One of the Scotsman's Books of 2018 When Professor Francombe and her team of archaeologists find the remains of three women on a remote Kintyre hillside - a site rumoured to have been the base of Viking warlord Somerled - their delight soon turns to horror when they realise the women tragically met their end little more than two decades ago. It soon becomes clear that these are the three missing victims of the 'Midweek Murderer', a serial killer who was at work in Glasgow in the early 1990s. DCI Jim Daley now has the chance to put things right - to confront a nightmare from his past and solve a crime he failed to as a young detective. However, when Police Scotland's Cold Case Unit arrive, they bring yet more ghosts to Kinloch. A tale of death, betrayal, Viking treasure and revenge set in the thin places where past, present and future collide.

When one of their own is kidnapped, the washed-up MI5 operatives of Slough House—the Slow Horses, as they're known—outwit rogue agents at the very highest levels of British Intelligence, and even to Downing Street itself.

London: Slough House is the MI5 branch where disgraced operatives are reassigned after they’ve messed up too badly to be trusted with real intelligence work. The “Slow Horses,” as the failed spies of Slough House are called, are doomed to spend the rest of their careers pushing paper, but they all want back in on the action.

When one of their own is kidnapped and held for ransom, the agents of Slough House must defeat the odds, overturning all expectations of their competence, to breach the top-notch security of MI5’s intelligence headquarters, Regent’s Park, and steal valuable intel in exchange for their comrade’s safety. The kidnapping is only the tip of the iceberg, however—the agents uncover a larger web of intrigue that involves not only a group of private mercenaries but the highest authorities in the Secret Service. After years spent as the lowest on the totem pole, the Slow Horses suddenly find themselves caught in the midst of a conspiracy that threatens not only the future of Slough House, but of MI5 itself.

Documentary filmmaker Dara Barr is at the top of her game and looking for bigger challenges. That's why she's come to Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, with her right-hand man, six-foot-six, seventy-two-year-old African American seafarer Xavier LeBo, to film modern-day pirates hijacking merchant ships. But almost no one here is who he seems to be. Dijibouti's most successful, Mercedes-driving pirate seems to be a good guy, while his pal, a cultured Saudi diplomat, has dubious connections. Texas billionaire Billy Wynn plays mysterious roles as the mood strikes him, especially when dealing with his nifty fashion model girlfriend, Helene. And then there's Jama Raisuli, a black al Qaeda terrorist from Miami, who's vowed to blow up something big.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR JAMES LEE BURKE

THE NEON RAIN

Detective Dave Robicheaux has fought too many battles: in Vietnam, with killers and hustlers, with police brass, and with the bottle. Lost without his wife's love, Robicheaux's haunted soul mirrors the intensity and dusky mystery of New Orleans' French Quarter -- the place he calls home, and the place that nearly destroys him when he becomes involved in the case of a young prostitute whose body is found in a bayou. Thrust into the world of drug lords and arms smugglers, Robicheaux must face down a subterranean criminal world and come to terms with his own bruised heart in order to survive.

THE ADDICTIVE No.1 BESTSELLER AND INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE THE BOOK THAT DEFINES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER Who are you? What have we done to each other? These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? 'Flynn is a brilliantly accomplished psychological crime writer and this latest book is so dark, so twisted and so utterly compelling that it actually messes with your mind' DAILY MAIL 'A near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of' SOPHIE HANNAH, Sunday Express 'You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunch' THE TIMES 'One of the most popular thrillers of the year is also one of the smartest... Flynn's book cleverly outpaces its neo-noir trappings and consistently surprises the reader.' FINANCIAL TIMES

The fifth book in the heart-stopping King and Maxwell series, The Sixth Man by David Baldacci will keep pulses racing as Sean King and Michelle Maxwell face their next great challenge.

A dangerous asset, the analyst.

The government’s uniquely talented, top-tier intelligence analyst, Edgar Roy, is arrested for mass murder and locked away in a psychiatric unit. Is he innocent, guilty, insane?

An old friend.

