Novels to Die For from The Crime Vault

Dear Reader, this Valentine’s Day let The Crime Vault give you what you *really* want. Forget the roses and the chocolates, here are ten novels that are simply TO DIE FOR.

The Cliff House, Chris Brookmyre

The Red Bird Sings, Aoife Fitzpatrick

Titaniam Noir, Nick Harkaway

Everyone Who Can Forgive me Is Dead, Jenny Hollander

Verity, Colleen Hoover

Age of Vice, Deepti Kapoor

The Last Party, Clare Mackintosh

Obsessed, Liza North

Inheritance, Nora Roberts

The Square, Celia Walden

 

The Cliff House, Chris Brookmyre

One hen weekend, seven secrets… but only one worth killing for. 

Jen’s hen party is going to be out of control…

She’s rented a luxury getaway on its own private island. The helicopter won’t be back for seventy-two hours. They are alone. They think.

As well as Jen, there’s the pop diva and the estranged ex-bandmate, the tennis pro and the fashion guru, the embittered ex-sister-in-law and the mouthy future sister-in-law.

It’s a combustible cocktail, one that takes little time to ignite, and in the midst of the drunken chaos, one of them disappears. Then a message tells them that unless someone confesses her terrible secret to the others, their missing friend will be killed.

Problem is, everybody has a secret. And nobody wants to tell.

 

The Red Bird Sings, Aoife Fitzpatrick

A prize-winning, spine-tingling gothic suspense novel based on a real-life murder trial in 1897 West Virginia.

West Virginia, 1897: Young newlywed Zona Heaster Shue is found dead in her house, in what seems to have been a tragic accident. However, her mother, Mary Jane, is convinced Zona was murdered – and by none other than Zona’s husband, Trout, the handsome blacksmith beloved in their small Southern town.

But when Trout is put on trial, no one believes he could have done it, apart from Mary Jane and Zona’s best friend Lucy, who was always suspicious of Trout. As the trial raises to fever pitch and the men of Greenbrier County stand aligned against them, Mary Jane and Lucy must decide whether to reveal Zona’s greatest secret in the service of justice. But it’s Zona herself, from beyond the grave, who still has one last revelation to make.

 

Titanium Noir, Nick Harkaway

A virtuosic mashup of Philip K. Dick and Raymond Chandler by way of Marvel – the story of a detective investigating the murder of a Titan, one of society’s most powerful, medically-enhanced elites.

Cal Sounder is a detective working for the police on certain very sensitive cases. So when he’s called in to investigate a homicide at a local apartment, he is surprised at first to see that the victim appears to be a rather typical techie. But on closer inspection, he finds the victim is over seven feet tall. Clearly, he is a Titan – one of this dystopian, near-future society’s genetically-altered elites.

There are only a few thousand Titans worldwide, all thanks to Stefan Tonfamecasca’s discovery of the controversial T7 genetic therapy, which elevated his family to near godlike status. A dead Titan is big news . . . a murdered Titan is unimaginable. But Titans are Cal’s specialty. In fact, his ex-girlfriend, Athena, is a Titan. And not just any Titan – she’s Stefan’s daughter, heir to the Tonfamecasca empire.

As Cal digs deeper into the murder investigation, it soon becomes clear he’s on the trail of a crime whose roots run deep into the dark heart of the world. Titanium Noir is a tightly woven, intricate tale of murder, betrayal, and vengeance.

 

Everyone Who Can Forgive me Is Dead, Jenny Hollander

They call me the lucky one. They don’t know I lied.
Nine years ago, Charlie Colbert’s life changed for ever.

On Christmas Eve, as the snow fell, her elite graduate school was the site of a chilling attack. Several of her classmates died. Charlie survived.

Years later, Charlie has the life she always wanted at her fingertips: she’s editor-in-chief of a major magazine and engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry.

But when a film adaptation of that fateful night goes into production, Charlie’s dark past threatens to crash into her shiny present.

Charlie was named a ‘witness’ in the police reports. Yet she knows she was much more than that.

The truth about that night will shatter everything she’s worked for. Just how far will she go to protect it?

 

Verity, Colleen Hoover

Are you ready to stay up all night? Rebecca meets Gone Girl in this shocking, unpredictable thriller with a twist that will leave you reeling . . .

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of the night their family was forever altered.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already-grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue loving her . . .

 

Age of Vice, Deepti Kapoor

This is the age of vice, where pleasure and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also kill

New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the kerb, and in the blink of an eye five people are dead. It’s a rich man’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold.

Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family-loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.

In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals, and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence, and revenge, will these characters’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction?

Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption. It is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.

 

The Last Party, Clare Mackintosh

In a village with this many secrets, a murder is just the beginning . . .

On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests.

He’s celebrating the success of his lakeside holiday homes, and has generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbours.

By midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.

On New Year’s Day, DC Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects.

She grew up in the tiny community, so the murder suspects are her neighbours, friends and family – and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.

With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead . . . but who finally killed him.

 

Obsessed, Liza North

A stunning debut psychological thriller about desire, infatuation and the far-reaching consequences of betrayal. 

Laura has a husband, children, a home in a city she loves. She thinks she can be happy, despite her past.

If they only knew my secret.

Until someone walks back into her life who she knows will shatter everything. Alexis was her first love. A love so exhilarating, it is impossible to resist.

I know I should end it. But I can’t.

Then Alexis is found dead, and the police are knocking at Laura’s door. They’re asking her questions and she’s telling them lies.

I didn’t kill him. I promise.

Someone wants Laura to pay for what she’s been running from. Someone with an obsession that they can’t let go.

 

Inheritance, Nora Roberts

1806. Astrid Poole is murdered on her wedding day. Her last words – a promise to her husband never to leave him…

After finding her fiancé in a compromising position with her cousin, Sonya MacTavish needs an escape. When a lawyer turns up on her doorstep out of the blue with news that she has inherited a beautiful Victorian house, Sonya thinks maybe this is just the change of scene she needs.

The house – nicknamed Lost Bride manor – is beautiful, the setting idyllic and the local town offers Sonya the smalltown comforts she craves after life in a big city. So what if there are sometimes shadows in the windows, objects move of their own accord and music starts playing out of nowhere. Sonya can live with the house being a little haunted.

But things soon start to take a darker turn and it becomes clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle she must solve if there is any hope of breaking it…

Inheritance is the first in a brand new gothic trilogy from Sunday Times bestselling author Nora Roberts-a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations.

 

The Square, Celia Walden

When you’ve got a house to die for

Be careful who you let in . . .

Colette spends a lot of her time at Addison Square, one of the most desirable addresses in West London.

She knows the place and the people better than anyone. But the wealthy residents she works for can barely remember her name.

Which is unfortunate, because Colette knows all about them.

She sees all their secrets.

Even the ones they’d kill to protect.

Bestselling author and journalist Celia Walden’s second thriller is a rollercoaster of twists and secrets, perfect for fans of Louise Candlish, Lisa Jewell and Greenwich Park.