Spies and detectives and murderers, oh my!
A DIVIDED SPY by Charles Cumming
Two starred reviews! A former MI6 officer, Thomas Kell devoted his life to the Service, but it has left him with nothing but grief and a simmering anger against the Kremlin. Then Kell is offered an unexpected chance at revenge. Taking the law into his own hands, he embarks on a mission to recruit a top Russian spy and finds himself in a high stakes game of cat and mouse in which it becomes increasingly difficult to know who is playing whom. “Bestseller Cumming’s nuanced, suspenseful third Thomas Kell novel… unfold[s] in a perfectly constructed plot that proves once again that Cumming is among today’s top spy thriller writers. ” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
AMONG THE RUINS by Ausma Zehanat Khan
In Khan’s third powerful mystery, Detective Esa Khattak is on leave in Iran when he’s asked to investigate the murder of Canadian-Iranian filmmaker Zahra Sobhani at Iran’s notorious Evin prison. Khattak quickly finds himself embroiled in Iran’s tumultuous politics and under surveillance by the regime, but when the trail leads to Zahra’s family in Canada, Khattak calls on his partner, Detective Rachel Getty, for help. “Deeply political without becoming pedantic, Khan’s crime novel offers a fictionalized yet very real look at a region that is steeped in both beauty and misery.” — Library Journal, starred review
THE UNDESIRED by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
“Two tales of personal and familial anguish, decades apart, drive this chilling standalone from Icelandic author Sigurdardóttir. The two narratives converge on an exciting climax that testifies to Sigurdardóttir’s command of psychological nuance and bitter irony.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
A DEATH IN THE DALES by Frances Brody
In Brody’s seventh series installment, private investigator Kate Shackleton is on the hunt to find a girl’s missing brother while simultaneously investigating an unsolved murder from the decade before. “The mysteries themselves may not be complex, but given the fascinating cast of supporting characters, a pleasant Yorkshire setting, and an endearing heroine, this is a solid British traditional mystery that should please series regulars and newcomers alike.” — Library Journal