Elliott Kane, a former MI6 agent turned “private spy”, serves as the protagonist in Oliver Harris’s third novel in the series, The Shame Archive (Abacus, £16.99). The story begins as Rebecca Sinclair, the wife of potential future Prime Minister and acknowledged Conservative MP Robert Sinclair, receives an anonymous message threatening to disclose her promiscuous past. During this time, the disillusioned Kane uncovers a breach in the MI6 archives, revealing private and damaging information accessible for purchase on the dark web. What initially appears as a clumsy endeavour of blackmail and retribution rapidly accelerates into a crisis that could undermine British democracy at its core.
This series by Harris, comparable to the works of Len Deighton, portrays Elliott Kane as a no-frills anti-hero living a life devoid of morals. His existence operates where certified spies intersect with questionable international finance. But even Kane is compelled to help his former colleagues when the so-called “shame archive” is infiltrated and confidential identities are exposed, placing their lives under threat by Unit 22195, also known as “Putin’s personal assassination squad”. Harris’s subdued writing style adeptly propels an incessant thriller that ventures into the digital fields where future warfare will likely occur.
Meanwhile, The Sleepwalkers (Scribner, £14.99) by Scarlett Thomas presents a supposedly romantic escapade on a Greek island evolving into a nightmare for newlyweds Evelyn and Richard. Their dream honeymoon in the Villa Rose quickly turns sour after their problematic nuptials, further complicated by their eccentric host, Isabella, committed to upsetting Evelyn. Thomas’s crisp, parched writing style coupled with her lively descriptions of a deteriorating Greek holiday spot assure readers that her narrative experimentations are nothing short of engaging.
Evelyn and Richard find themselves embroiled in the aftermath of a calamitous event, in which a married couple supposedly perished while sleepwalking, or at least that’s what townspeople suggest. The mystery of what truly occurred to the sleepwalkers, and the potential consequences for Evelyn and Richard, shapes the backbone of a narrative that also doubles as a dissection of the novel form itself. Delivered primarily via letters, the narrative also incorporates an American movie producer who has a particular interest in synecdoche and metonymy, and views them as central to modern cinema.
Despite sounding complex, the strikingly precise and sparse style of Scarlett Thomas, coupled with her vibrant depiction of a Greek holiday spot in decline, render her narrative experiments wonderfully enjoyable to read.
Meanwhile, situated on the Dorset coastline in an idyllic retreat known as The Manor, which has just welcomed its first visitors, is Lucy Foley’s The Midnight Feast (HarperCollins, £18.99). The story pivots around Bella, a woman with an expensive London appearance, who is figuring out a fresh identity through her hired wardrobe. The truth behind Bella’s disguise at The Manor and her connection with the owner, Francesca – recognizable as a health-conscious, yoga-loving socialite – reveals a intricate network of dishonesty, double-crossing and homicide, with its origins in a summer getaway from 15 years before.
Despite its potential, the narrative can often stumble over the peculiar tendency of characters to mentally recount their own past, as demonstrated by Francesca’s spouse Owen, a former architect, when he recollects not being able to accept an offer to design The Manor due to lack of experience in the UK. However, such reminders might be necessary to ground themselves in a tale which emphasizes grandeur, class conflict, twisted traditions and an array of characters hiding dark secrets.
This is among the assortment of new crime fiction narratives which also includes A Stranger in the Family, The Rumor Game, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways, Day One, and What Happened to Nina?
Having recently returned to Dublin from San Diego, Julia, Gabe, her former husband, and their children Isla and Luca, are beginning their new lives in a secure newly built community in Foxrock in Andrea Mara’s Someone in the Attic (£14.99, Bantam). Despite the idyllic surroundings, unsettling issues quickly arise. Isla, their teenage daughter, stumbles upon online videos of a masked intruder who appears to have been using their attic and house, and Julia’s young friend Anya is found lifelessly submerged in her bathtub.
As the tale unfolds, it becomes clear to the readers that Anya’s unfortunate death was no accident, but a result of a murderous act by the same masked man who was seen in the videos. This stalker, who seems to be mimicking the popular TV Show The Loft, is likely to target Julia and her family next. Andrea Mara masterfully engages the reader by slowly escalating the tension, using various decoys and heart-stopping twists in the plot.
This imaginative and disturbing take on domestic noir sees the past constantly threatening to throw Julia’s life into chaos as she struggles to keep her children safe in their supposedly secure residence. Someone in the Attic is testament to Andrea Mara’s proficiency as an author, with this being her best work thus far.
Hugo Rifkind’s gripping novel Rabbits (£14.99, Polygon) starts in 1996 with a rather gruesome event. It is set in an exclusive social sphere within Edinburgh, labelled “niche posh Edinburgh madness” by the narrator, a teenager named Tommo Dwarkin. Tommo, who belongs to the middle class, finds himself an outsider in the world of Scottish dilapidated castles, ostentatious kilts, and affluent individuals having seen better days. He grapples with the complexities of this social circle at his inaugural pheasant shoot, where he learns an unfamiliar concept: that people are seen equitable to guns. Despite his average aspirations, Tommo chases after the attractive Flora McPhail without truly comprehending the magnitude of the social canyon he has stepped into.
This world embraces the character of Tommo through its connection to Johnnie Burchill, a man who operates marginally within societal norms. As Johnnie becomes suspicious that his elder brother’s gunshot death may have been a premeditated murder linked to the intricate inheritance laws of modern Scottish nobility rather than an accident, as declared by the police, the plot thickens.
[Juliana Adelman’s The Grateful Water: A Novel that’s vivid, gripping, and thought-provoking]
As Tommo traverses this intriguing and unfamiliar territory, he becomes a charming presence for readers. His pursuit of the enchanting Flora McPhail shows his lack of aspiration with regards to social climbing, as well as his naivety in completely grasping the intricacies of “the classic Scottish hunting and fishing lifestyle”. Yet, Tommo acknowledges that the boarding school culture, with its glorification of fallen heroes and overseas sacrifices, fosters a mindset in which young men see violent death as a customary aspect of life: They not only died for us, but more so, they were us, the previous versions of us.
With a light, satirical tone, Rabbits uses dark humour to expose tragedy, and feels like a fusion of Brideshead Revisited and Less Than Zero, reimagined by Chris Brookmyre.
The author and journalist, Declan Burke’s latest offering is The Lammisters, published by No Alibis Press.