Five Leaves Publications- Crime Express
" And now for something(s) completely different: Claws, Stephen Booth; The Mentalist, Rod Duncan; Trouble in Mind, John Harvey (all by Crime Express, an imprint of Five Leaves Press, $10.00 each). Someone probably should have thought of this before—a series of flapped- paperback novellas roughly the size of postcards and not much heavier. At less than 100 pages per book, each is thin enough to slip into your pocket or purse.
The marketing geniuses at Crime Express deserve kudos for beginning this smart series with Stephen Book’s extraordinary Claws, set on the Yorkshire moors. Someone has been collecting the nests and eggs of endangered raptors and selling them on a growing black market. As Derbyshire police detective DC Ben Cooper searches for the nest thief, he compares goshawks to humans: the goshawks come out on top. An evocative meditation on a vanishing world, Claws will send Booth fans rushing to reread his full- length novels.
Also worth checking out are Rod Duncan’s The Mentalist, starring a psychic who may or may not be a fraud, and who gets tangled up in crime when he predicts a death; and John Harvey’s Trouble in Mind, in which a professional soccer player-turned PI tracks down a soldier gone AWOL upon his return from Iraq.
These three little books, all set in various areas of England, are the answer to a traveler’s dream. Portable, yet sturdy enough to survive a world of crowded airports. Crime Express plans to publish three of these mysteries per year, and eventually a non-fiction series which will include a study of films based on the novels of Raymond Chandler." - Mystery Scene (USA)
Series editor:
This series of small format, flapped paperbacks is numbered - to encourage you to collect the set!
Latest Publications:
Follow A Shadowby ISBN: 978-1905512867, 148 pages
£5.99
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Tim South is fifteen and finding real life uncomfortable compared to his imagination. Hanging round with tough guys only makes things worse. At home he finds an old picture that looks like him and becomes obsessed with discovering who was in the picture, sparking off a life changing series of events.
"This wonderful book... makes adolescent problems real, the Brontës human, and book-reading delightful, in a style which is sustaining, intriguing, yet easy and memorable." - SCHOOL LIBRARIAN
"a fine yarn, full of humour, insight and well-observed detail" - TES
Robert Swindells is a past winner of the Carnegie Medal, the Sheffield Children’s Book Award and he won the Children’s Book Award twice, with Brothers in the Land and Room 13. He lives on the Yorkshire Moors and is a full time writer.
The Ivy Crownby ISBN: 978-1905512850, 198 pages
£5.99
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Staying with their father in a bizarre Gothic house in a sinister wood - land, Megan and her younger brother, Brand, are struggling to come to terms with their grief and guilt over their mother’s recent death. But the house harbours its own secrets, and soon Megan and Brand find themselves on a quest to find a priceless violin, and the truth about a young woman wrongly accused of witchcraft three centuries ago. Mega and Brand discover they can put right the mistakes of the past – but only if they choose to accept a dangerous bargain.
Winner of the Fidler First Novel Award, shortlisted for the Sheffield children’s book prize.
Gill Vickery lives in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. This is her début novel. She has worked as a teacher, an auxiliary nurse and a packer in a chocolate factory. She is currently working on a follow up novel to The Ivy Crown.
"a satisfying cake of a story with some rich ingredients." - CAROUSEL
No Way To Say Goodbyeby ISBN: 978-1905512577, 276 pages
Shortlisted for the ITV Thriller & Crime Awards
£8.99
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…He was a doctor for God’s sake. I was told to strip and they tossed my clothes away saying, ‘You won’t need these here either,’ and I was handed a blue boiler suit to wear. I began to protest but got a slam in the mouth and lost my front teeth. They then pushed me into the pool, to disinfect me, they said. And that was my start in the hospital. I was there eighteen years. They took everything away.
Patient R. Recounted to the author 1997.
Dr Jack Shade’s long time girlfriend vanishes, presumed dead. Through his professional contacts Shade moves to work within the secure hospital system – to try to understand, and take revenge on those who might be responsible.
During his time in the hospital he realises he is as much a prisoner as those he works with.
Shade observes, gets involved with, hurts but ultimately comes to understand his clients. Meantime his own dissolute life of drugs and affairs takes its toll.
Like WG Sebald, the author includes photos to help tell the story - are they real or is this all fiction?
