Author:Derek B. Miller
'This book reminds me of the things that crime fiction can do when it works well … Miller isn’t afraid to write characters who are opinionated. They don’t hold their tongue about what they believe in, they let rip. People are angry, people are passionate. I love the unorthodoxy of it, I suppose. It’s not what you expect it to be." Val McDermid
She knew it was a weird place. She’d heard the stories, seen the movies, read the books. But now police Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård has to leave her native Norway and actually go there; to that land across the Atlantic where her missing brother is implicated in the mysterious death of a prominent African-American academic.
America.
And not someplace interesting, either: upstate New York.
Plunged into a United States where race and identity, politics and promise, reverberate in every aspect of daily life. To find her older brother, she needs the help of the local police who appear to have already made up their minds about the case. Working with - or, if necessary, against — someone actually named Sheriff Irving 'Irv' Wylie, she must negotiate the local political minefields and navigate the back woods of the Adirondacks to uncover the truth before it's too late...
Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award 2019
A superb novel on all levels...Miller is a classy satirist of American mores
—— Marcel Berlins , The TimesDerek B Miller writes the kind of crime fiction the world needs right now. Principled, but not afraid to get down and dirty - and shot through with some of the sharpest humour you're likely to find.
—— Joseph Knox, bestselling author of SirensNot to be missed...A subtle crime story peopled with beautifully drawn characters
—— Geoffrey Wansell , Daily MailA witty and intelligent fish-out-of-water tale
—— SunAmerican By Day is a terrific book - a high-class thriller with a neat Norwegian twist. You won't forget Sigrid, an Oslo detective on a mission in upstate New York; her outsider's take on American society gives this page-turner a unique and compelling sensibility.
—— Erica WagnerSure Derek Miller's novels are smart and full of heart and savvy and hilarious, but even more than all of this, he's fun. He's as dedicated as any writer I know to the proposition that readers should enjoy themselves, should delight in the experience of life and language. If our hearts get broken along the way, so much the better.
—— Richard Russo, winner of the Pulitzer PrizeEngaging characters, a cracking plot and some interesting insights
—— GuardianAlthough nominally a police procedural, The Smiling Man has the sense of place and vivid atmosphere of a classic PI novel. .. Stylish, intelligent and full of heart, Joseph Knox is the best thing to have happened to English crime fiction in years.
—— Irish TimesYou can trace Aidan Waits's lineage direct from Marlowe through Bosch and Rebus — maverick sleuth with a savagely poetic turn of phrase that packs serious observation of the human condition under the laughs — though Waits has the self-sabotage knob turned up to 11. Imperfect as he is, the Manchester DC is the shining light in a world peopled by the worst kinds of bad people. This is Knox's second Waits book in what holds the promise of a classic series.
—— Sunday Times Crime ClubRazor-sharp urban noir – very special indeed.
—— Lee ChildSirens is a powerhouse of noir. Joseph Knox owns Manchester and paints it in all its grimy colours.
—— Val McDermidManchester throbs with lowlife in this startling debut . . . a page-turner with a beating heart. I loved it.
—— Sarah HilaryWaits’ first fictional outing is a shadowy, disturbing narrative and once you start reading it’s hard to resist the call. Sirens is the best British crime debut of the last five years.
—— Crimescene MagazineA fierce, assured and utterly compelling debut . . . A Ross MacDonald for the 21st century.
—— Stav SherezGreat read. A powerful piece of Manchester noir, brutal, poignant and dark as tar.
—— Cath StaincliffeFresh and darkly stylish, Sirens is a striking debut that marks the arrival of a major new crime writing talent.
—— Chris EwanSirens immediately feels like a classic, not a debut . . . a book for every crime fan.
—— Julia Heaberlin, author of Black Eyed SusansAn amazing thriller. Sexy, stylish suspense.
—— A. A. DhandA dark, dangerous noir, Sirens will be one of 2017’s smash hit debuts.
—— Nick QuantrillA dark and clever debut thriller
—— PrimaSuspenseful, shocking thriller. Deliciously dark
—— BestTotally engrossing and I kept on thinking, one more chapter... an intelligent page-turner that makes you question everything
—— Araminta HallTruly horrifying in the most delicious way. Samantha Downing sucks you in with a great story, pitch-perfect prose and disturbingly dead-on insights into the dark side of human nature. I hope I never meet her in a dark alley....
—— Nick PetrieI couldn't pull myself away from this story - a terrifying and riveting window into the mind of the perfect suburban mother with a taste for murder. Make sure you clear your schedule before you pick it up. Absolutely unputdownable
—— Liv ConstantineIt's no mean feat to find something fresh in the crowded thriller field, but Downing pulls off an indisputable triumph with My Lovely Wife. Exemplary writing and outstanding pacing confirm Downing's talent, but it's her deliciously depraved characters that kept me flying through the pages. Couldn't get enough of this subversive love-gone-sideways tale!
—— Sophie LittlefieldDeliciously dark and twisted... It's a remarkable achievement, full stop.
—— Shelf AwarenessBest new books to read this March
—— CosmopolitanA highly original and dark look at the shifting power structure in a modern marriage. . . A funny, smart book
—— Daily MailDarkly witty and strangely plausible, it's a read-in-one-sitting firecracker of a thriller, laced with explosive twists
—— The PeopleA marital, psychological thriller with darkly comedic undertones
—— The WrapBold and brilliant
—— Big IssueThis is a ringer of a yarn, shot through with enough tooth-clenching moments to make you have your dentist on speed dial
—— Connaught TelegraphWith a twisty plot that will leave you gasping, this deliciously dark thriller is on a par with Gone Girl
—— That's Life MonthlyOne of the best thrillers I've ever read
—— Judy FinniganI loved The Chalk Man, but The Taking of Annie Thorne is even better, creepier and more addictive! I was so creeped out I had to stop reading until my husband came home one night! Brilliant stuff - well done, C. J. Tudor!
—— Elle Croft, author of The Other SisterThe Hot List
—— Inside SoapFollowing on from C J Tudor's successful debut, comes a novel about bullying, cruelty and deceit. . . Tudor keeps the novel moving at a fast pace
—— Literary ReviewA Stephen King style thriller that will have you transfixed and submerged in the entanglement of the twisting plot. This book kept me intrigued all the way to the very end
—— Places & FacesCrime meets psychological suspense meets out-and-out horror. From the stomach-churning first chapter to the grand guignol ending that is as shocking as it is surprising, Tudor racks up the nastiness . . . Another hit.
—— Buzz MagazineMatches Stephen King for creepiness. A must-read for horror fans
—— Leamington CourierCreepy beyond words. Just like Stephen King, the fact that Tudor's characters are so believable makes the events even creepier
—— People's Friend