I have spent a wee while going through my list of 'Scottish' authors over to the right (and you'll note the inverted commas, since I have sometimes stretched the definition of Scottish to within a nanomillimeter of snapping). By my reckoning, twenty-three of them have books coming out next year. How brilliant is that? I have not included new paperbacks where the hardback is already published.
Over the next week or so I will post a little bit about each of the books. Here are the first six authors. I shall be posting them in alphabetical order, so if anyone spots I have missed any out, please let me know.
Publisher: Doubleday
Date: June 2010
The title, if I am not mistaken, is from an Emily Dickinson poem. The book is the fourth novel in the bestselling sequence that started with CASE HISTORIES, and featuring former detective Jackson Brodie. Other than that, I can find absolutely nothing about it.
M C Beaton - DEATH OF A VALENTINE
Publisher: Constable and Robinson
Date: January 2010
From Constable and Robinson's website: 'Amazing news is spreading like wildfire across the Scottish countryside: the most famous of all Highland bachelors, police sergeant Hamish Macbeth, is planning to marry at last! Everyone in the village of Lochdubh adores Josie McSween, Hamish's newest constable and blushing bride-to-be. While locals think she is quite a catch, Hamish has a severe case of pre-nuptial jitters...after all, if it wasn't for the recent murder of a beautiful woman in a neighbouring village there wouldn't be a wedding in the first place. For it was a mysterious Valentine's Day card - delivered to the victim before her death - which initially drew Hamish and Josie together in the investigation. And now, as they work side by side, they soon discover that the woman's list of admirers was endless - confirming Hamish's suspicion that love can be deaf, blind ...and deadly.'
Sean Black - LOCK UP
Publisher: Bantam
Date: July 2010
From the author's website: 'The job facing Ryan Lock and his partner Ty Johnson should be straightforward enough: keeping one man alive for one week. But when that man is an inmate serving life without possibility of parole at Pelican Bay Supermax prison, who's about to testify against the leaders of America's most violent prison gang, Lock finds himself plunged into a deadly world where nothing is at it seems...'
Tony Black - LOSS
Publisher: Preface
Date: January 2010
From Random House website: 'Gus Dury is a changed man. He is off the Edinburgh streets and back with estranged wife, Debs. He has promised her that he won't get involved in any more dodgy cases which the police can't or won't solve. And above all, he's off the drink. In his pocket at all times is a half bottle of scotch, but although the label is worn to shreds, he has never so much as loosened the cap. Then his brother Michael is found dead with a bullet in his heart and Gus' life begins to unravel all over again. How can he keep the promises he has made and still avenge his brother's murder? Loss, Tony Black's third novel about washed-up hack turned private investigator Gus Dury, is absolutely gripping - a labyrinth of violence, secrets and emotion. This is a true rollercoaster of a read.' Ooooooh - how wonderful. I'm really looking forward to this one Gus Dury is a fantastic character.
Karen Campbell - FADE TO GREY or possibly SHADOWPLAY
Publisher: Hodder
Date: June 2010
When researching this one, it appears to be referred to under different titles in different places. This is the third in the series featuring Glasgow policewoman Anna Cameron. From Amazon: 'You are a police officer. This is what you do. You speak for the dead, and the desperate living. When Anna Cameron is promoted to Chief Inspector and moved to a new division, it should be a turning point for her. But if she thought having a female boss would make things easier, she'd reckoned without the fearsome 'JC' Hamilton. Then her mother goes into a coma in a foreign country and an old woman disappears from a Glasgow care home under suspicious circumstances, and Anna's career and personal life both threaten to implode. The gang-related murder of a young Asian boy and an assault on one of her officers only serve to turn the screws tighter - can Anna be both a good cop and a good person?' This is another one that I'm really looking forward to after reading her first book earlier this year.
Publisher: Constable and Robinson
Date: January 2010
From Constable and Robinson's website: 'Amazing news is spreading like wildfire across the Scottish countryside: the most famous of all Highland bachelors, police sergeant Hamish Macbeth, is planning to marry at last! Everyone in the village of Lochdubh adores Josie McSween, Hamish's newest constable and blushing bride-to-be. While locals think she is quite a catch, Hamish has a severe case of pre-nuptial jitters...after all, if it wasn't for the recent murder of a beautiful woman in a neighbouring village there wouldn't be a wedding in the first place. For it was a mysterious Valentine's Day card - delivered to the victim before her death - which initially drew Hamish and Josie together in the investigation. And now, as they work side by side, they soon discover that the woman's list of admirers was endless - confirming Hamish's suspicion that love can be deaf, blind ...and deadly.'
Sean Black - LOCK UP
Publisher: Bantam
Date: July 2010
From the author's website: 'The job facing Ryan Lock and his partner Ty Johnson should be straightforward enough: keeping one man alive for one week. But when that man is an inmate serving life without possibility of parole at Pelican Bay Supermax prison, who's about to testify against the leaders of America's most violent prison gang, Lock finds himself plunged into a deadly world where nothing is at it seems...'
Tony Black - LOSS
Publisher: Preface
Date: January 2010
From Random House website: 'Gus Dury is a changed man. He is off the Edinburgh streets and back with estranged wife, Debs. He has promised her that he won't get involved in any more dodgy cases which the police can't or won't solve. And above all, he's off the drink. In his pocket at all times is a half bottle of scotch, but although the label is worn to shreds, he has never so much as loosened the cap. Then his brother Michael is found dead with a bullet in his heart and Gus' life begins to unravel all over again. How can he keep the promises he has made and still avenge his brother's murder? Loss, Tony Black's third novel about washed-up hack turned private investigator Gus Dury, is absolutely gripping - a labyrinth of violence, secrets and emotion. This is a true rollercoaster of a read.' Ooooooh - how wonderful. I'm really looking forward to this one Gus Dury is a fantastic character.
