New Releases by Denise Mina

From the award-winning master of crime fiction, Denise Mina re-imagines the "Bonfire of the Vanities,” a series of fires lit throughout Florence at the end of the fifteenth century—inspired by the fanatical Girolamo Savonarola. Girolamo Savonarola was a Dominican friar living in Florence at the end of the fifteenth century. An anti-corruption campaigner, his hellfire preaching increasingly spilled over into tirades against all luxuries that tempted his followers toward sin. These sermons led to the infamous "Bonfire of the Vanities”—a series of fires lit throughout Florence for the incineration of everything from books, extravagant clothing, playing cards, musical instruments, make-up, and mirrors to paintings, tapestries, and sculptures. Railing against the vice and avarice of the ruling Medici family, he was instrumental in their removal from power—and for a short time became the puritanical leader of the city. After turning his attention to corruption within the Catholic Church, he was first excommunicated and then executed by a combination of hanging and being burned at the stake. Just as in Rizzio—her latest novel with Pegasus Crime—Denise Mina brings a modern take to this fascinating historical story, drawing parallels between the febrile atmosphere of medieval Florence and the culture wars of the present day. In dramatizing the life and last days of Savonarola, she explores the downfall of the original architect of cancel culture and, in the process, explores the never-ending tensions between wealth, inequality, and freedom of speech that so dominate our modern world.

In this "edge-of-your-seat" thriller and sequel to the Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine book club pick Conviction (The Los Angeles Times), Anna and Fin find themselves on another breathtaking chase across Europe—and another race to save their own lives. Deception. Theft. Murder. All you need is confidence. Anna McDonald has made a terrible mistake. She has forced her blended family to vacation together. The weather is bad, her daughters are bored, and her ex-husband still insufferable. Oh, and Fin Cohen brought his latest girlfriend, too. So when news of a shocking kidnapping breaks, Anna and Fin do the responsible thing. They take off to solve the case. Lisa Lee, a young YouTube star, has vanished after answering the door to what she thought was a pizza delivery. Police suspect her dad or the delivery guy, but in Lisa’s last known video she ventured into an abandoned chateau in France, where she uncovered a priceless artifact. Anna knows they must find this young woman before it’s too late. To do so, they need to track down that treasure, a casket that could hold answers to the greatest questions ever asked. But Anna and Fin might have misunderstood the stakes of the game. Soon, they find themselves mixed up with some very dark characters, on another thrilling chase across Europe—and another race to save their own lives. Praise for the national bestseller Conviction: "One of the most talented, most daring, most humane writers of the past twenty years . . . Conviction is Mina''s finest work to date: a dark star of a novel, blazingly intense, up-to-the-minute fresh, and exciting as all hell." ―A.J. Finn, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window "Endlessly surprising . . . This incredible novel seems to have been written in a white-hot rage."―Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review "Conviction combines all Mina''s gifts―for suspense, humor, menace, sentiment―in spectacular fashion."―Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal "A page-turner with depth and soul."―O, the Oprah Magazine

From the multi-award-winning master of crime, Denise Mina delivers a radical new take on one of the darkest episodes in Scottish history—the bloody assassination of David Rizzo private secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, in the queen’s chambers in Holyrood Palace. On the evening of March 9th, 1566, David Rizzio, the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, was brutally murdered. Dragged from the chamber of the heavily pregnant Mary, Rizzio was stabbed fifty six times by a party of assassins. This breathtakingly tense novella dramatises the events that led up to that night, telling the infamous story as it has never been told before. A dark tale of sex, secrets and lies, Rizzio looks at a shocking historical murder through a modern lens—and explores the lengths that men and women will go to in their search for love and power. Rizzio is nothing less than a provocative and thrilling new literary masterpiece.

In this "thought-provoking" thriller from the author of the Reese Witherspoon book club pick and national bestseller Conviction, a woman in crisis finds herself on the hunt for her own mother''s murderer (People). Dr. Margo Dunlop is at a crossroads. Her adoptive mom just passed away, and Margo misses her so much she can''t begin to empty the house-or, it seems, get her brother on the phone. Not to mention she''s newly single, secretly pregnant, and worried about her best friend''s dangerous relationship. In an effort to cheer herself up she goes in search of her birth mother. Instead she finds Nikki, her mother''s sister. Aunt Nikki isn''t what Margo expects, and she brings upsetting news: Margo''s mother is dead. Worse, she was murdered years ago, and her killer is still at large—and sending Nikki threatening letters. Margo is torn. Should she stay out of this mess, or try to find justice? But then Margo receives a letter, too. Someone out there has been waiting and watching, and in Margo sees the spitting image of her mother . . . Darkly funny and deeply affecting, The Less Dead is a sharply modern new thriller from the bestselling author of Conviction, and a surprisingly moving story of daughters and mothers, secrets and choices, and how the search for the truth—and a long-hidden killer—will lead one woman to find herself.

