SHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIAL |
- The Colours of Death by Patricia Marques
- The Transparency of Time by Leonardo Padura
- The Hollows by Mark Edwards
- The Rising Tide by Sam Lloyd
- ONE HALF TRUTH By Eva Dolan
- The Strand Critics Awards Nominations
| The Colours of Death by Patricia Marques Posted: 20 Jun 2021 04:15 AM PDT The Colours of Death by Patricia Marques Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Release Date: June 17 2021 Format: Hardcover Price: £16.99 Reviewer: Carole Tyrell  Lisbon's morning rush hour is at its peak when a man is violently murdered in front of a packed train of horrified commuters. But no one saw the murderer, only their victim being thrown through a window before falling, bloodied and broken to the floor. Inspector Isabel Reis of the Police Judiciary is called to the Gare de Orient to survey the scene after shocked and terrified commuters, and potential witnesses, have fled. It's already being seen as a possible Gifted Homicide and she can already see evidence of it. Once again, the gifted in Portuguese society are being targeted as dangerous and murderous. Isabel is also Gifted and is required to have it stated on her PJ ID badge. They are regarded with suspicion, contempt and hatred. An abomination is one way in which they are described and from the age of 5, when her talent was first discovered, Isabel has known that they are reviled. Gifted people are either telepaths or telekinetic and Isabel is one of the former. She also has a new partner, Inspector Aleksandr Voronov, who gave evidence against his former Gifted partner. This makes her uneasy with him. All Gifted people in the PJ are required to have a Regular, or non-Gifted, partner. This is an alternative Lisbon where the Gifted live uneasily with the Regulars. They are seen as people who can invade your mind and your privacy without you knowing and a right-wing political party, the PNP, makes great play on this. The Gifted community are the elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge. The murder victim is identified as Gil dos Santos, the head of Portugal's National Testing Institute, where all Gifted people are identified and classified. It's where Isabel went to be tested when her talent was first beginning to manifest itself. As the investigation gets underway, they begin by speaking to his second in command at the HTI, Celia Armindas and go through his Cloud files. He was scheduled to visit a comatose hospital patient who was once a Gifted Guide but why? Gil was also undertaking research on trial drugs for the Gifted and there is a suggestion that the Government were interested in weaponising the Gifted. But Isabel's finding it hard. She's been taking powerful pills to suppress her telepathic talent but lately they haven't been working as well. As a result, she increases her dosage to up to 4 a day which gives her constant headaches. When another high-profile murder takes place by an invisible assailant, Isabel and Aleks are under pressure to find the murderer fast. Isabel begins to meet other Gifted people who are living under the wire and who become part of the investigation. Do they know more than they are admitting? It isn't long before she realises that the murderer may be one of the most deadly and powerful Gifted people ever known and that they've turned their attention to her – will she be next? This is a very confident, original debut novel and I really enjoyed reading it. The author created a completely believable and disturbing alternative reality. Isabel was a powerful character who lived with her special talent as best she could and was becoming uncomfortably aware that the pills were no longer keeping it under control. In fact, she may be more Gifted than she can imagine. The author described the plight of the Gifted people so well as they are controlled more and more. I also felt that this was a bold novel with its combination of genres and demonstrates how the crime and thriller genre can encompass many strands and ideas. The Colours of Death was fast paced and had a very serpentine plot but it never lost sight of the person at its heart, Isabel, and her conflicted self. The descriptions of Lisbon made me feel that I was actually walking its streets with Isabel and Aleks in the winter city as they search for a murderer. This is one of the best debut novels that I've read this year and Patricia Marques is a writer to watch. I'm already looking forward to reading more about Inspector Isabel Reis.  |
| The Transparency of Time by Leonardo Padura Posted: 20 Jun 2021 04:00 AM PDT The Transparency of Time by Leonardo Padura Translated by Anna Kushner Publisher: Bitter Lemon Format: Paperback:10th June 2021, £12.99 Format: Hardcover: 15th June 2021, £21.30 Format: eBook: Available to download now, £6.64  At first glance this is just another, the latest, in the Inspector Conde series. You may remember moody, introspective Cuban cop Mario Conde from the 'Havana' series (Havana Gold, Blue, Black, Red and Havana Fever) but here he is involuntarily retired from the service, fat, unfit and sixty years of age (sixty going on seventy, I'd say) hired by an old school friend who has reinvented himself as a flamboyantly gay art dealer, sending Conde on what appears a Maltese Falcon mission to find an ancient artefact stolen from him by his young lover. The artefact, a black Madonna, is very old and, as becomes clear, very expensive. The unusual feature of this tale is that Conde's trawl through Havana's lowlife is interspersed with episodes from the past, each a century or two earlier than the last, and each apparently revealing the reason the Madonna is almost unique. Some readers will find these episodes too long, too full of historical detail, and not directly linked to the tale in hand. Other readers will say that these historic, perhaps mythic, episodes are what raise this crime novel out of the mire of Cuban poverty into the richer light above.  