks to her traumatic student days and muddled night terrors.
Her relationships with her parents, her partner, and the collection of friends and former flatmates that remain part of her social circle are all re-examined. The description of modern family life is rendered expertly, with a forensic eye for detail; everything feels plausible and somehow grounded.
But the real skill in this book is the way in which tiny clues are seeded throughout the book. What really happened back then? What is really happening today? With this sort of slowly unfolding story, the reader has time to think about what they suspect really took place and try to second guess what the next revelation will be, or the real explanation behind strange events - yet time and time again, England confounded my predictions.
​The truth when it is finally revealed is shocking, yet all the evidence was there and it all adds up. The final denouement is fiendish.


This was my first Caroline England novel, but reading through the comments from other authors, I can see why she is so highly regarded.
I highly recommend this.

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David Baldacci is one of the most prolific of the 'big name' authors writing in the crime and thriller genre today, and I have been a huge fan for years. I have an entire shelf, double-stacked, of his books and will need to reorganise my bookcases before I can add more to my collection.
In addition to some great standalones, Baldacci really excels when it comes to juggling multiple series. At any one time, he usually has two or three separate series on the go, switching between protagonists, before introducing a new character and writing several starring that person. Typically, he writes modern thrillers, often with FBI or Secret Service agents, or in the case of John Puller, a military investigator.
Following the logic that he's never let me down before, when adding books to my Amazon wish list for Christmas, I saw One Good Deed, subtitled 'Introducing Aloysius Archer', and I didn't even read the jacket blurb. I just clicked add.


So I had absolutely no idea until I plucked the book off the very generous stack that my family had bought me for Christmas what a departure it was from his usual fare.

Unlike his other series, this one is set in 1949. Archer, a young man who served his country admirably in the Second World War, leaves prison early after serving time for a crime he did not commit. Following the terms of his release, he catches the bus to the town of Poca City, where he is to meet his parole officer weekly, find gainful employment, and avoid drink and loose women.
Within 24 hours of signing into the local hotel where all new parolees start their new lives, he meets a beautiful woman, is employed as a debt collector by the wealthiest man in town and convinces his parole officer that there is no need of her offer of a job bashing in hogs' skulls at the local pork farm.
All seems well and Archer is looking forward to biding his time and getting his life on track. And then there's a murder...


I really enjoyed this. Most of what I read and write is contemporary, so this was a refreshing change. I'm in no position to express an opinion on how accurate the details are, but it certainly feels authentic and Baldacci has clearly spent time researching the time period. The dialogue is snappy and reminiscent of the various movies of the time that I have seen, the characters are vividly described and the plot is a cracking whodunnit.
The advantage of writing a novel set seventy years ago, is that so much of what we take for granted in modern fiction is not available. That's not to say that it is easier to write in that period - far from it - but it allows for a different type of story to be told that just wouldn't be possible nowadays, and that brings its own pleasure. The fact is, DCI Warren Jones could have solved the case in 48 hours. His team of CSIs would have identified the murderer from the DNA evidence left at the scene, their alibi would have been destroyed by their mobile phone location history, and they'd probably have been caught on CCTV.
Instead, we are treated to good old-fashioned detective work; tracking down witnesses, wearing out the shoe leather, and fine, deductive reasoning. The book is generous in length, but paced perfectly and draws the reader in with plenty of twists and turns, and expertly crafted reveals. The motives and the reasons behind the shocking events when they are finally uncovered are both complex and simple - just like all the best stories.


There is a sequel due later this year, and I will be adding it to my wish list for next Christmas.
​I heartily recommend this book.  

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Today's recommended read is another from the pile of Christmas and birthday presents.
I have enjoyed Karin Slaughter for years. I first discovered her around about the same time I stumbled across Lee Child, so that's another massive thank you to Manchester City Council's public library system.
I started with her Grant County series, continued with her Will Trent series and kept on going as the two series merged. I've never been to that part of the US but Slaughter is a native of the state of Georgia and these books capture the good, the bad, the ugly and the quirky of that unique state. Slaughter's unflinching, often brutal stories are nevertheless beautifully written and I find them a true pleasure.
Alongside her series, she also does a mean line in standalone thrillers, and Pieces Of Her is her 2018 entry (I am baffled as to how I missed its publication, but hey-ho, I got it for Christmas).


The story concerns Andrea, a meek, unfulfilled young woman living above her mother's garage. The two women are in a coffee shop, when a gunman enters. What happens next stuns Andy and turns on its head everything she thought she knew about her mother.


