CRIME
Triple Cross
by James Patterson
It is 30 years since Dr Alex Cross — psychologist, former detective with the Washington DC police and now consultant to the FBI — first burst on to the scene.
He is Patterson’s multi-million-selling most prized creation and the author has nurtured him carefully through the years.
Here, Cross confronts an entirely original story. True crime author Thomas Tull has made a fortune with books describing real cases and seems to have extraordinary access to all the details.
How does he get them? Does he perhaps insinuate himself into the investigations, or is there more to it than that?
Now Tull has come up with a theory about a string of murders in Washington that have been carried out by a killer known as the Family Man, who never leaves any trace at the crime scenes: no fingerprints, no DNA, nothing.
This is superb story-telling, linked to a splendidly intricate plot that shows Patterson at his page-turning best.
It is 30 years since Dr Alex Cross — psychologist, former detective with the Washington DC police and now consultant to the FBI — first burst on to the scene
Red as Blood
by Lilja Sigurdardottir
This is a second outing for Icelandic investigator Arora, who specialises in finding hidden assets, including missing money, and it is even better than its predecessor.
She is still striving to find her missing sister, Isafold, with the help of police detective Daniel, when she is called by a wealthy Icelandic businessman named Flosi whose wife has been kidnapped.
She will be returned if he pays a ¤2 million ransom and killed if he calls in the police or refuses to pay. Arora asks Daniel for help. They mount a covert operation to find the wife, while Arora also investigates Flosi’s business affairs and contacts his Scottish-based accountant to access the ransom money.
Again, the Icelandic scenery and weather are beautifully evoked — you can almost feel the autumn fog seeping up from the pages —but it is the corkscrew twists that make it both chilling and mesmerising. If you haven’t caught Arora yet, now is the time.
A Heart Full of Headstones
by Ian Rankin
Every new John Rebus story is a delight, and this, the 24th in the series, proves the point. Now a former detective inspector in Police Scotland, the iconoclastic, acerbic Rebus finds himself on trial for a crime that could put him behind bars for a long time.
The story extends into an elaborate series of flashbacks to explain how he got there. The familiar characters that Rankin’s millions of readers cherish are ever present: DI Siobhan Clarke, DI Malcolm Fox and, of course, arch criminal Big ‘Ger’ Cafferty, who is now in a wheelchair.
The story rotates around a corrupt police officer who has been violently abusing his wife, but who claims this was only because he was suffering from PTSD caused by his treatment in the force. As ever with Rebus, it is more complicated than that.
There are conspiracies afoot, as well as old scores to settle. Elegantly and deftly told — with Edinburgh as the backdrop — Rankin’s exceptional talent shines from every page.
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