Karen Campbell - FADE TO GREY or possibly SHADOWPLAY
Publisher: Hodder
Date: June 2010
When researching this one, it appears to be referred to under different titles in different places. This is the third in the series featuring Glasgow policewoman Anna Cameron. From Amazon: 'You are a police officer. This is what you do. You speak for the dead, and the desperate living. When Anna Cameron is promoted to Chief Inspector and moved to a new division, it should be a turning point for her. But if she thought having a female boss would make things easier, she'd reckoned without the fearsome 'JC' Hamilton. Then her mother goes into a coma in a foreign country and an old woman disappears from a Glasgow care home under suspicious circumstances, and Anna's career and personal life both threaten to implode. The gang-related murder of a young Asian boy and an assault on one of her officers only serve to turn the screws tighter - can Anna be both a good cop and a good person?' This is another one that I'm really looking forward to after reading her first book earlier this year.
Chris Ewan - THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO LAS VEGAS
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date: April 2010
Isn't 2010 looking brilliant? Needless to say, this one's a must for me. From Amazon: 'During a brief trip to Vegas, Charlie Howard - mystery writer and professional thief - is nonplussed to find his agent, Victoria, being charmed by a stage illusionist at a high stakes roulette table. It doesn't help that the illusionist, Josh Masters, has invited Victoria to his sell-out show, nor that he seems to be doing very well at roulette. Still, Charlie's not one to hold a grudge, least of all when he could be holding Masters' wallet. Breaking into the conjurer's hotel room and making off with a pile of casino chips would seem to be adequate compensation. Matters are complicated however when Charlie discovers the trussed-up corpse of Masters' beautiful assistant lying in the bath. When Masters disappears and Charlie is caught with his stolen haul of high denomination chips, his problems have only just begun. Ordered to reimburse the casino for every dollar Masters made off with, it seems to Charlie there's only one way out: break into as many hotel rooms as he can, steal as much as he is able to, and just hope that Victoria can summon lady luck to the gaming table of her choice.' Excellent. Can't wait (although I guess I will have to).
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date: April 2010
Isn't 2010 looking brilliant? Needless to say, this one's a must for me. From Amazon: 'During a brief trip to Vegas, Charlie Howard - mystery writer and professional thief - is nonplussed to find his agent, Victoria, being charmed by a stage illusionist at a high stakes roulette table. It doesn't help that the illusionist, Josh Masters, has invited Victoria to his sell-out show, nor that he seems to be doing very well at roulette. Still, Charlie's not one to hold a grudge, least of all when he could be holding Masters' wallet. Breaking into the conjurer's hotel room and making off with a pile of casino chips would seem to be adequate compensation. Matters are complicated however when Charlie discovers the trussed-up corpse of Masters' beautiful assistant lying in the bath. When Masters disappears and Charlie is caught with his stolen haul of high denomination chips, his problems have only just begun. Ordered to reimburse the casino for every dollar Masters made off with, it seems to Charlie there's only one way out: break into as many hotel rooms as he can, steal as much as he is able to, and just hope that Victoria can summon lady luck to the gaming table of her choice.' Excellent. Can't wait (although I guess I will have to).
Helen FitzGerald - HOT FLUSH
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Date: Autumn 2010
Part of Barrington Stoke's 'Most Wanted' series for adult reluctant readers (they also published Allan Guthrie's KILL CLOCK and Stuart MacBride's SAWBONES. From Helen's website: 'Menopausal Probation Officer Eileen has never taken any risks. Unlike her car thieving client, Jim, she's boring and inconsequential. Boring, that is, until a hot flush induced epiphany causes her to steal a pair of jeans at lunch time, spiralling her into the world of her client. A world that is a lot more fun.' Oh, doesn't that sound brilliant? My cup runneth over.Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Date: Autumn 2010
Helen FitzGerald - AMELIA O'DONOHUE IS SO NOT A VIRGIN
Publisher: Source Books
Date: Autumn 2010
Teen fiction, and only loosely crime fiction. From the PR company: 'What do you do if you find a new-born baby in the cupboard in the school sick bay? Does it belong to one of the other students, or could it be one of the nuns? Some pretty funny things happen under those habits...Helen FitzGerald's first Young Adult novel tackles sex, lies and disguised pregnancy head-on in a fast, funny and scary ride through late adolescence.'
Publisher: Source Books
Date: Autumn 2010
Teen fiction, and only loosely crime fiction. From the PR company: 'What do you do if you find a new-born baby in the cupboard in the school sick bay? Does it belong to one of the other students, or could it be one of the nuns? Some pretty funny things happen under those habits...Helen FitzGerald's first Young Adult novel tackles sex, lies and disguised pregnancy head-on in a fast, funny and scary ride through late adolescence.'
I love these descriptions! You've whetted my appetite : ).
ReplyDeleteMine too Margot! There are several there that I shall rush out and get as soon as they come out.
ReplyDeleteSo Karen Cambell is having problems choosing between Visage and Joy Division songs for a title for her new book. I have a similar dilemma with my WIP. Is it The Pop Group's We Are All Prostitutes or Joe Dolce's Shadduperyaface.It's a close call.
ReplyDeleteLOL Paul - I can see your difficulty - that's a tough choice :o)
ReplyDelete