Met Alibi heeft Denise Mina een weergaloze thriller geschreven waarin al haar kwaliteiten samenkomen: razendsnel, messcherp, met briljante dialogen en personages van vlees en bloed. In Alibi van Denise Mina, de Schotse queen of crime, luistert Anna McDonald tijdens het klaarzetten van de schoolspullen van haar kinderen naar een truecrimepodcast. Dan staat haar beste vriendin Estelle voor de deur en komt haar man de trap af met een koffer in zijn hand. Ze vertrekken samen en nemen de kinderen mee. Anna blijft in shock achter. Nu haar leven ineengestort is, zoekt ze afleiding in de podcast; over een gezonken jacht en een vermoord gezin, met een vleugje corruptie en machtsmisbruik. Dan ontdekt Anna dat ze een van de genoemde slachtoffers uit een vorig leven kent en raakt ze ervan overtuigd dat ze weet wat er is gebeurd. Dat betekent dat ze haar verleden niet langer verborgen kan houden. Ze besluit op jacht te gaan naar de waarheid, maar ze beseft niet dat daarmee alles waarvoor ze zo hard gewerkt heeft als een kaartenhuis zal instorten. Met Alibi heeft Denise Mina een weergaloze thriller geschreven waarin al haar kwaliteiten samenkomen: razendsnel, messcherp, met briljante dialogen en personages van vlees en bloed. Voor de fans van Killing Eve.

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK A true-crime podcast sets a trophy wife''s present life on a collision course with her secret past in this thriller from Denise Mina. The day Anna McDonald''s quiet, respectable life exploded started off like all the days before: Packing up the kids for school, making breakfast, listening to yet another true crime podcast. Then her husband comes downstairs with an announcement, and Anna is suddenly, shockingly alone. Reeling, desperate for distraction, Anna returns to the podcast. Other people''s problems are much better than one''s own -- a sunken yacht, a murdered family, a hint of international conspiracy. But this case actually is Anna''s problem. She knows one of the victims from an earlier life, a life she''s taken great pains to leave behind. And she is convinced that she knows what really happened. Then an unexpected visitor arrives on her front stoop, a meddling neighbor intervenes, and life as Anna knows it is well and truly over. The devils of her past are awakened -- and in hot pursuit. Convinced she has no other options, she goes on the run, and in pursuit of the truth, with a washed-up musician at her side and the podcast as her guide. "Daredevil storytelling at its finest...Offers plot twists and zig-zags that take readers on a wild ride...A giddy celebration of the art of storytelling itself." --NPR''s Fresh Air

"Paddy Meehan finally has it all: a flat of her own in Glasgow and a job as one of Scotland''s leading newspaper columnists. Then the police knock on her door. Her former lover Terry has been found in a ditch, shot through the head.Even though they had split up months before, Terry has left her everything, including a house in Ayrshire and boxes of notebooks. As Paddy digs deeper into his murder, it soon becomes clear that the secret he was about to expose is worth killing for. And that she is next in line. "--Publisher description.

"In Glasgow, a child goes missing, taken from the front garden of his home. The investigation leads the police to the doors of two young boys. Paddy Meehan has just started work at a local newspaper where she dreams of becoming an investigative journalist. Although everyone around her believes the boys acted on their own, she is certain there is more to it and begins to ask awkward questions. But Paddy''s investigation has repercussions she never anticipated. Shunned by those closest to her, she finds herself dangerously alone.".

In Bloody Scotland a selection of Scotland''s best crime writers use the sinister side of the country''s built heritage in stories that are by turns gripping, chilling and redemptive.Stellar contributors Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Ann Cleeves, Louise Welsh, Lin Anderson, Doug Johnstone, Gordon Brown, Craig Robertson, E S Thomson, Sara Sheridan and Stuart MacBride explore the thrilling potential of Scotland''s iconic sites and structures. From murder in an ancient broch and a macabre tale of revenge among the furious clamour of an eighteenth century mill, to a dark psychological thriller set within the tourist throng of Edinburgh Castle and a rivalry turning fatal in the concrete galleries of an abandoned modernist ruin, this collection uncovers the intimate - and deadly - connections between people and places.Prepare for a dangerous journey into the dark shadows of our nation''s buildings - where passion, fury, desire and death collide.