Roy’s lawyer – and King’s former mentor – calls on the pair of former Secret Service agents to look into the case. On the way to the meeting, King and Maxwell discover his dead body.

Web of deceit.

As King and Maxwell dig into Roy’s past, the more they are bombarded with obstacles, half-truths and dead ends that make filtering the facts from fiction nearly impossible.

A rush of terrifying events unfold that will push King and Maxwell to the limit. Could this increasingly deadly case be the one that leaves the duo permanently parted?

The Sixth Man is followed by the sixth and final book in the King and Maxwell series, King and Maxwell.

'I really loved this . . . the beginning of an excellent series' 5 stars, Netgalley reader A killer stalks the streets of London . . . When a priest is found crucified in a derelict North London chapel, it makes a dramatic change for DI Charlie George and his squad at Essex Road. The brutal murder could not be further from their routine of domestic violence and stabbings on the estates. And that's only the beginning . . . On Christmas Eve, a police officer goes missing and his colleagues can't help but anticipate the worst. It turns out they're right to when eventually the body is found and they discover he's been stoned to death. As tensions rise, it's up to Charlie and his team to venture into the city's cold underbelly to try and find an answer to the madness . . . before anyone else dies a martyr's death. Praise for Colin Falconer: 'This one doesn't disappoint!' 5 stars, Netgalley reader 'Once you read [a] Colin Falconer [book], you'll want to read everything he's ever written' Crystal Book Reviews 'Falconer's grasp of period and places is almost flawless ... He's my kind of writer' Peter Corris, The Australian 'It held my attention from start to finish . . . I have no hesitation in recommending' 4 stars, Netgalley reader 'Falconer demonstrates exceptional characterisation' Bookgeeks 'A compelling piece of crime fiction . . . An entertaining and gritty read' 4 stars, Netgalley reader

They can buy everything except the truth.

Each week, they come to lie on her couch. Carrie, Henry and Grace. They don’t know one another, but Dr Alex knows them all too well. She listens as they reveal their dirtiest little secrets.

Then a murderer strikes in their elite neighbourhood. Could her clients hold the answers? As a psychologist, she knows that anyone can be a killer if they’re pushed hard enough. ut only some can get away with it.

A twist-a-minute standalone thriller with a massive dose of guilty pleasure, from the million copy bestseller Rachel Lynch.

New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane's classic novel featuring beloved P.I.s Kenzie and Gennaro captures the dark realism of Boston's gritty blue-collar streets

When Patrick first meets Karen Nichols, she strikes him as a naive woman from a protected upbringing, untouched by tragedy. But six months later Karen commits suicide by leaping from one of Boston's monuments. Patrick finds himself wondering what can alter someone so drastically, so quickly, that suicide seems her only option. yet Patrick soon suspects that the tragic events that befell Karen during the last months of her life--an "accident" that destroyed her fiance; the loss of her job, her apartment, and eventually her mind--may not have been as random as they first appeared.

Enlisting the aid of his ex-partner and ex-flame, Angela Gennaro, as well as that of his friend, the lethally unbalanced Bubba Rogowski, Patrick enters into a treacherous game of cat-and-mouse with a man who, instead of merely killing his victims, prefers to make them wish they were dead. As Patrick, Angie, and Bubba wage psychological warfare with this brilliant, depraved sociopath, they discover they might be fighting a losing battle against an enemy who is determined to tear their worlds apart.

The twenty-first book in the hugely popular Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series from New York Times bestselling author Faye Kellerman LAPD Detective Peter Decker is about to face a case that will push him to the limit... Residents in a local building have been complaining of a smell coming from an apartment rented by the eccentric inventor Hobart Penny. Nearly ninety-years-old, and a hermit for the last 25 years, it is not surprising that the reclusive genius has died without anyone's knowledge. However, as Decker steps inside, it's clear that Penny has died from anything but natural causes... Penny's children describe their father as a cruel and vindictive man. His second wife knew a man with strange sexual appetites, while the owner of a Californian animal charity speaks only of a kind-hearted old man. But further searches not only add to the list of suspects, but find evidence of a disturbed, depraved mind. So just who was Hobart Penny? A brilliant inventor, a generous philanthropist or a callous killer?