Rod Madocks has spent ten years writing this unforgettable novel, drawing on his experience of secure units. He is a policy officer in Mental Health Commissioning in Nottinghamshire.
The Lost Sisterby ISBN: 978-1905512799, 240 pages
£7.99
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Following on from the successful The Good Son, Russel McLean’s Scottish Private Eye J McNee gets drawn into trying to find a missing child, the God-daughter of local hard man David Burns who seems to have some friends on the Dundee police force.
"Dark, well-honed and taut. I crave more McNee." - Jen Jordan for Crimespree Magazine
Russel D McLean writes for The Big Thrill (the newsletter of the International Thriller Writers’ Association), At Central Booking and Crime Scene Scotland. He works for Waterstone’s.
"Dark, well-honed and taut. I crave more McNee." - Jen Jordan for Crimespree Magazine
Russel D McLean writes for The Big Thrill (the newsletter of the International Thriller Writers’ Association), At Central Booking and Crime Scene Scotland. He works for Waterstone’s.
Killing Mumby ISBN: 978-1905512690, 96 pages
£4.99
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Using a tanning salon as a front, Edinburgh-based Carlos Morales runs an operation that arranges contract killings.
Slight snag: his hit man’s in jail and won’t be out for a while. So when an anonymous – and very generous – payment arrives on account, Carlos decides to take the job on himself. He’s a pro. It can’t be that hard. But once the ‘mark’ is revealed, Carlos is forced to re-think his plans.
This is no longer business - it’s personal - because the ‘mark’ is his mother…
"Blacker than a dog’s guts." - Pulp Pusher
"Speedy, dialogue-driven and cleverly structured.” - Sunday Herald
"A dark, perfectly placed journey through psychoses, surreality and the twilight world of noir." - Crime Scene Scotland
"Razor-sharp characterization and an evocative sense of place…dark and splendid" - the Guardian
"Guthrie writes with an urgency, energy, cynical realism and mastery of casual violence that is rarely encountered in British crime writing" - The Times
"Guthrie’s control of this dark material is sheer wizardry." -
the Scotsman.
Allan Guthrie’s previous books include: Two-Way Split: Winner of Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year 2007; Hard Man: Shortlisted for Spinetingler Magazine award; Kiss Her Goodbye: Shortlisted for MWA Edgar,Gumshoe and Anthony awards. Allan lives in Edinburgh where he works as a literaryagent for Jenny Brown Associates.
Slight snag: his hit man’s in jail and won’t be out for a while. So when an anonymous – and very generous – payment arrives on account, Carlos decides to take the job on himself. He’s a pro. It can’t be that hard. But once the ‘mark’ is revealed, Carlos is forced to re-think his plans.
This is no longer business - it’s personal - because the ‘mark’ is his mother…
"Blacker than a dog’s guts." - Pulp Pusher
"Speedy, dialogue-driven and cleverly structured.” - Sunday Herald
"A dark, perfectly placed journey through psychoses, surreality and the twilight world of noir." - Crime Scene Scotland
"Razor-sharp characterization and an evocative sense of place…dark and splendid" - the Guardian
"Guthrie writes with an urgency, energy, cynical realism and mastery of casual violence that is rarely encountered in British crime writing" - The Times
"Guthrie’s control of this dark material is sheer wizardry." -
the Scotsman.
Allan Guthrie’s previous books include: Two-Way Split: Winner of Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year 2007; Hard Man: Shortlisted for Spinetingler Magazine award; Kiss Her Goodbye: Shortlisted for MWA Edgar,Gumshoe and Anthony awards. Allan lives in Edinburgh where he works as a literaryagent for Jenny Brown Associates.
Druids Hillby ISBN: 978-1905512553 , 176 pages
£7.99
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Druids Hill is set in Manchester and starts with the shocking murder of a fourteen year old – an unsolved crime. Many years later journalist Emma Tulip witnesses a death on a demonstration against General Pinochet. She had investigated the previous unsolved murder, and somehow these two deaths appeared to be linked. And Emma is now at risk herself.
Druids Hill is a story of police corruption, secret deals, assassination, torture and greed. Druids Hill is a political thriller linking events of today with those of the past.
