“The Deceived”, by Brett Battles (Preface)

The superb second Jonathan Quinn novel…

Quinn is a professional “cleaner”. The man you call when you have a body that needs disposing of without leaving a trace, and making sure there are no loose ends. Called out on a job by some unsavoury characters running some docks at a major port, he is confronted with the dead body of Steven Markoff. Markoff saved Quinn’s life many years ago, when he was just starting in the business, and to find his body in a shipping crate leaves Quinn with no choice but to find out who is responsible.

Aided by his apprentice Nate, and his beautiful ally Orlando, he traces Markoff’s girlfriend, Jenny, who has also mysteriously disappeared while working for a congressman with his eyes on the White House. As Quinn starts to unravel what is going on, it is clear that things are much more deadly than he could have ever imagined.

Brett Battles must be one of the best new thriller writers on the scene today. His prose are clean and fluid, drawing you along with the story as Quinn searches for Jenny, trying to get to the bottom of Congressman Guerrero’s possible involvement in Markoff’s murder.

It wouldn’t be a Battles story without some globetrotting, and in The Deceived we have the usual state-hopping in the US, followed by Singapore, where the Congressman is travelling and where Orlando’s computer wizardry tells Quinn to go. As someone who has lived in Singapore, I can tell you that Battles really brings the island nation to life in his descriptions, perfectly evoking the atmosphere and uniqueness of a number of famous locations (e.g. Clarke Quay, Orchard Road).

Another thing that makes this novel stand apart is that the story is not particularly action-oriented. Sure, there are a few explosions and gun fights, but this is more of a slow-burning, character-driven thriller. We learn more about Quinn’s past, more about his training and so forth. His relationship with his protégé Nate develops, as he starts to surprise and anticipate Quinn. The difficult relationship with Orlando is revisited also.

Battles’ writing is amazing, pretty much flawless. You will be pulled along by his prose, and find yourself completely immersed in the story. He is a truly exceptional writing talent.

Series Chronology: The Cleaner, The Deceived, The Unwanted (UK)/Shadow of Betrayal (US)

For Fans Of: Charles Cumming, Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills, Tom Clancy, Sam Bourne

"Killer Year: Stories To Die For", edited by Lee Child

A glorious collection of crime writing’s best new talent

Killer Year is the latest crime/thriller collection from MIRA Books, following the aptly-titled Thriller. The first volume contained a number of established writers – e.g. Brad Thor, John Lescroart, and also Lee Child, who edited this volume. Killer Year, on the other hand, is all about new blood.

It would be easy to write a great deal on each and every one of these 16 stories, but I shall limit myself to a quick nod to the best: Brett Battles’ tale of murder and revenge surrounding an exotic dancing establishment in the Phillippines contains his trademark keen eye for human characters and his brilliantly atmospheric locations. Allison Brennan’s story of grief and state-level politics is a cutting indictment of the privatisation of and the influence of money in government, showing how real people can suffer from politicians greed. Toni McGee Causey’s “A Failure To Communicate” introduces us to Bobbie Faye Sumrall, a true force-of-nature who refuses to play her appointed role as hostage. Other stories and authors to check out would be Jason Pinter’s “The Point Guard” (a botched robbery of a local convenience store has terrible repurcussions), Robert Gregory Browne’s “Bottom Deal” (a down-and-out cop comes to the aid of a friend), and Marcus Sakey’s “Gravity And Need” (a tale of the difference between what someone wants and what someone needs). These are just a handful of the stories contained in Killer Year.

Some of these stories are incredibly short (e.g. J.T. Ellison’s “Prodigal Me” is a mere nine pages long), while others clock in at a more weighty (though still brief) 20-30 pages. What struck me most is that they are all extremely well crafted; each contains enough detail to not leave the reader at sea, tight plotting, great characters, and each story is perfectly summed up. Despite their frugal length, though, every one of these tales is satisfying in itself. Though you will finish wanting more. The best thing about their length is that they lend themselves well to commutes, waiting rooms and lunch-hours.

If, like me, it can sometimes take a little push to try out new authors (if the Waterstone’s 3-for-2 didn’t already get you), Killer Year is the best thing to happen to crime fans. As Lee Child writes in his introduction, this is a “sampler” book, much like the CDs you get mounted on the covers of music magazines, with single tracks by certain up-and-coming bands, aimed at giving you a taste of what is to come. This book contains sample stories by up-and-coming authors, most of whom are likely to enjoy a good deal of success – both because they were included in here, and also because they are just so very good at what they do.

Punchy, expertly crafted thriller tales to whet your appetite for the latest crop of crime writers. Excellent.