JULIE ANDERSON talks to Paul Burke about her new historical crime thriller FESTIVAL DAYS, Ellie and Faye, London crime, the Festival of Britain, cinema, Opera...

FESTIVAL DAYS: May 1951. Celebration is in the air with the Festival of Britain and for the first time in years the mood is one of hope rather than hurt.

For Detective Constable Faye Smith, London is not as safe as it seems. The criminal underworld is gaining strength, enjoying a lively existence below the surface. Then two bodies are found in the war-time shelters, a man and a woman. Who are they? What's their story? Why were they murdered and how did they end up in the shelters?

Meanwhile, Ellie Peveril is busy with a celebration of a different kind. Ellie does all she can to support her friend but has her own worries, with ex-fiancé Patrick Havistock looming in the shadows. Faye, keen to unravel the mystery of the double murder, finds herself tangled up in crimes that stretch far beyond a simple killing.

Faye and Ellie must face their toughest case yet as their lives change, irrevocably, for the future.

Julie Anderson: Julie Anderson writes historical crime fiction, although she has also written a series of Whitehall thrillers, the third of which, Opera, was listed for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2023. She lives in south London where her latest crime fiction series is set. The Clapham Trilogy comprises 'The Midnight Man' (2024), 'A Death in the Afternoon' (2025) and 'Festival Days' (coming 2026) all published by Hobeck Books. Before becoming a crime fiction writer she was a senior civil servant, working across a variety of departments and agencies, including the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Unlike her protagonists, however, she doesn't know where all the bodies are buried. She began writing with a short series of historical adventure tales for young people of all ages, the first of which, 'Reconquista', was listed for the Children's Book Award 2016. Julie also writes crime fiction reviews (and the occasional arts column) for Time and Leisure Magazine and is a co-founder and Chair of Trustees of the Clapham Book Festival, south London's annual celebration of books and writing. She has been working recently with St Pauls Opera Company as an historical advisor on their production of 'L'Elisir d'Amore'.

Recommended: Elizabeth Buchan Woodspring Heidi Amsinck The Woman in the Wall, Andrew Miller The Land in Winter.

Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime

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Publisher, author, translator Quentin Bates talks to Paul Burke about his Gunnhilder mysteries, Icelandic crime fiction, Stella Blómkvist, The Murder Pool, translating, publishing, and fantasy fiction.

The Murder Pool : Sometimes murder runs in the family. Or does it?

When a well-known artist is found in Snorri's Pool with an axe buried deep in his chest, Stella Blómkvist is immediately thrown in at the deep end, brought in to defend the apparently harmless young man the police have in their sights as the killer.

The man's mother had spent time prison, convicted of the killing of a personal trainer, despite her protestations of innocence. Stella can't help being drawn into both the cold case and this fresh murder, with a trail of guilt that stretches half-way around the world.

As if she doesn't have enough to keep her busy, Stella's pursuing a political high-flyer suspected of being a serial rapist, and defending a senior police officer on corruption charges that have all the hallmarks of a vendetta. But the toughest challenges Stella faces are among her own loved ones…

With a razor-sharp tongue and a moral compass all of her own, Stella Blómkvist has a talent for attracting trouble. Her trademark explosive mix of murder, intrigue and surprise has made this of Iceland's best-loved crime series.

Little Rebel - Jerome LeRoy, Arnaldur Indridason, Solveig Palsdottir - Icebears, Elsa Drucoff Rodolfo Walsh's Last Case, Jon Atli Jonasson - Broken, Toxic, Teresa Solano

Corylus Books

Stella Blómkvist Reviews

Paul Burke is editor of Aspects of Crime. His first book Spies on Screen: From Silent to Streaming will be published on September 24th.

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Guy Hale talks to Matthew Parkhill about the new Amazon Prime Original series YOUNG SHERLOCK, Twist, Guy Ritchie, dysfunctional family dynamics, starting with Sherlock in prison, why Sherlock has a pipe, watching with your children, shooting in Seville.

Matthew Parkhill, showrunner, is the creator and writer of Young Sherlock, directed by Guy Ritchie. His other work includes Deep State, Rogue and The Caller. (photo credit social media imbd.com)

Guy Hale is the author of the Comeback Trail and the Shakespeare Mysteries. His latest novel is Sleep No More

Young Sherlock is available now on Amazon Prime Video.

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ALAN BARDOS talks to Paul Burke about his new spy thriller HUNTER CLASS,

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James wolff talks to Aspects of Crime about his new spy thriller Spies and Other Gods, files that read like Finnegan's Wake, Martin Amis and cultivating obsessions, no beginning and no end....