Slaughter excels at writing richly-layered, flawed characters and pushing them to their extremes, and this book is no different. Even better are her complex, clever plots that really do keep you guessing.
For example, in this book, I was pretty convinced early on that I knew what the big twist would be. It was the only logical explanation. That's fine; even if I've figured that out, I know that I am still going to enjoy a damn good ride.
But readers can be a fickle bunch - for everyone that feels somewhat smug that they have guessed the author's intentions (yeah, that'd be me), there are those that get in a huff and write grumpy Amazon reviews claiming that the book is predictable, the author is running out of ideas etc etc.
So about 100 pages in, Slaughter had one of her characters voice my theory - and promptly shot it down.  Emphatically. No room for deception by the character. Basically Slaughter is telling the reader directly that if you think that I have taken the easy way out and gone for the obvious explanation, you're wrong.
Awesome, now we're cooking!
And so for the rest of the book the reader finds themselves slowly unpicking the story as each clue is revealed, piece by piece. What puts Slaughter at the top of her game is her very clever manipulation of the reader. She is extremely good at giving you just enough information so that sometimes you feel that you are running a few pages ahead, feeling triumphant that you have foreseen what's happening next. Then on other occasions pulls the carpet from under you, confounding your expectations. That's a real skill.
So, like all of Karin Slaughter's books, this one that I heartily recommend and I look forward to seeing what NetFlix do with it!

Welcome to a first for this blog, a review of an entire series.

I first came across Rachel Lynch's DI Kelly Porter in the summer of 2019, when her publisher sent me an early copy of the third book, Dead End. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was more than happy to let a quote of mine be used on the cover blurb. A few months later, the convenor of my local Crime Writers' Association chapter announced that we would have a new member joining us for our semi-regular lunch-time gatherings. Guess who turned up the following Sunday!

Since then, Rachel has written a further five books, a work-rate that puts many of us to shame!
Fast-forward to the end of 2020 and the wonderful folks who run the UK Crime Book Club Facebook page asked if I would like to do a live 'in conversation with'  interview. And if I did, who would I like to speak to? The decision took seconds, and I fired off a quick Facebook message to Rachel. Regardless of her response, I happened to be standing outside a small bookshop in Bakewell (quite literally the only time I had been out in public since March!), and it gave me the perfect excuse to march in and buy her whole back catalogue with a view to binge-reading them before our conversation.

The conversation took place on Friday 12th of February and is archived on both the UK Crime Book Club Facebook page and YouTube.

Reading the whole series back-to-back has been an absolute pleasure! As a writer of police procedurals myself, I know how difficult it can be to tread the fine-line between accuracy and the need to tell a good story, and Rachel nails it.
The stories encompass a range of different types of crime and societal issues including knife crime and teenage drug use, illegal immigation and people trafficking and a cracking messed-in-the-head serial killer! Rachel also touches on more unusual fare - the sixth in the series, Blood Rites explores ancient religions and cults. Unlike some authors, she resists the urge to over-sensationalise and treats these alternate beliefs with respect, and I came away feeling that I had learnt something genuinely interesting. Some of the themes (and antagonists) explored in earlier books are revisited later, which is extremely satisfying.

The books are set in the lake district, an area Rachel knows intimately and whilst the alarmingly regular murders, and hidden secrets are probably not entirely to the Cumbria Tourist Information Office's taste, I think they are more than compensated for by her clear love of the area. DI Kelly Porter is a keen runner and outdoorsperson, and Rachel's descriptions of this breath-taking National Park, through all its varied seasons, remind me of the wonderful visits I have made there. I think that readers of her books who are unfamiliar with the area will be entranced, and may contemplate a future holiday there.

Porter is a compelling character; dogged and determined, she follows a really satisfying arc over the course of the books. Her personal life is well mapped-out, and whilst it has enough drama to keep readers hooked and keen to catch-up with her in the next book, she isn't a dark, depressed alcoholic.
In many ways, I find this comforting; my own DCI Warren Jones isn't plagued by as many demons as some of his fictional peers, and Rachel has proven that you can write dark stories without the need for a relentlessly dark central protagonist.

There are many excellent crime series out there, and this is up with the best of them. And with its beautiful backdrops, complex and likeable central character, and satisfyingly complex plots, this is one that is crying out for TV. The success of Vera, DCI Banks and Shetland have shown that there is a big appetite for stories such as these. Perfect fodder for Sunday evening on ITV1!

I highly recommend this whole series!

Please feel free to share your thoughts here or on social media.