The human race is a vast herd—one that John Constantine separated himself from a long time ago. The lonely path he’s taken since then hasn’t been an easy one, but in the end it’s probably been for the best. Given his notoriety as England’s greatest street-level sorcerer, every tie that binds him to his fellow man is just another potential weapon for his infernal enemies to use against him. Self-sufficiency, however, can all too easily shade into complacency—a lesson that John forgets when a desperate stranger corners him in a bar and pleads for his help. The simple spell he performs for his petitioner quickly ensnares the famed magician in a much larger web of ancient, elemental magic—and transfers his new acquaintance’s crippling burden of universal empathy squarely onto his shoulders. Now Constantine must wage war against not only the powerful magus responsible for this hellish curse, but also the unfiltered emotions of an entire city. Typical for John’s luck, that city is Glasgow, Scotland—a world center for alcoholism, depression and barely concealed rage. Celebrated crime novelist Denise Mina teams with acclaimed artists Leonardo Manco and Cristiano Cucina to feel each other’s pain in Hellblazer Vol. 19: The Red Right Hand, collecting Mina’s complete run on the series from issues #216-228 as well as the never-before-reprinted story “With a Little Help from My Friends” from issue #229 by Hellblazer emeritus author Mike Carey and guest artist John Paul Leon.

Acclaimed author Mike Carey concludes his groundbreaking run on London’s working-class magus with JOHN CONSTANTINE, HELLBLAZER VOL. 18: THE GIFT. To restore his mind and save his life, John Constantine was forced to give a day of his life to a she-demon named Rosacarnis. It was a bad bargain, and one that he knew he’d regret—but he had no idea how quickly everything would go straight to hell in its aftermath. Over the course of that single day, England’s savviest street sorcerer lived several lifetimes—and sired three infernal offspring, whose incandescent hatred of him was carefully nurtured by their mother. Luckily for Constantine, the blood he shares with his sulfurous brood makes it impossible for them to kill him outright. Unluckily, his dwindling roster of friends and loved ones enjoy no such protection. And now that war has been declared on all that John holds dear, the lives and souls of his best friend, his ex-flame, his niece and his sister are all fair game for the non-existent mercies of Rosacarnis and her family. Can Constantine defeat his progeny, their mother and their all-powerful grandfather? Or will the so-called gift of fatherhood finally be the death of him? Collects issues #202-215 of the signature VERTIGO series and featuring the artistic talents of Leonardo Manco, Frazer Irving, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Lorenzo Ruggiero.

A Washington Post Best Book of the Year, this standalone psychological thriller from the acclaimed author of the Alex Morrow novels that exposes the dark hearts of the guilty . . . and the innocent. William Watt''s wife, daughter, and sister-in-law are dead, slaughtered in their own home in a brutal crime that scandalized Glasgow. Despite an ironclad alibi, police zero in on Watt as the primary suspect, but he maintains his innocence. Distraught and desperate to clear his name, Watt puts out a bounty for information that will lead him to the real killer. Peter Manuel claims he knows the truth that will set Watt free and has information that only the killer would know. It won''t come cheap. Manuel is an infamous career criminal, a degenerate liar who can''t be trusted and will say, or do, anything to make a buck. But Manuel has something that Watt wants, which makes him the perfect target for Manuel''s consummate con. Watt agrees to sit down with Manuel and before they know it, one drink has turned into an epic, forgotten night of carousing across the city''s bars and clubs that exposes the thin line between a good yarn and the truth. The next time the unlikely pair meets is across the witness stand in court -- where Manuel is on trial for the murder of Watt''s family. Manuel calls Watt to the stand to testify about the long, shady night they shared together. And the shocking testimony that Manuel coaxes out of Watt threatens to expose the dark hearts of the guilty...and the innocent. Based on true events, The Long Drop is an explosive, unsettling novel about guilt, innocence and the power of a good story to hide the difference.

Elsa finds a book with strange powers and must face her tortured past. It’s been seven years since Else visited her tiny hometown on an isolated island off the coast of Scotland. After years of suffering bullying at the hands of the few other residents, she left to make a new life. But now that her mother has passed, Else has returned. And when her old tormentor Karen Little hands her the very book that sent her running all those years ago, the cruelties of her past have Else seeing red. The Bibliomysteries are a series of short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors.