"A superb new writer…a tightly executed range of experiences and styles." - Vogue
"Narrates terrible and bizarre events in a manner at once stiff and playful…" - the Guardian for Rejoice
Praise for KssssS:
"Carl Tighe has done it again, as he leaps up into the cosmos to pull down a tale that nicely sums up the finesse and folly that is man." - Jabberwocky Webb
Carl Tighe writes fiction and nonfiction – his awards include: Manchester City Life Writer of the Year, Shortlist for Whitbread First Novel Award, The Irish Times Fiction Award, and Author’s Club Award. He lives in Manchester and teaches creative writing at Derby University.
Carl Tighe writes fiction and nonfiction – his awards include: Manchester City Life Writer of the Year, Shortlist for Whitbread First Novel Award, The Irish Times Fiction Award, and Author’s Club Award. He lives in Manchester and teaches creative writing at Derby University.
The Good Sonby ISBN: 978-1905512560 , 176 pages
£7.99
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James Robertson, a local farmer, finds his estranged brother’s corpse hanging from a tree. The police claim suicide. But Dundonian private investigator J. McNee is about to uncover the disturbing truth behind the death. With a pair of vicious London hard men loose in the Scottish city, it’s only a matter of time before people start dying.
McNee must confront his own demons and these brutal killers in a violent, bloody showdown that threatens to leave no-one alive.
Russel McLean writes for Crime Spree Magazine, The Big Thrill (the newsletter of the International Thriller Writers Association), At Central Booking and Crime Scene Scotland. His short fiction has been published in crime fiction magazines worldwide.
"THE GOOD SON is the most exciting, and gripping, Scottish crime fiction debut of recent years. Stylish and atmospheric, it marks the arrival of a exceptional talent." - John Connolly, bestselling author of The Reapers
Speaking of Lustby ISBN: 978-1905512539, 100 pages
£4.99
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Four old friends; a policeman, a soldier, a doctor and a priest play cards and trade stories about sex.
Crime Express goes American with one of the biggest names in American crime fiction. Mystery Writer’s Grand Master Lawrence Block is the first American writer in this acclaimed series of novellas.
Lawrence Block is the second winner of the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the UK Crime Writers Association to join Crime Express – the other being John Harvey.
"...based on the seven deadly sins...outrageous, explicit, gory, and just plain fun." - Mary Frances Wilkens, Booklist
“I had as much fun writing ‘Speaking of Lust’ as I’ve had with anything in years, and if you enjoy it half as much as I did you’ll be happy indeed.” - Lawrence Block
Lawrence Block’s novels range from urban noir to urbane effervescence. He was executive story editor for the TV series TILT. Several of his novels have been filmed. He is a past president of the Private Eye Writers of America and won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, together with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America.
Gunby ISBN: 978-1905512522, 80 pages
£4.99
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Richie, a man fresh out on licence and desperate for money to support his new family, agrees to pick up a converted air pistol for local drug dealer Goose. When Richie is beaten up and robbed, he's forced to retrieve the gun, as well as question his career choice.
"Banks is part of the post-Rankin generation for whom hardboiled is not just a state of mind but a reality. Tough-guy colloquial prose and a pace fast enough to skin a rabbit, at the service of a tale of down-and-dirty realism: this is fiery stuff." - The Guardian
Ray Banks is the author of four previous crime novels: The Big Blind, No More Heroes, Saturday's Child, and Donkey Punch. He currently lives in Newcastle but is known as part of the Scottish crime writing scene. He also writes for the rock magazine Bullet.
Banks joins John Harvey, Stephen Booth, Rod Duncan and Lawrence Block on the Crime Express.
Titles:
The Okinawa Dragonby ISBN: 978-1905512393, 96 pages
£4.99
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Jack deals in cardboard, selling expensive and rare gaming cards to rich collectors. He makes plenty of money, travelling the world. He meets millionaire Henri, the man who has everything. Well, almost everything. Henri wants the elusive Okinawa Dragon, a one-off card given to a Japanese businessman who refuses to sell. A plan is hatched, and Jack is soon on his way to Osaka to complete Henri’s collection. There is only one way to get hold of something somebody doesn’t want to give.
Praise for Nicola Monaghan’s The Killing Jar:
"An exuberant debut that reaches the parts of Britain mainstream fiction usually leaves alone." - The Independent
"Direct and deceptively simple. In spite of the suffering there are surprising touches of humour and tenderness that bloom like flowers on asphalt." - The Times
"...often violent, it isn't gratuitous, and Kerrie-Ann's strident voice sounds authentic; her plight compelling and affecting."
