There's a world of trouble in these five must-read new thrillers. Indulge in some armchair globe-trotting, with locations ranging from rural England to blood-spattered Madrid and 20th-century China. 'Black Wolf' By Juan Gómez-Jurado Gómez-Jurado's crime novels move like crazy between violent gangsters, duplicitous cops and a female criminal mastermind who could be pulling all of their strings.
The real lure of the series, though, is a pair of memorable main characters: detective Jon Gutiérrez, who is gay, sardonic, obsessed with his weight and always on the outs with his bosses on the Bilbao, Spain, police force (feel free to picture architect Frank Gehry's masterpiece, the Guggenheim art museum in Bilbao, constantly lurking behind him). And Antonia Scott, who is brilliant, haunted by tragedy and increasingly dependent on a mysterious pill she uses to supercharge her already uncanny brain. 'Trust Her' By Flynn Berry "Trust Her" can be read on its own, but it's a sequel to previous novel "Northern Spy," about sisters Tessa and Marian, whose lives are being made miserable by the Irish Republican Army.
In "Spy," Marian joined the IRA and Tessa, who narrates, managed to free her and help her create a new life. Both are living in Dublin, with young kids and new jobs, when the IRA finds them and pulls them back in. "Trust Her" is a page-turner with heart: Berry is great at tender observations such as Tessa's recollection of bathing her newborn: "I still remember the face on him, when he felt the warm water slipping over him for the first time, his small bowed legs, his wariness, and then his bliss, rotating his head to feel the water moving against it.
" 'The Comfort By Jacqueline Winspear It's already been announced, so this is not a spoiler: The 18th Maisie Dobbs adventure is also the last. In a foreword, Winspear says she's done everything she intended with the English psychologist/sleuth. Give the author credit for knowing it was time to step away from the Mary Poppins-esque Maisie and for giving her creation a worthy send-off.
After the end of World War II, Maisie is trying to solve the murder of a wealthy Nazi sympathizer and figure out how to help four children left homeless by the Blitz who happen to have suspicious knowledge of wartime tactics. Fans of the series will have to be patient with Winspear's frequent recaps, which make "Comfort" work as a standalone. 'Look in the Mirror' By Catherine Steadman Both the most surprising and, ultimately, disappointing book on this list is this British Virgin Islands-set puzzler.
The first half is buoyed by a difficult-topin-down premise: When her father dies, a British professor named Nina discovers he left her a luxurious island getaway, designed by him, that she didn't know he possessed. The house, and the money it would have taken to build it, reframe Nina's idea of her dad. Things get even more baffling when she enters the home.
Despite its gleaming, modern design, it seems to be a combination of a haunted house and a deadly escape room. "Look in the Mirror" is entertaining, but the rushed conclusion is not as satisfying as Steadman's previous books. 'Shanghai' By Joseph Kanon Ever since his debut, "Los Alamos," Kanon has written about shadowy men on the margins of pivotal moments in 20th-century espionage, in this case, Japan-occupied China in 1939.
Our hero, Daniel Lohr (if that's his real name), is a Jewish man who flees Germany, headed on a ship to Shanghai, where he helps his crooked uncle run a casino and keeps his ear open for gossip items to supply a creepy newspaper columnist. It sounds like a recipe to get shot at, and Daniel does. He's also trying to locate the femme fatale he fell for while on board the ship.
Kanon has a great ear for noir-ish, hardboiled quips and a gift for believably plunging his characters into the relentless flow of historic skullduggery. Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