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I am a massive fan of US author Harlan Coben, so it was with great anticipation that I plucked The Boy From The Woods from the teetering pile of paperbacks that I received for Christmas. Coben is well-known for his Myron Bolitar series, however this is one of his equally excellent stand-alone thrillers.

The premise is as original as ever: Thirty years ago, a young  boy was found alone in a forested area of New Jersey. No name, no memories, nobody claims him as their own. Today, he is a decorated former soldier. He has friends and people that love him, but Wilde still prefers to live outdoors alone. But when a local school girl goes missing, Wilde is asked to help find her.

There are certain things that you will always get with a Harlan Coben novel, and each of them is here:

• Compelling, original and well-thought-out characters. Check.
• Suburban, middle-class New Jersey. Check.
• Sharp, witty dialogue that makes you laugh out loud, even though the book is not a comedy. Check.
• A twisting, turning plot peppered with surprises and reveals. Double Check.

If all that sounds a bit too much like a formula, then don't be fooled. Coben's books may have a loose framework, but that's because it is a damn good way to tell a story, and it is certainly never predictable. Instead, think of it as a list of the ingredients necessary for a meal. It's the quality of those ingredients and what you do with them that determines how good the meal is.

A couple of things stood out for me, as I raced through the book in four sittings:
Hester Crimstein, TV attorney - acerbic, unsubtle and witty in the way that Coben is so good at. Her dialogue is peppered with NJ Jewish phrases. Think Judge Judy meets Joan Rivers. I really hope they film it one day; this character will be worth the price of admission alone.
Coben's trademark journey of twists, reveals, apparent resolutions and double-backs. He manages to surprise repeatedly right until the very end.
A bogey man that will feel very familiar to anyone who has watched US politics over the past few years.

A final thought. This is ostensibly a stand-alone. The story is fully and satisfyingly resolved at the end as always. But of all his recent novels, this is the one with the most scope for him to dig back into the sandbox and bring out the characters for another go. If there is any sort of sequel or series, they'll be on my Christmas list again for sure.

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This book is an absolute blinder. The first six pages of the paperback's front filler are testimonials from fellow writers and the media, and I can well imagine the publishers having to trim that list down. It really is that good, and is well-deserving of The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award that it nabbed in 2020 and the many other awards that it has won or been shortlisted for.
The premise is ingenious:
Rachel O'Neil receives an anonymous phone call. They have her daughter and if she doesn't follow their exact instructions, she will be killed. The kidnapper's own child has also been snatched and the only way that their kid will be returned safely to them is for Rachel to choose and then kidnap another child, whose parents need to follow her exact instructions... It's not about the money, it's about maintaining The Chain.

I love a story where an ordinary person is forced by circumstance to perform extraordinary acts; Harlan Coben's standalone novels are excellent examples of this.
However, an excellent premise is nothing if it isn't executed properly, and this is where McKinty has excelled. Doubtless there will be many suspiciously similar books published over the coming years - especially if the movie comes to fruition. Many good writers are quite capable of taking such a strong idea and making a solid and enjoyable thriller. But McKinty has taken his time and carefully crafted a masterpiece.

McKinty's prose is descriptive and skilled and the chapters are short and punchy, keeping the pace brisk without ever feeling rushed. The chapters switch between several different points of view, perspectives and even timelines, but are populated by characters distinctive enough that it the reader is easily pulled into their world. McKinty is also not afraid to occasionally foreshadow events, so that the reader knows more than the protagonists. This can be tricky to pull off - get it wrong and the characters can come across as foolish; instead, the reader finds themselves racing through the pages, desperate to see what happens.

I've already alluded to the great Harlan Coben, and I feel that even he would be extremely pleased with this effort. And if you've ever seen my bookcases, you'll know that is high praise indeed.
I very highly recommend this book!

Today is another double bill!

Steve Cavanagh's Eddie Flynn series is fast becoming one of my 'can't miss' reads, and these two latest entries have raised the already high bar he set with his previous books even more. The books have won numerous awards and are quite rightly bestsellers.

For those unfamiliar with the set-up, Flynn is a New York-based con-artist turned defence lawyer. He only represents those that he knows are innocent; unfortunately his shady past and successful reputation have sometimes made him the 'go to advocate' for some decidedly unsavoury characters, who will make him an 'offer he cannot refuse', leaving Flynn with the unenviable task of trying to balance his own, ethical standards with the demands of his employers.

