Mobster ignites Vegas hotel war
CITY IN RUINS by Don Winslow (Hemlock Press £22, 400pp)
THIS last instalment of Winslow’s magnificent trilogy about the life and struggles of Irish mobster Danny Ryan from Rhode Island brings his story to a juddering, unforgettable conclusion.
In this last novel Ryan is living in Las Vegas. He is a billionaire and a silent partner in two lavish hotels. But he has dreams: one is to create an extraordinary hotel that reflects the 21st century in a town with its roots firmly planted a century earlier.
His ambition ignites a war with the older Vegas power brokers and sees Ryan fighting for his life, and to protect his family. Add in a ruthless FBI agent bent on revenge and you have as potent and terrifying a plot as you would expect from Winslow. If this truly is his last hurrah, it is a fitting tribute to his exceptional skill and talent.
HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER by Kristen Perrin (Quercus £16.99, 384pp)
THIS debut from a young American — now based in Surrey — announces the arrival of a very bright new talent on the cosy crime scene. Perrin’s first mystery has wit, style and suspense as well as a feisty heroine.
It starts back in 1965 when Frances Adams was just 17 and a fortune-teller predicted that she would be murdered one day. Sixty years later and Great Aunt Frances — as she has become — now a famous crime writer, is indeed murdered. Then comes the first twist. Her will insists that her great-niece Annie should be one of two people charged with solving her murder; if she does, she will inherit her millions and her considerable estate.
So begins a delightfully refreshing story of the plots and allegiances that riddle the tiny Dorset village, where everyone has a skeleton or two in their closet. This has a Netflix series written all over it — it is that good.
LAST WITNESS by Lucie Whitehouse (Orion £18.99, 384pp)
BIRMINGHAM based DCI Robin Lyons lies at the heart of this enthralling police procedural, set against turbulent times in the city.
The body of 18-year-old Ben Renshaw is found murdered in woodland. But why? One explanation could be that the previous summer Ben and his best friend had given evidence against Alistair Heywood, son of a rich, influential family, in a rape trial.
Heywood was convicted, but only after a prolonged campaign of intimidation against the two boys. Is the murder an act of revenge from the Heywoods, or a sign of something even darker?
Meanwhile, DCI Lyons has to grapple with her rebellious teenage daughter Lennie, who is also in legal jeopardy, although to protect her may threaten the career of her boss, and former lover, DCS Samir Jafferi. Emotional and moving, this is a police story with a beating heart.