pinnacle by Abir Mukherjee (Harvill, £16.99)
In the Mumbai apartment block of the same name, the ultra-rich and the people who serve them coexist, but worlds apart. Endangered American actor George Abercrombie, married to superstar Sweety Sahota, finds himself advertising Indian whiskey while his younger wife’s acting career takes off at breakneck speed. Waking up on the couch with a hangover and only hazy memories of the previous night, George discovers Sweetie stabbed to death on the marital bed and one of her shirts, stained with blood, in a laundry basket. He knows he must be the prime suspect, but not only have Sweety’s phone and laptop gone missing, but so has her assistant Amit… Told from the point of view of George, Amit and Sweety’s PA Gemma – Amit and Gemma both have secrets of their own – and laced with dry humor and social commentary, it is a tense, fast-paced tale of class, power and corruption.
a violent act By Jordan Harper (Faber, £9.99)
Set in LA, award-winning American novelist Harper’s latest novel is a deep and timely story. Jake, who livestreams crime scenes to sensation-hungry audiences, is currently entering the market for serial killer nostalgia with an episode on the LA Ripper, “Up to Three Victims and Counting”. Cara works for Sab Rosa, a concierge service that provides very rich people with everything they want, legal or otherwise. And Gibson is a public defense attorney who reluctantly agrees to act for a wealthy stalker who threatens to bring down “the pillars of this entire town”, including Sab Rosa’s clients, before apparently killing himself in his cell. When Kara’s co-worker goes missing and she suspects it is the work of the Ripper, the three heroes’ worlds converge. Told in apocalyptic language, this tale of greed has shades of both James Ellroy and Tom Wolfe, played out in a dark, chaotic, and utterly immoral world.
murder on the red river by Marcy R Rendon (Viper, £9.99)
Native American playwright and poet Rendon’s debut novel is set in the 1970s on the North Dakota/Minnesota border. 19-year-old Ojibwe woman Cash Blackbear is a farm laborer, spending her evenings playing pool for beer money. His world is one of low expectations, limited opportunities, poverty and alcoholism; A difficult childhood with a series of foster families has left her self-reliant, her only true friend being Sheriff Wheaton, who has tried to take care of her since she was “legally kidnapped” by her mother and siblings. When an Ojibwe man is murdered, she puts herself at risk to help gather intelligence for Wheaton’s investigation. Beautifully written, with a charming central character, this is the first novel of the anticipated series; Rendon covers the ground well, focusing on individual investigations as well as larger, systemic crimes committed against Native American people, such as the forced removal of children from their families. more please.
Dedicated by Katherine Cho (Fourth Estate, £16.99)
Cho’s Hong Kong-set first novel features more generational trauma and limited choices, this time among the rich and powerful. As the daughter of a major player in the Triad crime syndicate, narrator Yoonha has her life set out for her, but her pampered existence as a “tai tai(The Rich Wife) comes to an end when her young son is kidnapped and despite his safe recovery, she is no longer deemed fit to care for him. It is only when she moves away from her safe haven and takes up a job as a nightclub hostess, that she begins on the long road to understand the extent to which not only she, but also the other members of the family are entangled in the machinations of her father’s criminal world. Told in chapters alternating between the present and the past, this is a moving story of secrets, betrayals and how women are denied agency: The Godfather, seen through a woman’s eyes.
repentant by Kate Foster (Mantel, £18.99)
Foster’s fourth historical mystery begins in 1790 at St. Monans on the east coast of Scotland, where Rev. Mitchell is determined to keep his flock on the straight and narrow. When Florrie Aitken, the under-appreciated wife of important local businessman Johnny, is caught with a lover, she is forced into a humiliating public act of repentance; There he meets Elijah Wood, who was similarly punished for not attending church. Eliza is one of Johnny’s indentured laborers who has no choice but to work for him – first harvesting sea salt, then when Florrie accompanies Johnny to Iceland, where he hopes to expand his operation by using British prisoners as laborers in the Reykjavík port. As Johnny plots revenge on his wife, a bond is formed between the two women – both, in their different ways, as captive as the men on a prison ship – who begin plotting an escape. Intelligent, atmospheric 18th century domestic noir.
