New Release Books by VAL MCDERMID

''No one can plot or tell a story like she can'' Daily Express __________ The Queen of Crime Val McDermid is a master of the dark and sinister story, and these powers are demonstrated in full force in Christmas is Murder, a festive collection of chilling tales. From an irresponsible baron whose body is discovered beneath a silver birch tree, to an author who is haunted by the spiteful presence of a jealous writing partner, the characters McDermid conjures are enigmatic and dangerous, never above suspicion. Follow Tony Hill and Carol Jordan as they track a deadly killer who is preparing to strike on Christmas Day, and lose yourself in a festive exclusive - a recently unearthed case for a classic detective duo, set as the lights are going out across Europe. These evocative, atmospheric tales will shock and delight. This is the perfect book to curl up with as the frosty winter draws in and each night gets darker than the last, written by one of our greatest living crime writers. __________ Praise for the Queen of Crime Val McDermid: ''Brilliant . . . Sensational . . . Unforgettable'' Guardian ''Compulsively readable'' Irish Times ''One of today''s most accomplished crime writers'' Literary Review ''As good a psychological thriller as it is possible to get'' Sunday Express ''It grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go'' Daily Mail

In the new installment to her historical crime series that began with 1979, internationally bestselling author Val McDermid delivers a propulsive new thriller that finds journalist Allie Burns has become an editor, and as the Cold War and AIDS crisis deliver a nonstop tide of news, most of it bad, a story falls into her lap. And then there’s a murder. Hailed as Britain’s Queen of Crime, Val McDermid’s award-winning, internationally bestselling novels have captivated readers for more than thirty years. In her Allie Burns series, she returns to the past—both ours and in some ways her own—with the story of a female journalist whose stories lead her into world of corruption, terror, and murder. It’s 1989 and Allie Burns is back. Older and maybe wiser, she’s running the northern news operation of the Sunday Globe, chafing at losing her role in investigative journalism and at the descent into the gutter of the UK tabloid media. But there’s plenty to keep her occupied. The year begins with the memorial service for the victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, but Allie has barely filed her copy when she stumbles over a story about HIV/AIDS that will shock her into a major change of direction. The world of newspapers is undergoing a revolution, there’s skullduggery in the medical research labs and there are seismic rumblings behind the Iron Curtain. When murder is added to this potent mix, Allie is forced to question all her old certainties. Readers are having a great time time-traveling with Val, and 1989 is a seamless, riveting novel that brings us once again face to face with how very much past is prologue, and how history’s sins stay with us.

“Miss Jane Marple, writer Agatha Christie’s prim, proper and ever-popular spinster sleuth, lives on.” — Washington Post “Marple is the best loved [detective]. Also the most influential. . . . It is Miss Marple who introduced the revolutionary notion that people are essentially the same wherever one goes.” — Los Angeles Times Agatha Christie’s legendary sleuth, Jane Marple, returns to solve twelve baffling cases in this brand-new collection, penned by a host of acclaimed authors skilled in the fine art of mystery and murder One doesn''t stop at one murder... Jane Marple is an elderly lady from St Mary Mead who possesses an uncanny knack for solving even the most perplexing puzzles. Now, for the first time in 45 years, Agatha Christie’s beloved character returns to the page for a globe-trotting tour of crime and detection. Join Marple as she travels through her sleepy English village and around the world. In St Mary Mead, a Christmas dinner is interrupted by unexpected guests; the Broadway stage in New York City is set for a dangerous improvisation; bad omens surround an untimely death aboard a cruise ship to Hong Kong; and a bestselling writer on holiday in Italy is caught in a nefarious plot. These and other crimes committed in the name of love, jealousy, blackmail, and revenge are ones that only the indomitable Jane Marple can solve. Bringing a fresh twist to the hallmarks of a classic Agatha Christie mystery, these twelve esteemed writers have captured the sharp wit, unique voice, and droll ingenuity of the deceptively demure detective. A triumphant celebration of Christie’s legacy and essential reading for crime lovers, Marple is a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains one of the most famous detectives of all time.

