November Selection, three great reads

Amnesia Nights by Quinton Skinner

Published in July 18 in paperback (£8.99) by Fentum Press, this stylish psychological suspense novel explores the boundaries of memory and reality. John Wright thinks he may have killed his fiancée in a fit of rage and escapes into hiding. Three years pass, a time during which he increasingly questions his own grasp on reality. Then he sees her. But is she real? And what impact will her return have on his life? You can’t bury your darkest secrets, they will out in the end.

Quinton Skinner, a former critic and magazine editor, is an American author who has written both fiction and non-fiction books and contributed to journals such as the Huffington Post, Variety, Glamour and Literary Hub.

The Polish Detective by Hania Allen

Published August 18 in paperback (£8.99) by Constable, this interesting police procedural takes us to Scotland. DS Dania Gorska is seconded from London to Dundee’s specialist crime division to investigate a series of grotesque killings. While on the case she is drawn to the disappearance of two runaway girls who happen to belong to the same Druid group. Is there a link to her case? Are the girls the latest murder victims?

Hania Allen, like her protagonist of Polish heritage, had a number of different jobs before becoming a writer. It appears she has finally found her vocation.

The Reckoning by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

From Scotland to Iceland, from a relatively new author to someone with vast experience and reputation – Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s new (and second) Freyja and Hulder thriller was published in May 18 in eBook and in hardback (£16.99) by Hodder & Stoughton. Scandi crime once again lives up to its reputation for darkness. Detective Hulder asks the psychologist Freya for assistance on a grim case involving a time caspsule buried 10 years ago by 13 years olds which predicts the deaths of six people, the discovery of macabre body parts and a body. The race to save the other names on the list is on. If Yrsa Sigurdardottir has a long and happy career, Iceland will soon become seriously underpopulated!