Taking their lives is not enough . . . IT'S GORY, IT'S GRIPPING, IT'S GERRITSEN 'A seamless blend of good writing and pulse-racing tension.' Independent HE HIDES, HE KILLS, HE KEEPS . . . Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles is asked to attend an intriguing examination. An ancient mummy has been found in a museum basement, prompting great media excitement. But with horror she realises that it's not as ancient as they thought...A very modern bullet is showing up on the scan. Detective Jane Rizzoli is called to investigate and soon discovers a second - and then a third - mummified body. Who is this killer and why does he preserve his victims so meticulously? And who will be the next to join his monstrous collection?

'There's only one Jack Reacher. Accept no substitutes' Mick Herron 'The thing about Lee Child's books is that you can't put the damn things down. . .there's something about his writing that's addictive. The Enemy is no exception. . .Superb.' Independent on Sunday _____________ North Carolina. New Year's Day, 1990. A soldier is found dead in a sleazy motel bed. Jack Reacher is the officer on duty. The soldier turns out to be a two-star general. The situation is bad enough, then Reacher finds the body of the general's wife. This stomach-churning thriller turns back the clock to a younger Reacher, in dogtags. A Reacher who still believes in the service. A Reacher who imposes army discipline. Even if only in his own pragmatic way... _________ Although the Jack Reacher novels can be read in any order, The Enemy is 8th in the series. And be sure not to miss Reacher's newest adventure, no.27, No Plan B! ***OUT NOW***

We are invisible: we clean your houses, we look after your children, we know your secrets. But now you know one of ours... Rules for being a maid: * No smoking * No boyfriends * No visitors * And most importantly: be invisible... Corazon, Angel and Donita have all come to Singapore to work for a living. The thing that unites them? Their labour must remain unseen. But when a friend is accused of murdering her employer, everything changes. The accused could be any of them; they all know the stories of women who were scapegoated or even executed for crimes they didn't commit. Each woman has secrets to keep, yet they must gather every ounce of bravery, fearlessness and complete audacity to clear the name of one of their own. After all, no-one knows the secrets of Singapore's elite quite like the women who work in their homes...

NEVER SAY DIE Twenty years after her father's plane crashed in the jungles of Southeast Asia, Willy Jane Maitland was finally tracking his last moves. She recognised the dangers, but her search for the truth about that fateful flight was the only thing that mattered. Closing in on the events of that night, Willy realises that she is investigating secrets that people would kill to protect. And without knowing who to trust, the truth can be far from clear cut. . . PRESUMED GUILTY Guilty - until proven innocent Miranda Wood arrives home to a dark, cold cottage - and a man, stabbed to death, lying in her bed. Miranda is the obvious suspect, and she looks even guiltier when her bail is paid by an anonymous donor. As Miranda fights to clear her name, she unearths a murky history of blackmail, corruption and scandal. As she gets closer to the truth, it becomes clear that someone else wants to kill Miranda - someone with a personal reason for wanting her out of the way... "Gerritsen is tops in her genre. " USA Today