Spies and Other Gods: The Head of British Intelligence is having a bad day. Only six months off retirement and Sir William Rentoul is wondering if he'll make it that far, what with the sudden descent of a brain fog dense enough to turn every day into a series of small humiliations.
To make matters worse, Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee - the body that oversees Sir William - has received an anonymous complaint from one of his officers. Sir William dimly recalls accepting that there should be a channel for whistleblowers, but he never expected that they would pick his most sensitive case, one involving an Iranian assassin and a trail of dead bodies, or that the person who turned up to poke their nose into his files should be a lowly parliamentary researcher named Aphra McQueen, who displays smarts, tenacity and rebelliousness in unsettling measures.
Aphra seems to know more about the operation than she is letting on. What will she uncover? What is she really up to? And can she survive the unexpected events that will bounce her from London to Birmingham to Paris to Lausanne?
James Wolff grew up in Beirut and has lived in Damascus, Cairo and Istanbul. He worked as a British intelligence officer for over ten years. He lives in England.

Recommended: The Untouchable John Banville

Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime

Produced by Junkyarddog

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Roger Morris talks to Tim Stretton about his new novel Cover Story, Col Newton, writer's voice, Amazon ratings, Hitchcock, non-erotic fiction.

Cover Story: Things aren’t going well for writer Col Newton. It’s ten years since he published his only novel, a critically acclaimed commercial flop.
Then out of the blue, he hears from his old university friend, Chris Lazenby. There had always been rumours Lazenby was a spy. Turns out the rumours were true.
Lazenby has a tempting proposal for Col. He’ll pay him fifty grand to write a novel. There’s just one catch. The book will never be published and Col can’t tell anyone he’s written it.
It’s all part of a cover story Lazenby is constructing for an agent in the field posing as a novelist.
With his literary career in the doldrums, Col agrees. But things quickly spiral out of control when Col witnesses Lazenby use his unarmed combat skills in a shockingly violent outburst.
But when the money starts to flow into his bank account, Col puts his qualms behind him.
He soon finds that without the prospect of publication to distract him he is producing the best thing he has ever written.
He now wants the book for himself, but will Lazenby agree? And when Col finds out what happened to the last writer who helped Lazenby, he realises that, like Scheherazade in A Thousand and One Nights, his life depends on the tale he tells.

R.N. Morris is the author of the Porfiry Petrovich series of historical crime novels, featuring the investigating magistrate from Dostoevsky’s masterpiece Crime and Punishment. He has also written six novels set in London in 1914: Summon Up The Blood, The Mannequin House, A Dark Palace, The White Feather Killer, The Music Box Enigma and Fortune’s Hand.

Tim Stretton is the author of the Barcelona Trilogy. Diamond Boulevard.

Produced by Junkyarddog

Recommended: Graham Greene - Our Man in Havana, Alan Furst, Stella Rimington, Charles Cumming, Julian Fisher - How to Think Like a Spy

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Lesley Kara talks to Paul Burke about her new psychological thriller Troublemaker, inspirations, domestic noir, The Rumour on tv and getting a bit part in it.

Troublemaker : Storm used to be just like her name. Wild and strong. A force to be reckoned with.
But ever since her younger brother was killed in a violent mugging, she has led a very different life: quiet and cautious, seeing danger everywhere. Storm’s tendency to panic has resulted in several false alarms, so when she witnesses a murder with uncanny similarities to the way her brother was killed, and yet no body is found and no one is reported missing, the police don’t take her seriously.
But Storm knows what she saw. And the murder is only the start – the killer will stop at nothing to keep Storm quiet. But how can she solve the murder and stay out of danger when no one believes her?

Lesley Kara: is a Sunday Times bestselling author of psychological thrillers known for twisty stories about secrets, jealousy and betrayal. Her debut novel, The Rumour, became a global bestseller and has been adapted for television by Channel 5.

She writes compelling crime fiction and domestic suspense set in seemingly safe communities — coastal towns, commuter suburbs and tight-knit neighbourhoods where danger hides in plain sight. Readers describe her books as “addictive”, “unputdownable” and “full of jaw-dropping twists”.

Lesley’s thrillers are perfect for fans of Gillian McAllister, Lisa Jewell, C.L. Taylor and Louise Candlish. Her novels explore obsession, grief, revenge and the lies we tell to survive.

She lives in the UK and writes full-time.

Recommendations: Trevor Wood The Silent Killer, Emma Curtis The Psychiatrist, The Ice Angels Caroline Mitchell, Stuart Neville The House of Ashes, Clare Mackintosh It's Not What You Think.

Paul Burke is editor of Aspects of Crime

produced by Junkyarddog

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The Aspects of Crime - Crime Novels of the Year with Julie Anderson (DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON), Tony Fisher (GOOD GONE BAD) & Paul Burke.

BOOKS:

Chris Lloyd Banquet of Beggars

Mark Ellis Death of an Officer

Jim Kelly The Cambridge Siren

Scott Turow Presumed Guilty

Mark Billingham What the Night Brings

Liam McIlvanney The Good Father

Simon Mason The Woman Who Laughed

SA Cosby King of Ashes

Roger Morris Cover Story

honourable mention for (a slightly older book) Martin Edwards The Life of Crime.

Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime.

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