Four novels where danger lurks beneath the surface. Ruth Galloway opens a medieval coffin and finds a very recent murder waiting. A birdwatcher's quiet world conceals fierce rivalries and buried grudges. A black-market organ trade preys on the vulnerable, while political theatre masks violence in Edinburgh. These are addictive, unflinching explorations of what people will do to protect their secrets.
Ann Cleeves, A Bird in the Hand – George Palmer-Jones trades polite twitching chatter for buried grudges among the birding community. Gentle, sharp, thoroughly satisfying.
Ian Rankin, Fleshmarket Close – Bones beneath a cellar floor drag Rebus into political theatre and estate unrest. Rankin at his most gripping.
Peter James, Dead Tomorrow – A mother's desperate bargain leads Roy Grace into a trafficking gang's darkest corner. Brighton crime at its bleakest and best.
Elly Griffiths, A Room Full of Bones – A coffin opening turns fatal, and ancient bones connect to modern danger. Ruth Galloway at her most compelling.
