CRIME, THRILLERS and HORROR NEW TITLES

NEIL CROSS: CAPTURED (Simon and Schuster PB)

Even though he is still young, Kenny has just weeks to live. Before he dies, he wants to find his childhood best friend Callie Barton and thank her for the kindness she showed him when they were at school together. But when Kenny begins his search, he discovers that Callie Barton has gone missing. Although cleared of any involvement, her husband Jonathan seems to be hiding something. Kenny has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. And knowing that time is running out on him, he's prepared to do whatever it takes ... Literally un-put-downable! From page one you're drawn into this mesmerising tale of a man with no time left, and a number of things he has to do before he dies. Quick, punchy, accurate dialogue, astonishingly rounded characters and a brilliant plot, CAPTURED is a good old-fashioned, but entirely contemporary piece of popular writing that is simply, sensationally, a great read. And just when you think the whole thing is resolved, Neil Cross takes you down another alley - brilliant!

HELEN BLACK: DISHONOUR (Midas PB)

Who can protect you when your family are the ones you're running from? The gripping new thriller from the acclaimed author of DAMAGED GOODS. Heavily pregnant and in the midst of setting up her own practice, childcare lawyer Lilly Valentine's life is demanding enough. But when she is asked for help by a young man, Anwar Khan, after his sister commits suicide, she can't refuse. Treated with extreme hostility by the girl's family, Lilly is about to jettison the case. But when the police turn up and arrest the dead girl's younger brother for her murder, she's knows she's already in too deep. Together with her new assistant Taslima, Lilly gets caught up in the sinister world of a self-styled vigilante group vowing to protect the 'honour' of the women in their community - and punishing those who 'stray.' When another young Muslim girl disappears, Lilly knows it's only a matter of time before the group take the law into their own hands. But with so much in her own life at stake, has Lilly finally taken on more than she can handle? Sensitively handled but nevertheless very tense, this is a terrific yarn about race relations in modern Britain, and also an extremely readable thriller at the same time. We've all seen people like these characters on TV news broadcasts; some of us live in the inner cities where such conflicts are played out every day. Helen Black brings all these elements together to create an enjoyable drama.

DAVE ZELTSERMAN: KILLER (Profile Books - SERPENT'S TAIL) PB

Leonard March walks free from jail after fourteen years' hard time, served after turning state’s witness against his Mafia boss Salvatore Lombard. It’s only after Leonard is sentenced that the public learned that he was a Mob hitman with eighteen deaths to answer for. Leonard is released to public outrage and media furore. He spends his time working as a janitor while looking over his shoulder, fearful of a vigilante attack or a revenge hit from his former colleagues. At 62 and with plenty of time on his hands, he is at an age when most men grow reflective and attempt to understand their mark on the world. But for Leonard, while the threats to his safety are not imagined, his self-reflection may pose the greatest threat of all.

BILL KITSON: CHOSEN (Robert Hale HB)

How do you solve a crime when there's no evidence one has been committed? When Sarah Kelly fails to return from a night out, DI Mike Nash can only speculate, until a chance remark causes him to look deeper into other cases; girls who have vanished without trace. Nash spots chilling similarities: no bodies, no witnesses, all disappearances explained away. While investigating seemingly unconnected crimes, Nash strives to come to grips with the psyche of a most unusual serial killer. He needs to find a solution and fast as two more women vanish, making it personal and potentially fatal; both for Nash and for the women who have been chosen... Inspector Nash is back in this excellent yarn about a serial killer and the usual, but highly enjoyable race against time. Bill Kitson has all the right elements here for a cracking story, and he doesn't disappoint. Nash is terrific - his legendary near-psychic powers are not overplayed, and the whole thing romps along tremendously well. A real winner.

ROGER SILVERWOOD: SHRINE TO MURDER (Robert Hale HB)

Detective Inspector Michael Angel and his team of regulars are searching for a serial killer on the loose in the Yorkshire town of Bromersley. The available clues are as sparse as they are puzzling: A character in early Roman attire is observed at every murder and a laurel leaf is left on every corpse. DNA evidence links a woman of oriental origin to the murders but this profile doesn't fit any of the suspects. The investigations become more mystifying as Inspector Angel races against the clock to find the killer. Can he prevent further bloodshed? And a new Inspector Angel mystery in the same month! Angel is my kind of detective, grumpy, irascible, though the way he treats his new female detective sergeant is not me, I hasten to add! Another great yarn from Roger Silevrwood

NORMAN RUSSELL: THE CALTON PAPERS (Robert Hale HB)

Arthur Waldegrave, heir to a vast estate and fortune, perishes in a spectacular fire but rural detectives Inspector Saul Jackson and his bibulous but shrewd sergeant, Herbert Bottomley, establish that he was murdered with cyanide. Who would gain from Arthur's death? His brother Lance, plagued by debt and pursued by the frantic working-girl he has betrayed? Or Jeremy Beecham, a rising architect, whose engagement to Margaret Waldergrave Arthur has so bitterly opposed? When a second murder sends Jackson off in new directions, he discovers the mysterious Major Pomeroy, owner of the Calton Papers. In these papers, Jackson finds the underlying motive for Arthur Waldegrave's death. Now he can bring his investigation to a devastating and unsuspected climax... Terrific atmosphere brings the turn of the 20th century into play with a brilliant poison plot that will keep you guessing right to the end.

S. J. BOLTON: AWAKENING (Transworld Publishers PB)

When a man dies from what appears to be a random snake bite in a quiet country village, the hospital seeks the expertise of wildlife vet Clara Benning. But the postmortem reveals this was no freak accident. Clara finds herself drawn into the hunt for a brutally inventive killer, putting herself in grave danger as she unravels links to a barbaric ancient ritual, an abandoned house and a 50-year-old, unspeakable tragedy. For someone the truth must remain buried in the past, even if they have to kill to keep it there. Paperback reissue of last year's blockbuster. Most welcome.

JOHN TWELVE HAWKS: THE GOLDEN CITY (Transworld Publishers HB)

A world that exists in the shadow of our own ...John Twelve Hawks' previous novels about the mystical Travellers and the Brethren, their ruthless enemies, generated an extraordinary following around the world. In "The Golden City", Twelve Hawks delivers the climax to his spellbinding epic. Struggling to protect the legacy of his Traveller father, Gabriel faces troubling new questions and relentless threats. His brother Michael, now firmly allied with the enemy, pursues his ambition to wrest power from Nathan Boone, the calculating leader of the Brethren. And Maya, the Harlequin warrior pledged to protect Gabriel at all costs, is forced to make a choice that will change her life forever. I've given up trying to guess to identity of the author - I think it's a silly name, anyway. But followers of the saga will welcome this new addition. I found it complex and a little mystifying.

JOHN MACKEN: CONTROL (Transworld PB)

Two murders, days apart but clearly linked. Each victim has had the tips of their fingers removed with a hacksaw. The killer is sending a message and wants his next victim to know who they are - and be very afraid. But beside the gruesome nature of their deaths there is no obvious connection between the two victims. Reuben Maitland, freshly returned to GeneCrime, must investigate the case. The forensics come in, DNA is sampled, the clues begin to mount up. Then the killer strikes again. Reuben's young son, Joshua, is snatched from his pram. The murderer sends Reuben a message: 'Stop hunting me. I will kill again, a third and final victim and you must not stop me. Come after me and your son will die.' If your child was kidnapped, how far would you go to get them back? Just arrived - reviewed next month...