About the Author Leonardo Padura was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1955. A novelist, journalist, and critic, he is the author of several novels, two volumes of short stories, and several nonfiction collections. His novels featuring the detective Mario Conde have been translated into many languages and have won literary prizes around the world. The Man Who Loved Dogs was a finalist for the Book of the Year Award in Spain. Padura lives in Havana. About the Translator Anna Kushner was born in Philadelphia and first traveled to Cuba in 1999. She has translated the novels of Guillermo Rosales, Norberto Fuentes, Gonçalo M. Tavares, and Leonardo Padura. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Russell James is an established British writer and critic and was Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association in 2001 and 2002. Initially making his name as a crime writer, his hard-hitting, low-life thrillers were usually set in south east London and, unusually, they featured no detectives; when the police did appear it was on the sidelines. All his crime books were well reviewed and most are now available as ebooks. But that's not all. To Read More – Click Here  |
| Posted: 20 Jun 2021 03:36 AM PDT The Hollows by Mark Edwards Publisher: Thomas & Mercer Release Date: 8th July 2021 Format: Paperback [also available in eBook] Price: £8.99 Reviewed by Amy Myers  Are you brave enough to visit Hollow Falls? Best-selling author Mark Edwards' website throws out this challenge to his readers. I'm very glad I did visit it, although the characters in this thrilling new novel would certainly have chosen otherwise, given the chance. From his first psychological thriller in 2013, The Magpies, even the titles of Mark Edwards' novels lay the ground for the creepiness and menace that lie ahead for the reader. The Hollows is no exception. The author excels at creating and building up the scary horrors that affect ordinary people. When Tom Anderson comes over to the US from England to pick up his 14-year-old daughter Frankie from the home of his former wife for a 10-day vacation in a splendid New England resort nothing seems unusual about it. It seems to be meeting all their requirements, especially when they meet David and Connie Butler in the neighbouring cabin. Their 15-year-old son Ryan makes a good companion for Frankie. There is no internet connection, but why worry about that? But then David learns a little more about Hollow Falls and the shadows that lie over it. Some years earlier a naked man and woman engaged in extra-marital sex had been found murdered, lying across a huge stone marked with pagan symbols. No one has been charged with their murder because the chief suspect, Everett Miller, has disappeared. He is thought to be living in the thick woodland that divides Hollow Falls from the small town of Penance. Other than that murder, though, everything and everyone seems normal – even if the teenagers of Penance seem hostile to the newcomers. Normal? Far from it. Mark Edwards controls the pace brilliantly. It builds and builds, seemingly slowly but never losing its grip on the reader. This is a thriller that truly thrills. Give yourself a holiday and read The Hollows – if you're brave enough.  |
| Posted: 20 Jun 2021 03:27 AM PDT The Rising Tide by Sam Lloyd Publisher: Bantam Press Release date: 8 July 2021 Price: £12.99 Format: Hardcover [also available as eBook and Audiobook} Reviewed by Adam Colclough  In the space of a few hours the family yacht is found adrift and abandoned, her husband and children have disappeared, and an epic storm is disrupting attempts to find them. The world Lucy thought she had created for her family suddenly looks terrifyingly fragile. Lloyd's second novel, looks like a strong candidate to be one of the thrillers of the year. He shows a master's touch for using the dramatic landscape of the Devonshire coastline to ramp up the tension and mirror the turmoil experienced by his characters. Unsurprisingly given the setting, one county along from her stamping ground, the ghost of Daphne Du Maurier hovers over the book making approving and even slightly jealous noises. Lloyd has written a narrative that is often painfully dark and that refuses to shy away from the cruelty of which humans are capable, leavening the lump of this with an awareness of how tragedy can bring out resilience in those experiencing it. This is shown by a cast of characters who are defined by their flaws as well as the exceptional situation they find themselves in. This is a darkly atmospheric and sometimes deeply unsettling thriller from a writer with a powerful gift for keeping his audience permanently on edge.  |
| Posted: 20 Jun 2021 03:09 AM PDT ONE HALF TRUTH By Eva Dolan Publisher: Raven Books Format: Hard Cover [also available as eBook and Audiobook] Price: £14.99 Release Date: 13 May 2021 Reviewer: Sara Townsend  The case becomes more complex when it is discovered that those responsible for the death of Jordan Radley also broke into his house to take his laptop and notes of his latest case, which had to do with the closure of an engineering firm four years earlier, and the devastating impact it had on the community. A sad story, but surely not one worth murdering for. Zigic and Ferreira dig a bit deeper and begin to believe that Jordan was investigating something else, a bigger story that had the potential for a more explosive impact, but all evidence of what he was working on has vanished. This the sixth book in the series featuring DI Zigic and DS Ferreira. There's not much of an insight into these two main characters, and I imagine those who have followed the series from the beginning, and know the characters well, will get more out of the story. The writing is tight and flows into a satisfactory conclusion, although there are no real twists or explosive plot revelations. However, fans of police procedurals, even those who are not familiar with the earlier books in the series, will still enjoy this well-written and engaging novel.