A Scottish journalist is drawn into a world of corruption, terror, and murder in the new novel by “one of crime fiction’s most eminent writers” (Entertainment Weekly). The year started badly and only got worse—blizzards, strikes, power cuts, and political unrest were the norm. For investigative journalist Allie Burns, however, someone else’s bad news was the unmistakable sound of opportunity knocking, and 1979 is ripe with possibilities. But Allie is a woman in what is still a man’s world. Desperate to get away from the “women''s stories” the Glasgow desk keeps assigning her, she strikes up an alliance with wannabe investigative journalist Danny Sullivan. From the start, their stories create enemies. First an international tax fraud, then a potential Scottish terrorist group aiming to cause mayhem ahead of an impending referendum. And then Danny is found murdered in his flat. For Allie, investigative journalism just got personal. The debut of an intense new series, 1979 is an atmospheric journey into the past with intriguing insight into the present, from a Diamond Dagger winner and multiple Edgar Award finalist. “The queen of psychological thrillers.” —Irish Independent “There are few other crime writers in the same league.” —The Washington Post

A mysterious illness appears in Scotland while a reporter searches for the truth in this graphic novel by the bestselling author of the Karen Pirie series. The first graphic novel from Britain’s “Queen of Crime” (Scotsman) and gorgeously illustrated by up-and-comer Kathryn Briggs, Resistance is a chilling but incredibly moving and inspiring story of individuals pressed to rise above their station, first to nail down the truth of a looming pandemic, and later to try to fight it. Journalist Zoe Meadows has taken a break from hard-hitting investigative reporting to spend more time with her family, which is how she finds herself doing celebrity Q&As at an outdoor music festival near the Scottish border. She and her friends, who run a food truck, head north, along with 150,000 festivalgoers for a weekend of music and camping. Then, some of the food truck’s customers begin to fall ill, and many point to food poisoning. But when the festival ends and the attendees scatter across England, more people begin to get sick and die. What’s worse, it is spreading fast and baffles doctors, resisting all efforts to contain or cure it. With time running out, Zoe is compelled to fight for the truth, even as she loses that which she holds most dear. Please note this thriller is in graphic novel, or comic book, format. Praise for International #1 Bestselling Author Val McDermid “Fascinating . . . Val McDermid is one of the most skilled of crime writers and she has gone a step beyond killing by writing with crisp authority on the facts that lie behind gruesome events.” —Washington Times on Forensics “McDermid continues to dazzle us with the range and depth of her creative imagination.” —New York Times bestselling author Sara Paretsky

It''s 1989, and Allie Burns is back. Older and maybe wiser, she''s running the northern news operation of the SUNDAY GLOBE, chafing at losing her role in investigative journalism and at the descent into the gutter of the UK tabloid media. And there''s plenty to keep her occupied. The year begins with the memorial service to the victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, but Allie has barely filed her copy when she stumbles over a story about HIV/AIDS that will shock her into a major change of direction. The world of newspapers is undergoing a revolution, there''s skulduggery in the medical research labs, and there are seismic rumblings behind the Iron Curtain. When kidnap and murder are added to this potent mix, Allie is forced to question all her old certainties.

A Scottish police inspector deals with forgeries and false identities in a new murder mystery in the “superior series” (The New York Times). When a lobster fisherman discovers a dead body in Scotland’s Firth of Forth, DCI Karen Pirie is called into investigate. She quickly discovers that the case will require untangling a complicated web—involving a long-ago disappearance, art forgery, and secret identities—that seems to surround a painter who can mimic anyone from Holbein to Hockney. Meanwhile, a traffic accident leads to the discovery of a skeleton in a suburban garage. Karen has a full plate, and it only gets more stressful as the man responsible for the death of the love of her life is scheduled for release from prison, reopening old wounds just as she was getting back on her feet. From a Diamond Dagger Award winner and multiple Edgar Award finalist, Still Life is a tightly plotted mystery featuring an investigator “whose unwavering confidence is tempered by a strong dose of kindness and sense of justice” (Booklist). “There are few other crime writers in the same league.”—Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post

Unmarked graves are found on the grounds of an old orphanage in this “riveting” British crime thriller by an Edgar Award finalist (Publishers Weekly, starred review). With profiler Tony Hill behind bars and Carol Jordan no longer with the police, he’s finding unexpected outlets for his talents in jail and she’s joined forces with a group of lawyers and forensics experts looking into suspected miscarriages of justice. But they’re doing it without each other; being in the same room at visiting hour is too painful to contemplate. Meanwhile, construction is suddenly halted on the redevelopment of an orphanage after dozens of skeletons are found buried at the site. Forensic examination reveals they date from between twenty and forty years ago, when the nuns were running their repressive regime. But then a different set of skeletons is discovered in a far corner—young men from as recent as ten years ago. When newly promoted DI Paula McIntyre discovers that one of the male skeletons is that of a killer who is supposedly alive and behind bars—and the subject of one of Carol’s miscarriage investigations—it brings Tony and Carol irresistibly into each other’s orbit once again in this masterfully plotted novel by “the queen of psychological thrillers” (Irish Independent).

