Murder, mystery and thriller books

The Eye Of The Beholder
by Margie Orford
In a remote farmhouse in Scotland an artist, Cora Berger, balances precariously in front of a giant painting of a mysterious snowscape. In London, her daughter, Freya, watches faded home movies, searching in these images of Eden, a remote South African farm, for the child who would become her troubled mother. And at a Canadian wolf sanctuary, a young woman named Angel Lamar works with infinite predatory patience to hunt down the men who witnessed the horror that was her childhood. In a work that is, in turn, introspective and brutal, The Eye of the Beholder interweaves the lives of Cora, her daughter Freya and Angel, three women struggling to gain control of their present even as they unravel the painful truths of a cruel past. Jonathan Ball Publishers R325

Cold, Cold Bones
by Kathy Reichs
Winter has come to North Carolina and, with it, a drop in crime. For a while, temporarily idle forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is content to dote on her daughter, Katy, finally returned to civilian life from the army. But when mother and daughter meet at Tempe’s place one night for dinner, they find a box on the back porch. Inside, a very fresh human eyeball. GPS coordinates etched into the eyeball lead to a Benedictine Monastery where an equally macabre discovery awaits. There seems to be no pattern to these killings, except that each mimics a killing connected to something a younger Tempe experienced, or barely escaped. Someone is targeting her, and she needs to figure out why before they strike again. And then her daughter Katy disappears. Simon & Schuster R330

The Hive
by Scarlett Brade
Charlotte Goodwin looks directly at the camera and reveals a chilling truth to the thousands watching her Instagram Live broadcast. She has killed her ex-boyfriend’s new partner in cold blood. But she is not finished yet. With bloodied hands she takes a calm sip of tea before continuing. The viewers must now vote to decide whether he should live or die. The public display sends shockwaves rippling through the online community and the numbers of viewers skyrockets. But as Lincoln’s past is revealed, how will he be judged? Bonded by mutual tragedy, Charlotte’s three best friends have supported each other through the soaring highs and devastating lows of their lives. Now, in Charlotte’s hour of need, her friends also face a choice: whether to help her get away with murder. Bonnier R330

The Final Nail
by Stefan Ahnhem He has extorted. He has abused. He has raped. He has sacrificed colleagues as a means to reach the top. His name is Kim Sleizner and he works as a police chief in Copenhagen. Dunja Hougaard left the police force, traumatised by what he put her through. Dunja is determined to get revenge on her former boss no matter how untouchable he appears. Now she’s gone underground to investigate his past and bring his crimes to the attention of the world. When a high-ranking Danish intelligence officer and an unknown woman are found dead at the bottom of a lake outside Copenhagen, Dunja seizes her moment to set a trap for Sleizner. But then, just as it seems her case is solved, on the other side of the strait in Helsingborg, Sweden, detective Fabian Risk receives a message that changes everything.
Head of Zeus R350

All I Said Was True
by Imran Mahmood
When Amy Blahn died on a London rooftop, Layla Mahoney was there. Layla was holding her. But all she can say when she’s arrested is that ‘It was Michael. Find Michael and you’ll find out everything you need to know.’ The problem is, the police can’t find him, they aren’t even sure he exists. Layla knows she only has forty-eight hours to convince the police that bringing in the man she knows only as ‘Michael’ will clear her name and reveal a dangerous game affecting not just Amy and Layla, but her husband Russell and countless others. But as the detectives begin to uncover the whole truth about what happened to Amy, Layla will soon have to decide how much of that truth can she really risk being exposed? Bloomsbury R335

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