- Independent on Sunday
"Utterly compelling reading about a 'dead stormy'" - coming of age Booklist (starred review)
"startling and potent debut novel. Powerful and complex."
- The Independent
The Quarryby ISBN: 978-1905512423, 96 pages
£4.99
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A frightened phone call from her young daughter sends Jenny Carter into the darkness of Quarry Woods, seventeen years after she swore she’d never return. What she finds there triggers a journey back to a horrific event in her own childhood – an event which now threatens the present.
is the author of two previous crime novels. She is the crime reviewer of the Yorkshire Post.
Clawsby ISBN: 978-1905512249, 70 pages
£4.99
Now reprinting. Available April 2010
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The discovery of an illegal haul from the bedroom of a terraced house is a clue to what might be at stake - perhaps the entire future of one of the most prized landscapes in the Peak District National Park.
For young Derbyshire police detective DC Ben Cooper, an assignment to the Rural Crime Team means stepping into the middle of the conflict, without being quite sure whose side he's on. The predators come in all shapes and sizes. And in this battle, not all the victims will be human...
"Booth is a modern master of rural noir" - the Guardian
"Booth delivers some of the best crime fiction in the UK" - Manchester Evening News
"One of the elite British mystery writers" - Washington Times
"There are few, if any, contemporary writers who do this as well as Stephen Booth" - Arena Magazine
Stephen Booth is the creator of young Derbyshire police detectives DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry, who have appeared in eight novels, the latest being Dying to Sin. Booth’s books have won awards on both sides of the Atlantic and have been translated into fifteen languages. Stephen was recently described by the Sunday Telegraph as "one of our best story-tellers."
The Mentalistby ISBN: 978-1905512263, 70 pages
£4.99
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Enthusiasts call Harry Gysel a psychic. To others he is a fraud, a meddler in the occult. When he appears to predict the death of a woman in the audience of one of his shows and that woman is subsequently found murdered, Harry becomes an instant celebrity. But Chief Inspector Morgan isn’t so easily convinced.
"You’ve come here to find the truth", says Harry Gysel to the audience, but the truth is not so easy to find…
Rod Duncan is the author of a trilogy of novels based around a fictional riot in contemporary inner-city Leicester. Backlash, Breakbeat and Burnout.
Backlash was shortlisted for the John Creasey award for the best debut crime novel of the year.
Praise for Rod Duncan's previous trilogy:
"Sheer page-turning compulsion" - Martyn Waites
"(this) pacy tale of life in the inner city shows that modern British crime fiction is alive and kicking over the traces" - Birmingham Post
"A thriller which has the reader gripped from the opening" - Leicester Mercury
"Separate but interlinked stories are played out where good and bad are never clearly defined and each chapter ends on a cliffhanger urging you to read on." - Big Issue
Trouble In Mindby ISBN: 978-1905512256, 70 pages
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Jack Kiley, a professional footballer turned private investigator, is hired to track down a solider who has gone missing while on leave from Iraq. The soldier's mind is disturbed by what he has seen and done in the war, and he is armed. There are fears both for the man himself and for the safety of his estranged wife and two young children.
Kiley's search leads him to Nottingham, where he teams up with D. I. Charlie Resnick. Together they search the house where the soldier's wife and children have been living and find them gone, almost certainly taken against their will ... the only question now is, will they find them before it is too late?
Trouble in Mind brings together two of John Harvey’s major characters.
"No one in Britain is writing better crime fiction" - The Times
"One of the masters of British crime fiction" - Sunday Telegraph
"One of the leading writers of crime fiction alive today" - Le Monde
"A little gem of a book: it's a bit longer than a short story, and a bit shorter than a novella. Harvey is a wonderful writer. It's about a detective and a cop trying to find a soldier absent without leave from Iraq. It made me green with envy: it made me wonder if I over-write everything." - Mark Billingham, Sky Books Programme
John Harvey is the author of ten Charlie Resnick novels, the first of which, Lonely Hearts, was named by The Times (London) as one of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the Century.
In 2007 he was awarded the British Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for Sustained Excellence in Crime Writing for his title Flesh and Blood.