Look Out For These! December’s pick starts looking forward to 2015, which is going to be a great year for crime and thriller readers

I’ve been looking at what’s coming up in 2015 and there’s a superb crop of crime and thriller fiction waiting to hit the shelves. My pick this month are published on those crossover days of 31 December and 1 January – and as always, well worth looking out for.
  

Number one has to be Die Again by Tess Gerritsen. Rizzoli and Isles are back in the latest outing for the Detective and Pathologist duo, investigating a bizarre murder in Boston, where a man has been found butchered, gutted and hanging in his own home. The hope that this is just a single killing soon disappears when a second victim is found, and a link to previous killings emerges, indicating that the murderer has been at work for years and Boston has become his new hunting ground. The only way to catch the murderer is the temptation of a bait he can’t resist – a previous victim, the one that got away. Dark, horrifying and often harrowing, this is another top notch novel from Gerritsen. As always with Tess Gerristen novels, read the book well after meals and not when you’re alone especially if you are squeamish or have a nervous disposition. If not and/or you’re a Rizzoli and Isles fan, you’re in for a real treat.

The Lost and The Blind by Declan Burke. Millionaire Shay Govern asks journalist Tom Noone to ghost write his autobiography. It seems like a simple enough job and surprisingly well paid - enough for Noone to be financially secure and have money that helps him keep contact with his young daughter that lives with his ex wife. As Noone delves into Govern’s background a strange tale emerges of a Nazi atrocity on the island of Delphi. The tale bears surprising similarities to the debut thriller by novelist Sebastian Devereaux, a reclusive English author who’s spent the past fifty years on Delphi Island. When Noone tries to check the details, his source is found drowned in suspicious circumstances and other dirty deeds follow. Noone and his daughter are soon on the run, although it’s not clear who their friends really are and who is looking to harm them. This book has great elements of crime, thriller and mystery, with an intricate plot that keeps you on your toes up to the final pages. This is the first Declan Burke book I’ve read and it won’t be the last.
 

Thief by Mark Sullivan. Robin Monarch once worked for the CIA and was simply the best. Monarch is now a thief, answerable to no-one but himself. In this novel, Monarch faces a past adversary, who has kidnapped the only person Monarch cares for – Sister Rachel Diego del Mar, who saved his life when he was a young orphan. Monarch can only save Sister Rachel by delving into the Brazilian rainforest to locate a mysterious treasure and deliver it to his nemesis. The treasure is said to be of incalculable value to mankind and a life is at stake, but as Monarch finds himself in the Amazonian jungle, he realises he’s in uncharted territory, in more ways than he can imagine. This is number three in the Monarch series, but if you want a taster, there are two free Kindle books – Incursion and Rendition, short stories that introduce Robin Monarch and how he became a rogue agent. Here are the links:
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Incursion-Rogue-Genesis-Mark-Sullivan-ebook/dp/B009S8HMTC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419197735&sr=1-1&keywords=mark+sullivan
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rendition-Rogue-Genesis-Mark-Sullivan-ebook/dp/B009S8HN0U/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419197793&sr=1-5&keywords=mark+sullivan
 
Finally, I’ve read early copies of a number of books that will hit the shops in the new year including Gun Street Girl from one of my favourite authors Adrian McKinty. Do visit The Crime Warp again in early January to find out more about my selection of must read books for 2015.
 
Romancrimeblogger   
PS: Don't forget to like The Crime Warp Facebook page:  
 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crime-Warp/390879417728162