In the heat of the moment
THE LOST MAN by Jane Harper (Little, Brown €14.99)
A THIRD superb novel from the author of bestseller The Dry, this is the story of three brothers living and working in the isolated outback of Australia, where the heat is so intense it can kill within 24 hours.
Told from the perspective of the eldest brother Nathan Bright, it describes the discovery of the body of his brother Cameron. It is found at a remote landmark called The Stockman’s Grave, which is so old no one can remember who is buried there.
How did he die and, just as important, why?
So begins Harper’s intricate, beautifully woven mystery, which sucks you into a world where nothing is ever what it seems and everyone has secrets.
The details of what happened to Cameron slowly begin to emerge, as his family struggles to come to terms with his death.
Told with mesmerising skill, it is a compelling portrait of isolation and the strain it exerts on even the strongest character.
A little masterpiece.
FEBRUARY’S SON by Alan Parks (Canongate €18.19)
THIS pitch-black Tartan noir, set in Seventies Glasgow, is the second outing for Detective Harry McCoy, and is more compelling than his debut in last year’s Bloody January.
It opens with the discovery of a mutilated body on the 14th floor of a building site.
The words ‘Bye Bye’ have been carved into the naked man’s chest — but this is no gangster fallen foul of one of the city’s gangs.
This is a star footballer with Celtic, who is engaged to the beautiful daughter of one of Glasgow’s most dangerous crime lords.
So begins a tale of medieval brutality, revolving around the battles between rival gangs for control of drug trafficking. McCoy is fighting on all fronts, while recalling his own abused childhood in Scottish children’s homes.
Bleak, but with an emotional heart that’s hard to ignore.
GALLOWSTREE LANE by Kate London (Corvus €18.19)
THIS former Met homicide detective’s third novel offers a unique insight into the world of knife crime and teenage gangs in London. It throws the horrifying statistics of deaths among young people, into stark relief in a way that will terrify, yet hypnotise, anyone who wonders what lies behind so much violence.
It opens with teenager Spencer Cardoso pleading, ‘Please don’t let me die’ as the knife wound in his thigh bleeds onto the pavement.
His friend Ryan watches, then disappears when a passing paramedic tries to save Spencer. Ryan is part of a criminal network dabbling in guns and drugs, and is the subject of an undercover operation, designed to bring its ring leader to justice.
Utterly authentic.