THE NEW THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE 'He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.' Tess's number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy's father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe. When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter's brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words. But no one will listen. It's only a child's drawing, isn't it? Tess will protect Poppy, whatever the price. But when she doesn't know what, or who, she is protecting her from, how can she possibly know who to trust . . . ? 'An intense, brilliantly crafted thriller that hums with menace from start to finish' TM Logan, author of Trust Me and The Holiday 'What an intriguing, compelling page-turner. I ate it up in two days' Liz Nugent, author of Our Little Cruelties 'I love Nicci French's books, and with The Unheard they are right at the top of their game. Few crime writers can match their psychological acuity, of their ability to lead a reader through dizzying plot twists without ever losing pace. It's an absolute masterclass of crime writing' Kate Rhodes, author of the Locked-Island Mystery series Praise for Nicci French: 'Confirms Nicci French as the giant of the genre' Erin Kelly 'Part ingenious locked-room mystery. Part you've-got-the-wrong-person nightmare drama. Part intricate memory game. Yet all seamlessly woven together. French's best book yet' A J Finn 'Expertly paced, psychologically sharp, thoroughly enjoyable' Louise Candlish 'Meticulously plotted, psychologically astute' Sarah Vaughan 'Great writing, razor-sharp plotting, and powerful characterisation. I was 100 pages in before I even drew breath, and I defy anyone to see the ending coming' Cara Hunter 'It's Nicci French perfection - which, as we all know, is the best kind of perfection. So, so gripping and brilliantly clued' Sophie Hannah 'A novel that blissfully plays with two genres: on the one hand an against-the-odds legal thriller a la John Grisham... and on the other a Miss Marple whodunnit' Sunday Times 'Nicci French husband-and-wife writing team responsible for some of the UK's best psychological thrillers have created a gem of a protagonist in Tabitha' Observer 'First-class' Independent 'Gripping' Literary Review 'Gritty and moving - the husband-and-wife team have scored another hit' Best 'A twisty and shocking read' Bella 'Engrossing' Good Housekeeping

'A compelling, atmospheric page turner with an authentic insight into Maori culture' Val McDermid A DETECTIVE IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH. A KILLER IN SEARCH OF RETRIBUTION. A CLASH BETWEEN CULTURE AND DUTY. THE PAST NEVER TRULY STAYS BURIED. Hana Westerman is a tenacious Ma ori detective juggling single motherhood and the pressures of her career in Auckland's Central Investigation Branch. When she's led to a crime scene by a mysterious video, she discovers a man hanging in a secret room. As Hana and her team work to track down the killer, other deaths lead her to think that they are searching for New Zealand's first serial killer. With little to go on, Hana must use all her experience as a police officer to try and find a motive to these apparently unrelated murders. What she eventually discovers is a link to an historic crime that leads back to the brutal bloody colonisation of New Zealand. When the pursuit becomes frighteningly personal, Hana realises that her heritage and knowledge are their only keys to finding the killer. But as the murders continue, it seems that the killer's agenda of revenge may include Hana - and her family . . . WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE OF PARADISE. 'Better the Blood touches on themes that have become increasingly urgent in recent years including the far-reaching impacts of colonialism and the often uneasy integration of identity and heritage into modern multicultural society. A tensely plotted, gritty crime novel that has the courage to force us all to rethink our relationship with the past' Vaseem Khan 'As page-turning as it is eye-opening. An excitingly fresh perspective upon a world you thought you knew' Ambrose Parry 'Stunning. Better the Blood is a tremendous debut, and Hana Westerman, the Maori detective at the center of the story, instantly becomes one of the great characters in crime fiction on any continent. This novel has it all: a gripping mystery, complex and memorable characters, and timely social and cultural commentary. Don't miss it' David Heska Wanbli Weiden, author of Winter Counts 'Packed with intricate detail about Maori history and culture, this tense and involving story ushers in a remarkable new detective' Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail 'This thought-provoking debut is a compelling, insightful and highly addictive read' My Weekly 'So chilling' Crime Monthly '[A] stellar series launch . . . Immersed in modern-day technologies and with a keen sensitivity to cultural issues, this is a finely crafted page-turner. Bennett is a writer to watch' Publishers Weekly (starred review) 'Bennett unflinchingly weaves together layers of fallout from New Zealand's bloody colonization, enduring Maori culture, and gripping procedural details. Hopefully this compelling debut heralds the start of a long-running series' Booklist

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier has started to show the same tell-tale signs of Alzheimer's disease as her father: memory loss, even blackouts. So she is reluctant to accept the invitation to be the guest of honour at a prestigious biotech conference - until her husband Daniel, also a neuroscientist, persuades her that the publicity storm will be worth it.

The technology being unveiled at this conference could revolutionise medicine forever. More than that, it could save Sarah's life. In Geneva, the couple are feted as stars - at least, Sarah is. But behind the five-star luxury, investors are circling, controversial blogger Terri Landau is all over the story, and Sarah's symptoms are getting worse.

As events begin to spiral out of control, Sarah can't be sure who to trust - including herself.