The Crime Warp

Available here I mainly read police procedurals, but occasionally a character acting on their own for justice, drags me into their world and gets their hooks into me. Grant Fletcher, the hero in First Shot, is one such character and I am really pleased to be sharing my review for First Shot , the first in a brand new series by John Ryder.   I'm already champing at the bit to read the second Grant Fletcher story and, without giving too much away, was chuffed to bits with the ending that hinted at the direction the series might unfold into - believe me it'll take your breath away.  Here's the Blurb   When girls go missing here, no one says a word… Twenty-four-year-old Lila has disappeared without trace. It’s the kind of case that ex-military loner Grant Fletcher would normally be happy to take on—he will always seek justice if someone has the money to pay him. But this one he’s doing for free. This one’s personal. Because Fletcher owe...

Today, The Crime Warp has the pleasure of grilling Paul Gitsham's DCI Warren Jones in the dock. Whilst just about to investigate his newest case, A Price to Pay, DCI Jones has taken the time out from his very busy schedule to clear up a few facts about him and to let us dig a little bit into his inner psyche. So, here we go, straight from the defendant's mouth ... Tell us a little about the defendant DCI Warren Jones. DCI Warren Jones was born and raised in Coventry, where he eventually joined the West Midlands Police. Having risen briskly through the ranks, we first meet him in The Last Straw , where he has just moved forces and been promoted to DCI, to head up the CID unit in Middlesbury, North Hertfordshire. The case is his first murder as Senior Investigating Officer. At home, Warren has a loving wife, Susan, but he is an orphan. Over the course of the series, we will find out more about his tragic childhood. Paul Gitsham  The Fields of Wheat moment...

The 2020 longlists for the prestigious CWA Dagger awards, which honour the very best in the crime writing genre, have been announced. The world-famous Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century. The longlist for the CWA Gold Dagger – the award for best crime novel – sees last year’s winner, MW Craven, return with the second book in his Poe series, Black Summer . Craven is up against stiff competition with established and multi-award-winning authors including Elly Griffiths for The Lantern Men , Mick Herron with Joe Country and Abir Mukherjee’s Death in the East all on the list. The Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is famed for showcasing blockbuster thrillers – past winners include Gillian Flynn and Robert Harris. 2020’s longlist is dominated by the new guard of the genre who are now fixtures on the awards’ calendar. It includes AA Dhand for One Way Out , the fourth in his...

Available here THE CURATOR by M. W. CRAVEN  Published by Little Brown on  4th June 2020. Hardback (£14.95) Ebook (£9.99)  and Audio .  The Crime Warp is delighted to be on the blog tour for M.W. Craven's The Curator, with a review of one of my favourite reads of the year so far and has featured as one of my Guilty Pleasures over on my Author Website for the month of May.  But First ...                     Here's a little bit about the author ...  A brand-new voice in British crime fiction, M. W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving a decade later to complete a social work degree and spent seventeen years as a probation officer in Cumbria, rising to the rank of assistant chief officer. The first in the Washington Poe series, The Puppet Show, won the 2019 CWA Gold Dagger, has sold in numerous foreign territories and has been optioned f...

C RIME F EST , one of Europe’s leading crime writing conventions, has announced the shortlists for its annual awards. Now in its 13th year, the awards honour the best crime books released in 2019 in the UK. New for 2020, in association with its headline sponsor Specsavers, is the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award. The winner will receive a £1,000 prize. Adrian Muller, Co-host of C RIME F EST , said: “Specsavers are passionate about the crime genre thanks to its founder Dame Mary Perkins, and their support ensures new voices in the genre will be recognised. We have really diverse awards reflecting the depth and breadth of the crime genre. Categories recognise e-books and audiobooks, humour, children and Young Adult crime fiction novels. We aim to be the most inclusive of awards to reflect the values of our convention.” A further £1,000 prize fund is also awarded to the Audible Sounds of Crime Award, sponsored by Audible UK. Eligible titles are submitted by publishers , an...