August’s hottest new releases 2016

We cannot believe that it’s August already! The summer is winding down and we haven’t achieved half of what we told ourselves we would – as we seem to do every year…

Alas, how can we be expected to get anything done when we have all of these brilliant crime books coming our way? We think we might just give up on the old to-do list and curl up somewhere and read – preferably with a drink in our hand. This month we an amazing line-up for you – including a new Val McDermid, a brilliant psychological thriller by Jane Corry and some chilling Scandi-crime from Yrsa Sigurdottir. No matter what your taste, we have something for everyone. Go on – put your feet up, relax and join us. Isn’t that what the summer is for?

August new releases

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
My Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry – 25^th August
My Husband’s Wife is a twisting domestic thriller that uses dual timelines to follow a couple and paint an original mystery that kept us guessing throughout. Jane Corry exercises complete control over the story, keeping readers in the dark until the very last moment – a highly recommended read. Read an extract from the book here.

Out of Bounds by Val McDermid – 25^th August
Val McDermid is back and doing what she does best with her new offering. Out of Bounds is a tightly-plotted, atmospheric story that refuses to slow down throughout. Inspector Pirie is called in to investigate a cold case that reemerges after a near-fatal car accident. A routine DNA test could be the key to unlocking the solution – but things turn out to be much more complex than they first seem…

Cold Kill by PJ Tracy – 11^th August
What better way to cool down in the summer than with PJ Tracey’s new wintery thriller? The seventh instalment in the Monkeewrench series, Cold Kill, is a devilishly dark novel that manages to inject humour in a way that only serves to heighten its tense moments. It’s a truly enjoyable read. Find out more about series character Grace MacBride here.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Why Did You Lie? By Yrsa Sigurdardottir – 11^th August
Why Did You Lie? is the newest thriller from Ysra Sigurdardottir, author of The Silence of the Sea and winner of the 2015 Petrona Award for best Scandinavian Crime Novel. This terrifying tale of revenge is not one for the faint hearted – a building sense of impending doom, which is in no way relieved by the ending, makes this a wonderfully unforgettable fright!

Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas – 11^th August
As the author of The Sisters, Douglas handles tales of obsession and deceit masterfully. Local Girl Missing is the intense tale of a woman’s return to a past that haunts her, in order to discover what happened to her long-lost and once beloved friend who went missing twenty years previously.

Before I Let You In by Jenny Blackhurst – 28^th August
In Before I Let You In, Jenny Blackhurst explores what happens to the relationship between a psychiatrist and their patient when the patient knows more about the person treating them than they should. With a brilliantly original premise that is executed to perfection, Before I Let You In shouldn’t be missed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
No Way Back by MJ Arlidge – 11^th August
MJ Arlidge fans are in for a treat this month with this brand new DI Helen Grace ebook short story. If, like us, you can’t get enough of Arlidge’s short, snappy, gripping chapters then you won’t want to miss this – the perfect read while we’re waiting for Hide and Seek to arrive this September.

Dead Man’s Blues by Ray Celestin – 11^th August
In this gripping historical crime novel by the winner of the CWA New Blood Dagger for the Best First Novel of 2014, we find ourselves in 1920s Chicago. By weaving together three interlocking stories against the backdrop of the notorious capital of jazz, booze and corruption, Ray Celestin has produced a fast-paced and thoroughly entertaining read.

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny – 30^th August
Louise Penny continues to deliver in the twelfth book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. This instalment sees Gamache accepting a job at the Sûreté Academy, taking his mission to root out police corruption to the very place that they are trained. It’s a completely absorbing read, and if you haven’t already discovered the series then we urge you to do so immediately!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Black Night Falling by Rod Reynolds – 4^th August
Picking up a few months after the events in Rod Reynold’s exceptional debut, we see reporter Charlie Yates forgoing a story in an attempt to do the right thing – before it’s too late. Set once again in the atmospheric and suffocating Arkansas, this is a must-read for fans of The Dark Inside. Read the first chapter of the book here.

Arrowood by Laura McHugh – 11^th August
Arrowood, the most beautiful of the grand historical houses that line the Mississippi River in southern Iowa, is the setting for this novel, and through Laura McHugh’s writing it becomes a character in itself – with secrets to keep and ghosts that haunt it. Arrowood is a superbly written book that poses questions about memories of the past and how they shape the present. Find out more about the inspiration for the book here.

Murder Has A Motive by Francis Duncan – 25^th August
August sees the exciting release of some more classic crime from the author of Murder for Christmas: Murder has a Motive, So Pretty a Problem, In at the Death and Behold a Fair Woman. All four follow the adventures of amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine, and each one is thoroughly delightful.

The pick of the paperbacks

These beauties have already hit the shelves in hardback and are newly available in paperback this month.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Which new releases are you desperate to read? Let us know in the comments below!