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| The Strand Critics Awards Nominations Posted: 20 Jun 2021 03:03 AM PDT
 The Strand Magazine is pleased to announce the nominations for the 2021 Strand Critics Awards! Recognizing excellence in the field of mystery fiction and publishing, the 2021 Strand Critics Awards are judged by a select group of book critics and journalists. This year's judges include talent from NPR, USA Today, The LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. "This year's panel chose a diverse set of authors," said Andrew F. Gulli, managing editor of The Strand Magazine. "Many of these authors are new and exciting voices in our genre, and it's wonderful to see them get the recognition they deserve." And the nominees are . . . Best Mystery Novel (2020) Snow by John Banville (Hanover Square Press) You Again by Debra Jo Immergut (Ecco) Trouble Is What I Do by Walter Mosley (Mulholland Books) The Missing American by Kwei Quartey (Soho Crime) A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin (Little, Brown and Company) Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (William Morrow) Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger (Park Row)
Amnesty by Aravind Adiga (Scribner) Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (Ecco) When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole (William Morrow) Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline (William Morrow) A Burning by Megha Majumdar (Knopf) A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers (The Unnamed Press) Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas (Custom House) Past recipients of Critics Awards include Michael Connelly, Laura Lippman, Richard Price, Megan Abbott, George Pelecanos, Joseph Finder, Lauren Beukes, and William Landay. Lifetime Achievement Awards The Strand Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Awards go to Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, and Alexander McCall Smith. Aptly dubbed the "King of Horror," Stephen King is a true renaissance man of storytelling. Over the past 50 years, he has mastered and melded genres, from supernatural and crime to sci-fi and Western. King is also one of the most prolific authors of our time, with over 60 published novels and roughly 200 short stories. Yet with millions of books in print and a readership around the world, his writing remains as fresh and inventive as when Carrie (1974) first put him on the literary map. "This is a beautiful thing," King said of the award. "And I'm most appreciative. Looks like I'm in great company!" When her first novel, With Shuddering Fall, published in 1964, 26-year-old Joyce Carol Oates was lauded as an exciting voice in fiction—and that has not changed. Consistently striking at the heart of the human experience, she has written over 70 novels, scores of short stories and poems, countless critical reviews, a heartbreaking memoir, and has edited several anthologies, plays, and essays. Oates has long been a force to be reckoned with, and an inspiration to aspiring writers everywhere. "I'm honored to be a recipient of the Strand Lifetime Achievement Award with its distinguished history," Oates said. "As a writer who spends much time in solitude, and especially during this perilous pandemic year when immersion in a world of fiction has been both a way of remaining sane and a way of trying to comprehend the insanity roiling about us, I am particularly grateful for the thoughtfulness and generosity of the critics who have thought of me in this regard. Thank you enormously! All writers need encouragement—and this is very encouraging." The release of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in 2002 catapulted Alexander McCall Smith to the top of the bestseller lists. He's continued the series of charming mysteries set in Botswana and has started several other highly successful series, including the 44 Scotland Street books, The Sunday Philosophy Club series, and numerous children's books. A true humanitarian, McCall Smith has lent his support to several charitable causes, including rabies control and safeguards for the environment, as well as contributed to the Christian Book Sale, a charity that raises funds for disaster relief. "I am immensely honored by this award from The Strand Magazine," McCall Smith said. "This is a magazine with a great reputation and a great history, and it is such an honor to be associated with it in this way. I look forward to my continuing association with the splendid cultural institution that is The Strand Magazine." Past lifetime achievement award winners include Tess Gerritsen, Walter Mosley, Heather Graham, Jonathan Gash, J.A. Jance, Clive Cussler, Jeffery Deaver, and Elmore Leonard. Publisher of the Year Award Josh Stanton of Blackstone Publishing will receive the Publisher of the Year Award. Stanton took the helm at Blackstone ten years ago, and during his tenure sales have more than tripled. He has also overseen the evolution of Blackstone not only as one of the largest audiobook publishers in the United States, but also as a publisher of bestselling print and digital books, recently releasing highly successful mystery novels by Meg Gardiner, Brian Freeman, Catherine Ryan Howard, and Sara Foster. "Josh and the team at Blackstone are simply phenomenal," said Gulli. "Their recipe for success should serve as a guide to all businesses seeking to expand and forge excellent relationships with authors, vendors, publishers, and customers." "I would like to express my deepest gratitude to The Strand," Stanton said. "It's truly an honor to be chosen, and I'm humbled to receive this award. This recognition is a testament to our entire Blackstone team and all their amazing efforts and creativity. I'd like to thank the entire company because each one of you is as much a part of this accolade as I am." Past recipients of the Strand Publisher of the Year Award include Tom Doherty and Bronwen Hruska. The Strand Critics Awards will be held virtually in early September.  |
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