Detective Alex Morrow discovers that the darkest secrets never stay buried as she investigates the criminal underbelly of a seemingly tranquil seaside town. For reasons she can''t quite explain, Alex Morrow is addicted to watching surveillance footage of Roxanna Fuentecilla -- a gorgeous Spanish mother of two, in a tempestuous relationship with her boyfriend, who recently relocated to Glasgow under mysterious circumstances. She is also Morrow''s prime suspect in an investigation that resembles a soap opera, filled with glamorous jetsetters and enough money to interest the highest levels of law enforcement. Until Roxanna vanishes. Morrow traces Roxanna''s steps to Helensburgh, a sleepy, picturesque seaside community. But behind the idyllic Victorian homes and quaint storefronts, darkness lurks. Home to a man with blood on his hands who is haunted by guilt, a mysterious woman with ulterior motives back in town for the first time in decades, a sexually frustrated restaurateur looking to blow off steam, and a crew of vicious small-time gangsters blindly following orders, it''s a town ruled by base instincts where no one is quite what they seem. And it''s the perfect place to get rid of someone. When she uncovers an unsettling connection to Roxanna''s job back in Glasgow, Morrow suspects that her missing person is more than a white-collar criminal on the lam -- she may also be a victim caught up in a sophisticated conspiracy that stretches far beyond Helensburgh and is more personal than Morrow ever imagined. As the truth rises to the surface and the conflicts that lie beneath Helensburgh''s calm waters threaten to explode, Morrow must find Roxanna before any hope of solving the case disappears with her. A gripping tale of greed, power, and vengeance, Blood, Salt, Water is a masterful crime novel from Denise Mina that confirms her reputation as "one of the genre''s brights stars" (George Pelecanos).

In this final graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson''s international bestseller, Lisbeth Salander lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She''s fighting for her life in more ways than one: If and when she recovers, she''ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that nearly destroyed her life. Written by novelist Denise Mina (The Field of Blood) and illustrated by Andrea Mutti and Antonio Fusso, this epic graphic novel concludes Vertigo''s critically acclaimed adaptation of The Millenium Trilogy.

Everywhere is where young adults find elsewhere Everywhere bends the rules and lets imagination run wild through stories, comic strips, and poetry. Features David Almond, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Julia Donaldson, John Fardell, Keith Gray, Barry Hutchison, Elizabeth Laird, Denise Mina, Michael Morpurgo, Marcus Sedgwick, Andy Stanton, and Jenny Valentine.

In this graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larrson''s THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, Mikael Blomkvist, crusading publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation. On the eve of its publication, the two reporters responsible for the article are murdered, and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to his friend, the troubled genius hacker Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist, convinced of Salander''s innocence, plunges into an investigation. Meanwhile, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, which forces her to face her dark past.

Forty years after the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from the island owned and inhabited by the Vanger family, her uncle hires journalist Mikael Blomqvist and hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate, in a tale retold in graphic novel format.

It''s the week before Christmas when a lone robber bursts into a busy Glasgow post office carrying an AK-47. An elderly man suddenly hands his young grandson to a stranger and wordlessly helps the gunman fill bags with cash, then carries them to the door. He opens the door and bows his head; the robber fires off the AK-47, tearing the grandfather in two. DS Alex Morrow arrives on the scene and finds that the alarm system had been disabled before the robbery. Yet upon investigation, none of the employees can be linked to the gunman. And the grandfather-a life-long campaigner for social justice-is above reproach. As Morrow searches for the killer, she discovers a hidden, sinister political network. Soon it is chillingly clear: no corner of the city is safe, and her involvement will go deeper than she could ever have imagined.

DC Comics/Vertigo will publish the official graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson''s Millennium Trilogy, starting in Fall 2012 with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the international publishing phenomenon. Each book in the Millennium Trilogy will be adapted in two hardcover graphic novel volumes. Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden''s wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

Forty years after the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from the island owned and inhabited by the Vanger family, her uncle hires journalist Mikael Blomqvist and hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate, in graphic novel format.

"Suggested for mature readers" -- p. [4] of cover.

When a notorious millionaire banker hangs himself, his death attracts no sympathy. But the legacy of a lifetime of selfishness is widespread, and the carnage most acute among those he ought to be protecting: his family. Meanwhile, in a wealthy suburb of Glasgow, a young woman is found savagely murdered. The community is stunned by what appears to be a vicious, random attack. When Detective Inspector Alex Morrow, heavily pregnant with twins, is called in to investigate, she soon discovers that a tangled web of lies lurks behind the murder. It''s a web that will spiral through Alex''s own home, the local community, and ultimately right back to a swinging rope, hundreds of miles away. The End of the Wasp Season is an accomplished, compelling and multi-layered novel about family''s power of damage-and redemption.