The books are legal thrillers in the vein of Michael Connelly's Micky Haller (Lincoln Lawyer) series, with a mixture of courtroom drama and outside thrills. Both aspects of the story are equally exciting. Remarkably, Cavanagh is a Belfast-born lawyer in real-life, who has never practised in the state of New York, yet his stories are filled with authentic detail and procedure, often with a very clever twist that demonstrates his deep understanding of the NY legal system.

The series started with a bang in 2015's The Defence and a very tasty short story The Cross, before continuing with The Plea and The Liar.
The subjects of this post are the two latest, Thirteen and Fifty-Fifty.

Thirteen has, in my opinion, the most gripping tag-line in recent years.
'The serial killer isn't on trial. He's on the jury.'
I mean, seriously, how can you not pick that off the shelf?
The premise for the book is summed up in that tag-line. The question, of course, is why? Why is he so desperate to get onto that jury? The serial killer is named on the novel's jacket blurb - an audacious move that tells you immediately that you can trust nothing in this book. Of course, Eddie Flynn doesn't take what he is presented with at first glance, and whilst the reader is shown glimpses of the killer that Flynn is not privvy to, you are chasing clues alongside Flynn throughout the book.

Fifty-Fifty is another high-concept thriller, that lives up to the standard set by the previous book. The book opens in characteristic style - full-on, straight into the action, setting up the premise immediately. No slow-burn here!
A man has been murdered in his own home. The 911 dispatch operator is called by a terrified young woman who claims that the killer is still in the house and the murderer is her sister. Moments later another call is received. Same house, same murder, different sister - and she's pointing the finger at the sibling who made the first call...
It's a high-profile case and when both are charged, Flynn fights for the right to represent the sister that he is convinced is innocent. The other sister is represented by a young, inexperienced lawyer, and she is equally convinced of her client's innocence.
As in Thirteen, we are shown extensive glimpses of the killer covering their tracks. But again, Cavanagh skilfully hides their identity. As the story unfolded, I found myself convinced that I knew who the killer must be - before having my mind changed. Repeatedly. The book is a masterclass in plotting and the art of the precisely placed reveal, and most importantly - a thumping good read!

I can't recommend these two books highly enough. And whilst I've known Steve personally for several years, as always his books are featured here on their own (considerable) merits.

 Time for another double bill!

Today it is the turn of Alex North. Full disclosure - despite what the marketing for The Whisper Man may lead you to believe, Alex North is not, strictly-speaking, a new writer. And that was not his debut novel. A touch naughty perhaps, but when you write this well it can be forgiven. North already had a successful career, writing some excellent stand-alones, each with a terrific premise. I've known him for a number of years, enjoying those previous works, and he'd be a recommended read regardless. North's real identity is an open secret within the crime writing community but I'll respect his privacy and refer to him by his pseudonym.

Before I get into the reviews though, let's just take a moment to appreciate those amazing covers! I splashed out on the hardbacks, which are embossed, and they look absolutely lovely on the bookshelf.

North writes  standalone thrillers. A hallmark of these, and his previous works, are a really clever premise, populated by beautifully-realised characters and a deep understanding of the psychology and motivations behind both protagonists and antagonists. Both of these novels could be categorised as psychological suspense, with an element of the supernatural* - real or imagined - but at the heart of each is a damned good mystery.

In The Whisper Man, Tom Kennedy and his young son move to a new area for a fresh start after the death of his wife, Jake's mother. Fifteen years before they arrived, a serial killer murdered five children. The killer was caught and imprisoned, and became known as The Whisper Man. The new start seems to be working, until Jake starts acting strangely. He says he hears whispering at his window...

Where The Whisper Man is a beautiful exploration of what it's like to be a father, The Shadow Friend​ examines what it is to be a son. Twenty-five years after a troubled teenager, Charlie Crabtree, disappeared after committing a shocking, unprovoked murder, his then friend, Paul Adams finally returns home. He's never forgiven himself for his part in what happened that day, but his mother has a fall and he finally decides to stop running. The old town is full of things he'd rather forget, but by coming back, he's forced to confront them.

I recommend these books, because not only are they very good, original page-turners, they are extremely well-written and they linger with you long after you close the cover. North has earned enough trust from me that I will buy whatever he writes next, in hardback, sight unseen.

*BTW if the mere mention of the word 'supernatural' puts you off - don't let it. I've never been a fan of the so-called supernatural genre. The scientist in me tends to scoff and roll his eyes as soon as anyone mentions ghosts, spirits, and the 'paranormal'; I spend the month of October skimming through the TV guide looking for something else to watch, and have never read any Stephen King! However, North slips these hints into his stories in an ambiguous way that is more creepy and disturbing than supernatural, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions based on their personal outlook.