From internationally bestselling crime author Val McDermid comes a shocking new Karen Pirie novel about a mysterious corpse and a fight for the truth

He was a clinical psychologist who specialized in unraveling the motivations of the twisted killers who wanted to express themselves again and again. She was the kind of detective for whom justice matters more than any other consideration… In this short story from the thrilling anthology MatchUp, bestselling authors Val McDermid and Peter James—along with their popular series characters Tony Hill and Roy Grace—team up for the first time ever.

''I love stories. My life has been book-ended and bookmarked by hearing them, reading them and telling them. In my mind''s eye, I can see where each of these stories unfolds . . .'' __________ In MY SCOTLAND, Sunday Times bestselling author Val McDermid takes readers to the landscapes she has known all her life, and the places where her stories and characters reside. Accompanied by over 100 stunning photographs, this remarkable book uncovers Val''s own Scotland in all its glory - from the iconic Isle of Skye to the majestic streets of Edinburgh; from the undiscovered hideaways of the Highlands to the wild and untamed Jura. __________ Featuring excerpts from Val McDermid''s bestselling novels and charting Karen Pirie''s Fife to Lindsay Gordon''s Glasgow, MY SCOTLAND is an unforgettable and uniquely personal journey.

Diamond Dagger Award-Winning Author: Two mysteries introducing a Thai boxing, rock-and-roll female private detective from Manchester, England... As a favor to her rock journalist boyfriend, Kate Branningan agrees to track down missing song-writer Moira Pollock, a search that takes her into some of the seediest parts of Leeds and Bradford. But little does she realize that finding Moira is only a prelude to murder. Juggling her other cases, including a search to uncover the source of counterfeit luxury goods, Brannigan finds herself for the first time on the trail of a killer. In Kick Back, Kate Brannigan investigates the bizarre case of the missing conservatories. Before long she’s up to her neck in crooked land deals, mortgage scams, financial chicanery, and murder. But when a favor for a friend puts Kate’s own life in danger, bizarre is not the first word she thinks of... “One of crime fiction’s most eminent writers.”—Entertainment Weekly

The fifth and sixth novels starring the self-proclaimed “cynical socialist lesbian feminist journalist” from the internationally bestselling crime writer. “The macho world of the whodunit has never seen a sleuth like Lindsay Gordon” and now she must investigate the murder of a bestselling author and a kidnapping with international implications (Manchester Evening News). Booked for Murder: Why would anyone want to kill Penny Varnavides, bestselling author of the Darkliners series? Her demise can’t be the freak accident it first appeared; it’s an exact replica of the murder method in her forthcoming book. Only three people knew the plot of Penny’s unpublished novel: her literary agent, her editor, and her ex-girlfriend Meredith. In an effort to clear Meredith’s name, Lindsay Gordon delves beneath the glittering facade of the seemingly glamorous world of London publishing in search of a murderer. While hobnobbing with industry notables, Lindsay encounters an unsavory mix of soured relationships, desperate power plays, underhanded fraud, and seething rivalries. Hostage to Murder: Spraining an ankle is rarely a stroke of luck, but for Lindsay Gordon, jobless in Glasgow, the injury is her introduction to young freelance journalist Rory McLaren. And when a local car dealer’s stepson is kidnapped, Lindsay and Rory trade journalism for detection. The trail leads them to St. Petersburg and a dangerous snatch-back operation. It’s a journey that brings a whole new dimension of risk into Lindsay’s life. Back in Glasgow, it becomes clear that Lindsay and Rory have stumbled into a bigger, more violent piece of business than either of them could have guessed—one which will test Lindsay to her absolute limits.

