Look out for these! – Part Three of the Glasgow Trilogy, more from The Coroner and a touch of retro by Peter James.

I’ve chosen just three books this month – two are already available although you’ll have to wait until the end of February for M R Hall’s new book The Burning.  It’s a great selection and I’ll be reviewing The Burning in more detail at the end of February, so please do keep an eye out for that.

The Sudden Arrival of Violence by Malcolm Mackay – Calum MacLean is a Glasgow hit man.  In the first book we saw him “deal with” Lewis Winter.  The second book contrasts MacLean’s sharp and precise work with that of ageing hit man Frank MacLeod’s, who is slipping, showing MacLean what his own fate might be.  In this third book MacLean has had enough of killing and wants out.  But as part of a brutal and deadly war between two of Glasgow’s biggest criminal gangs, can MacLean finally leave his life of murder behind?  Mackay’s sparse writing style and the dark atmosphere of the book bring to life a world of deceit, lies and cold brutality.  Truly Tartan Noir.

The Burning by M R Hall – A house fire and the death of three family members are the start of Coroner Jenny Cooper’s latest case.  The evidence of deliberate arson make this look like a simple case and the police investigation is soon closed.  Cooper doubts the official version of events wondering why one of the victims Ed Morgan started the fire, why their small son is still misssing and why he left a message for his surviving wife, telling her she would never find the child.  Vivid writing, good plotting and great characters, particularly of Cooper herself make this a must.

Dead Letter Drop by Peter James – I saw this book when I was shopping and read Peter James’ introduction, which told how he started writing Dead Letter Drop, which became his first published book.  The intro was so entertaining I bought the book as I wanted to see what James’ first novel was like.  It’s an espionage novel that follows undercover agent Max Flynn trying to find the relevance of an airline ticket and track down the Pink Envelope.  He’s followed by ruthless killers trying to eliminate him and his charming and sexually voracious female companion, Sumpy. The book has a real retro feel about it, which I liked – no mobile phones and no internet.  It’s written in the first person and at times felt quite tongue in cheek, almost Sam Spade, which I enjoyed.  For £3.50 it’s worth a go.  It’s a good first novel, but don’t expect Roy Grace or all of the sharp finesse of James’ later books.

That’s it for my recommendations this month, but do keep an eye out on the blog as I’m planning to post more detailed reviews of books I’ve read every week.  Happy reading!

Romancrimeblogger