I’ve already been lucky enough to read some of the great UK releases coming this Spring. Given that some of them I’ve read six months or so before publication, rather than waiting to review them, I want to offer a taster of what’s coming soon.

Kate Hamer is the author of the Costa shortlisted book The Girl in the Red Coat. I haven’t yet read this but her new novel The Doll Funeral which is coming in February is a wonderfully eerie read. A young girl discovers she is adopted and fantasises about escaping from her dire home life and finding her real parents. The line between reality and imagination is blurred in this book set in the Forest of Dean and I loved how unsettled the story made me feel.

Brad Parks is a debut author whose book, Say Nothing, opens with an intriguing premise. Scott Sampson receives a text message from his wife telling him he doesn’t need to collect their children from swimming lessons. When she arrives home hours later with no knowledge of the message the intrigue begins. Say Nothing grips the reader from the start and doesn’t let up. I read the book in virtually one sitting which is unknown for me these days.

Yrsa Sigrudardottir’s books make a regular appearance on Crimepieces. I’ve enjoyed both her standalone and her series featuring Thora Gudmundsdottir. In The Legacy, Yrsa has taken a new, darker direction. A woman is horrifically murdered and the only witness is her young daughter. Police work with an organisation used to dealing with traumatised children to uncover the dark secret behind the deaths. The killings in the book are horrific but Yrsa never loses her grip on the reader. She has the fantastic ability to draw you into the story and I think the book’s darker turn will garner her new fans.

Stav Sherez is one of my favourite crime writers and he produces books which are of a consistently high standard. His series featuring detectives Cardigan and Miller are set in London and the plots are always up-to-the-minute reflections of society’s preoccupations. The Intrusions is beautifully written and his best book to date.

I read Where I Lost Her by T Greenwood over Christmas and the story had me enthralled. Tess, a woman grieving a failed adoption and experiencing the disintegration of her marriage sees a girl run into the woods. After alerting the police who fail to find any trace of the girl or anyone who has reported a missing child, Tess herself comes under suspicion. I found the book both moving and absorbing.

Some exciting books for 2017. Wishing all readers of Crimepieces a Happy New Year!