In one volume, the first two mysteries featuring a journalist who investigates murder, from the Diamond Dagger winner known as “Britain’s Queen of Crime” (The Times). From the Edgar Award-nominated author of the DCI Karen Pirie series, this two-in-one volume includes: Report for Murder Self-proclaimed cynical socialist-lesbian-feminist and freelance journalist Lindsay Gordon is strapped for cash. Why else would she agree to cover a fund-raising gala at a girls’ public school? But when the star attraction is found garroted with her own cello string moments before she is due on stage, Lindsay finds herself investigating a vicious murder. “A timeless mystery, well-plotted with crisp dialogue and solid characterization.”―Orlando Sun-Sentinel Common Murder When her former lover is accused of murder—at a women’s peace protest, no less—Lindsay must bring all of her expertise as an investigative reporter into play—and uncovers a truth even she can scarcely believe. “McDermid’s snappy, often comic prose keeps the story humming.”―Publishers Weekly

Collects stories written by best-selling thriller authors,11 women and 11 men partnered in male-female literary pairings, in anthology that includes contributions by such favorites as Sandra Brown, John Sandford and Eric Van Lustbader.

All profits from the sale of this anthology will be donated to frontline domestic abuse charities IT WOULDN''T BE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT A LITTLE CRIME... From the biggest stars in crime fiction comes an eclectic mix of festive shorts A Christmas dinner takes a murderous turn, a friendship group loses the festive spirit, and a young girl goes to extreme measures to keep a beloved dog. Afraid Of The Christmas Lights is a collection of gripping, sometimes funny, and always festive short stories from a group of bestselling crime writers. From the hilarious to the macabre, there''s something for everyone - whether you''re a Christmas convert or a bit of a Grinch. From a detective tracking down missing Christmas geese, to a cat lady who goes on a date in order to keep Santa Paws well fed, this anthology is the perfect gift to cosy up with this year. Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Lee Child **************************************************************** CONTRIBUTORS Mark Billingham Rachael Blok Heather Critchlow Elle Croft James Delargy Clare Empson Jo Furniss Sophie Hannah T.E. Kinsey N.J. Mackay S.R. Masters Val McDermid Phoebe Morgan Dominic Nolan Robert Scragg Victoria Selman Kate Simants Adam Southward Harriet Tyce **************************************************************** Profits from Afraid Of The Christmas Lights will support two front-line charities: ESDAS: Educates professionals, communities, victims and even perpetrators on the nature of domestic abuse. They offer practical measures, such as legal advice and transport, to enable survivors to find a safe place to live. Rights of Women: Helps women understand their legal rights and access a range of support services to which they are entitled.

Mapping the minds of murderers is what Dr. Tony Hill does better than anyone in this award-winning series The Washington Post calls "ambitious" "bone chilling." This Val McDermid collection of the Dr. Tony Hill & Carol Jordan Mysteries includes: The Mermaids Singing The bodies of four men have been discovered in the town of Bradfield. Enlisted to investigate is criminal psychologist Tony Hill. Even for a seasoned professional, the series of mutilation sex murders is unlike anything he''s encountered before. But profiling the psychopath is not beyond him. Hill''s own past has made him the perfect man to comprehend the killer''s motives. It''s also made him the perfect victim. The Wire in the Blood Across the country, dozens of teenage girls have vanished. Authorities are convinced they''re runaways with just the bad luck of the draw to connect them. It''s the job of criminal profilers Dr. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan to look for a pattern. They''ve spent years exploring the psyches of madmen. But sane men kill, too. And when they hide in plain sight, they can be difficult to find... The Last Temptation when a twisted killer starts targeting psychologists across Northern Europe, Hill is the obvious choice to track the executioner''s mental and physical journey. But the killer is about to strike uncomfortably close to home. The next victim is a friend and colleague. And Tony''s former partner, Detective Carol Jordan, is directly in the murderer''s path... The Torment of Others In a small grim room, the body of a woman is discovered, panic and pain etched in her face. The scene matches in every detail a series of murders two years ago-murders that ended when irrefutable forensic evidence secured the conviction of a deeply disturbed young man named Derek Tyler. But there''s no way Tyler could have killed the latest victim. He''s been locked up in a mental institution since his trial, barely speaking a word. So is there a copycat?

The bestselling “Queen of Crime reigns again” when a profiler and an ex-cop investigate the suspicious deaths of women targeted by Internet trolls (Independent, UK). From the international bestselling author of The Mermaids Singing and The Wire in the Blood comes the ninth installment of her beloved series featuring psychologist Tony Hill and former DCI Carol Jordan . . . Vicious online attacks seem to be driving outspoken women to silence themselves through suicide. Yet for profiler Tony Hill, who knows a thing or two about patterns in human behavior, something doesn’t add up. Carol Jordan, meanwhile, is too busy tackling her own demons to think about a potential serial killer. But when she gets an opportunity for a second chance, it’s game on. This time around, though, the stakes have never been higher. One of the Boston Globe’s Best Books of 2015