The last time Maureen O''Donnell saw Ann Harris, she was sitting in her office in the Glasgow Women''s Shelter smelling of a long binge on cheap drink. A month later Ann''s mutilated body is washed up on the banks of the Thames. No one, except for Maureen and her best mate, Leslie, seems to care about what has happened to her, and Maureen is the only person who thinks Ann''s husband is innocent.But solving Ann''s murder comes as light relief for Maureen. Her father is back in Glasgow, living in an area overlooking her bedroom window; Leslie is sloping about like a nervous spy; and then there''s Angus - Maureen''s old therapist - who''s twice as bright as she is and making her play a dangerous game with the police.In the long tradition of Scots in trouble, Maureen runs away to London. Looking for answers to the mystery surrounding Ann''s death, she becomes embroiled in a seedy world of deceit and violence. Alone and vulnerable in a strange city, Maureen starts to piece together Ann''s final days. But time is not on her side, and Maureen needs twelve more hours, just twelve, to put things right, and she doesn''t care what it costs...

The first book in the acclaimed Alex Morrow series of crime novels set in Glasgow, Scotland, from the author of national bestseller Conviction. Alex Morrow is not new to the police force -- or to crime -- but there is nothing familiar about the call she has just received. On a still night in a quiet suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, three armed men have slipped from a van into a house, demanding a man who is not, and has never been, inside the front door. In the confusion that ensues, one family member is shot and another kidnapped, the assailants demanding an impossible ransom. Is this the amateur crime gone horribly wrong that it seems, or something much more unexpected? "As Alex falls further into the most challenging case of her career, Denise Mina proves why "if you don''t read crime novels, Mina is your reason to change"-Rocky Mountain News

A witty, wild anthology “filled with excellently plotted stories” of cooking, cleaning, and crime by some household names in mystery fiction (South Florida Sun Sentinel). Join Nevada Barr, Barbara Collins, Carole Nelson Douglas, Eileen Dreyer, Vicki Hendricks, Suzann Ledbetter, Elisabeth Massie, Christine Matthews, Denise Mina, Marcia Muller, Sara Paretsky, Nancy Pickard, S.J. Rozan, and Julie Smith on a riotous ride through the dark but often hilarious corners of the housewife psyche . . . In the expert hands of fourteen unsurpassed storytellers—including New York Times bestsellers and Agatha, Anthony, Dagger, Macavity, Shamus, and Edgar Award winners—being a housewife takes on a whole new meaning. Get ready for a lethal mix of meddling mothers-in-law, creepy neighbors, cheating husbands, fickle female friends, careers left behind, out-of-control kids, steamy sex, and much, much more in this thrilling collection of stories. Go behind the lace curtains and PTA smiles to explore the often mind-numbing reality of being a housewife. You’ll laugh, you’ll gasp, you’ll nod in recognition as victims bite the dust—and domestic divas get their hands dirty. “Excellent.” —Library Journal “Delightful.” —Booklist “[A] stellar list of contributors.” —Publishers Weekly

Irresistibly blending suspense, mystery, compassion, raw instinct, and grim wit, Resolution provides a wrenching conclusion to Denise Mina''s universally acclaimed Garnethill trilogy. Life has gotten no easier for Maureen O''Donnell since the events in Exile. Already deeply in debt and struggling with alchoholism, she now faces her most formidable challenges yet: testifying against her boyfriend''s murderer and the return of her abusive father to Glasgow. As family matters deteriorate and violence hovers over the familiar neighborhoods of Garnethill, the world becomes a darker, more dangerous and even deadly place for Maureen. A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

Set in Glasgow in 1981, a time of hunger strikes, riots and unemployment that decimated the old industrial heartlands, The Field of Blood is the first in the tense Paddy Meehan series from Scotland''s princess of crime, Denise Mina. The vicious murder of a young child provides rookie journalist Paddy Meehan with her first big break when the suspect turns out to be her fiance''s 11-year old cousin. Launching her own investigation into the horrific crime, Paddy uncovers lines of deception deep in Glasgow''s past, with more horrific crimes in the future if she fails to solve the mystery. Infused with Mina''s unique blend of dark humor, personal insights and social injustice, the story grips the reader while challenging our perceptions of childhood innocence, crime and punishment, and right or wrong.