British take on The Godfather with 1 major difference will grip you | Books | Entertainment

Deliverance by Saima Mir, Paperback Original, £9.99

Having turned her back on her father’s brutal crime syndicate, Jia Khan was building a career as a lawyer until the bloody events of Mir’s 2021 debut, The Khan, forced her to seek a path of revenge. Much like Michael Corleone, she was a reluctant but, once bloodied, highly effective recruit to the family business. Now queen of an underworld dominated by men, the mother-of-two is trying to consolidate her power, survive and, whisper it, even make amends for her criminal empire. A hostage situation in Pakistan provides an opportunity to win favour with those in power if she can survive long enough.

This masterful conclusion to Mir’s stunning trilogy about the Anglo-Pakistani underworld – a British take on The Godfather set in the streets of an unnamed northern city – makes you want to go back to the beginning and start again. Utterly brilliant. 8/10

The Woman Who Wasn’t There by William Hussey, Hardback, £16.99

Bestselling crime writer Marian Lane, creator of ‘Dinner Lady Detective’ Maddie Malone, is facing the wrath of her editor and agent after turning in a below-par manuscript for the final instalment in her blockbuster series. But their concerns pale into insignificance when the police pull her off stage at a literary festival to reveal that her husband Dane has been found dead of a fentanyl overdose following a mysterious fire at their home. Suddenly Marian is cast into a mystery as perplexing as any of her own pot-boilers in this ingenious love letter to crime writing.

Things only get stranger when a mysterious woman appears at her door claiming to have comforted Dane during his final moments. Yet nobody saw her and MArian soon realises nothing is as it seems. A twisty, unputdownable standalone from the creator of the hit Showman Detective series. 9/10

All Killers Aboard by David Fennell, Hardback, £20

After making his name writing the insanely dark DI Grace Archer series, David Fennell sends readers off for a shipload of fun in this wickedly entertaining new standalone. There’s something fishy aboard the luxury Jewel of the Atlantic liner and for once it’s not the all-you-can-eat buffet. Unbeknownst to passengers, the mysterious Midnight Chorus Society is actually the front for a serial killers’ convention.

Also making the journey from Southampton to New York is Hollywood star Jacqui Dulac of TV’s hit Lady Detective series and struggling writer Martha Hammond, who’s taken the task of ghosting Jacqui’s new book over a job in Greggs! The pair are beavering away in not quite harmony when a brutal murder forces them to take on a real life investigation. With a ship full of suspects, the scene is set for this devilishly funny murder-mystery. 8/10

The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman, Hardback, £22

Snatched from his home in Totnes by slave raiders and forced to fight for his life, headstrong young blacksmith Richard Sheriff is sold into servitude in Venice where his talents see him apprenticed to a knife maker. But pirate captain John Challenor has other plans for Richard’s beloved sister Elizabeth and the siblings are torn apart. While Richard’s skills win him renown, he never forgets Elizabeth and their relationship is at the emotional core of this gripping historical thriller.

Gilman is a master of character, plot and place, Sheriff is a compelling hero and Venice forms a dark and beguiling setting for the action. This rip-roaring tale, set against the backdrop of greed, violence and corruption in 17th century Europe, never lets up the pace. A page turner of the highest order, perfect for fans of Conn Iggulden, Dan Jones and Giles Kristian. 9/10