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Chris Hammer discusses his new novel FULL CIRCLE, Scrublands, journalism, Lucic and Buchanan, Martin Scarsden, TV adaptations and Whale migration. FULL CIRCLE:'If there is enough money involved, truth becomes a tradeable commodity.Like gold, it is malleable; it can be melted down and recast without losing its value.' Travis Somerland is man accustomed to danger - but nothing can prepare him the for the peril, the intrigue or the ruthlessness that confronts him at Montechino. Or the murders. Montechino: part palace and part fortress, the secluded estate of the uber-wealthy Felix Clapton, a modern-day robber baron who thinks business is arithmetic, not morality. When the Claptons ignite a generations-old feud with one of the nation's most powerful dynasties, Travis is thrust into a deadly struggle where murder is merely another bargaining chip. Now, if he wants to bring justice to an unjust world, he'll first have to stay alive. Chris Hammer was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV's flagship current affairs program Dateline. He has reported from more than thirty countries on six continents. Chris's non-fiction book, The River, published in 2010 to critical acclaim, was the recipient of the ACT Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Walkley Book Award. Scrublands, his first novel, was published in 2018 and was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award, Best Debut Fiction at the Indie Book Awards, and Best General Fiction at the ABIA Awards. It has also been longlisted for the Ned Kelly Best Crime Novel of the Year. Scrublands was optioned for television by Easy Tiger (a FremantleMedia company). Chris has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra with his wife, Dr Tomoko Akami. The couple have two children. Recommend Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, Peter Temple and Michael Robot ham - Tell Me Something True Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime, his first book Spies on Screen will be published in October. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark Grenside talks to Aspects of Crime about his new Riley series: Fall Out, Sunset Circus and Bastion, the Muppets, Lloyd’s of London, Kidnap and Rescue, persistence, Hollywood, Nick & Nora and film is a melting iceberg. Fall Out: Marcus Riley, a British movie producer who is down on his luck, receives a surprise copy of a new script by Sam Wood, entitled Fall Out. Riley believes that the screenplay could be his way back in the industry. Until he discovers Wood's corpse, along with a list of four other names - all tied to a notorious, long-abandoned film shoot in the Philippine jungle. Years ago, the production The Last Company fell into ruin after a stuntman vanished. The project was shut down. Careers were ended, friendships shattered, and a secret stayed buried. Clues to the mystery are contained in the screenplay. Riley enlists the help of the sharp-witted Melinda "Mako" de Turris to find answers. There are some who wish to silence the truth. Others, like a famous, reclusive Director, who see a potential blockbuster. A ruthless Hollywood power broker and his lethal Filipino fixer will do anything to keep secrets hidden. Marcus and Mako follow a trail of the screenplay’s hidden messages across the globe that eventually lead them back to the Philippines and what really happened on the Last Company. The truth will be revealed. But at what cost? Mark Grenside born and raised in London, began his working career at Lloyds of London, specialising in Kidnap, Ransom and Extortion Insurance. He launching his media career with Jim Henson and The Muppets©. From that moment on, he has been immersed in nearly every facet of the entertainment industry. He went on to create and produce several television series and mini-series for both U.S. and international networks, while simultaneously co-founding a music management company that helped launch million-selling artist Neneh Cherry. In 2004, he arranged the US $250 million buyout of the Hallmark Channel International, which was then successfully sold to NBC. He then returned to producing a number of movies and mini-series. Today, Mark is a thriller writer celebrated for his intricate, twist-filled stories that weave meticulously researched historical facts, richly detailed locations, and insider knowledge of the film industry into crime- and conspiracy-driven plots. He is also a serial entrepreneur and a co-founder of two digital companies. He is currently writing The Dolos Legacy, the sixth novel in his film-industry-based thriller franchise. He also pens a humorous blog read in more than 40 countries at www.andanotherthing.com.   Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime. His first book Spies on Screen is due out later this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Roger A Price talks to Paul Burke about Watching the Detectives , a new crime anthology, The Red Troop novels - Shoot to Kill, With Prejudice, thirty years in the police, screenwriting, Preston Crime Fiction Festival. With Prejudice, Shoot to Kill Watching the Detectives is an enjoyable collection of short stories by a number of bestselling and acclaimed crime and spy novelists, profiling their series and characters. Set in a variety of periods and settings, from the edge of the Roman Empire and daring WWII missions in Algiers to the gritty streets of contemporary Manchester, Watching the Detectives covers historical mystery, espionage, and psychological drama. This anthology also features exclusive interviews with every author. Read some of your favourite writers, or be introduced to new ones. Featuring… Party Time by Julie AndersonOperation Terminal by Alan BardosA Place Like This by Paul DurstonVengeance Is Mine by Mark EllisI Always Win by Caroline EnglandAncilla by Fiona ForsythOn Edge by Kevin JosephDutch Courage by David JarvisTake All Necessary Measures by RN MorrisThey Who Dare by Roger A PriceFatal Shot by Peter TonkinThe Morning After by Steven VeerapenBack to Black by G.J. Williams Roger A Morris: 6 x Amazon No1 Bestseller, Roger was born in Bury, raised in Whitley Bay, and has lived in Preston, Lancashire since he was thirteen. He served for over thirty-one years with the Lancashire Constabulary, the Regional Crime Squad and the National Crime Squad. He retired in the rank of detective inspector in charge of a covert unit, which received local and national acclaim for its successes in engaging those who openly sold Class A drugs, such as heroin and crack cocaine. Prior to this he led the C.I.D. in Preston for a short while and before that was in charge of a dedicated informant unit. Previous experiences include work on many murder investigations and other serious crimes, as well as time spent on drug squads. He served around the region, country, and overseas. His work on the National Crime Squad took him across Europe and to the Far East. He was commended on four occasions. He now writes fiction based in-part on his experiences, and in-part from his fevered imagination. In addition to his crime and thriller, and SAS novels his is developing two TV dramas which are out on submission. WITH PREJUDICE was long listed for the 2025 Aspects of History's Spymaster's Book Award. Paul Burke is the presenter of Aspects of Crime podcast. His first book Spies on Screen is published later this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GJ Williams talks to Aspects of Crime about her new novels The Assassin's Mark and The Nun's Kiss, Tudor Court, psychology, inspirations and the value of a great teacher. The Assassin's Mark: It is March 1570 and Elizabeth’s court has just crushed the Northern rebellion that sought to throw her from the throne in favour of Mary Queen of Scots. Relief is shattered when a body is found near the palace. The ritualistic killing, a cloven hoof-print, a calling card, and the terrifying message daubed on the wall, point to a long-forgotten pagan deity linked to the Templars. John Dee and Margaretta must navigate a community under threat, a pattern of poisoning, a City in fear of a spectre, and the dark arts of rival queens as they race between England and the courts of France to uncover an assassin known only as Baphomet. GJ Williams, Gwenllian, is a welsh woman living in between London and Somerset. She studied psychology at university and came out with a PhD which supported a 25-year career developing talent and teams in the legal and financial sectors. She now she combines her interests of Wales, history, and psychology to create characters and intrigue within real historical settings and events Recommend: Guy Jenkin The Fatal Bellman, Alexandra Walsh The Boleyn Curse Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime, his first book Spies on Screen will be published later this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Douglas Skelton talks to Paul Burke for Aspects of Crime. the latest Jonas Flynt novel, A Thief's Revenge, writing a series, contemporary v historical, pitfalls of Non-fiction, smashing myths (putting the interviewer straight!), Bloody Scotland and being in the dock. A THIEF'S REVENGE: A murder cries out for vengeance. A rogue answers the call. For six long years, fired by cold rage, Jonas Flynt has hunted the man who paved the way for the murder of his son across the Caribbean and American Colonies. Many a pirate was delivered to justice during the chase, but Flynt never caught up with the elusive Dan Hawke.Learning that his quarry has returned to London, Flynt races across the Atlantic in pursuit.Back in his old hunting ground, he finds lies and betrayal are now the norm. During his lengthy absence, alliances have shifted among old friends and older enemies and it's hard to tell friend from foe…Will Flynt be able track Hawke down at last through this web of intrigue? Or will his years-long quest for revenge have been in vain? Douglas Skelton has published 12 non fiction books, 14 contemporary crime thrillers and 6 historical thrillers. He has been longlisted six times for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Fiction. He has appeared at many festivals, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Bloody Scotland, Bute Noir, Granite Noir, Aye Write (Glasgow). He has worked with top Scottish lawyers and world-renowned forensic experts to create two You the Jury courtroom dramas. In past lives he has been a bank clerk, tax officer, shelf stacker, meat porter, taxi driver (for two days), wine waiter (for two hours), reporter, investigator and newspaper editor. Recommended: The Cutting Michael J Malone (Out September) Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime, his first book Spies on Screen is published later this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tim Sullivan talks to Paul Burke about his new George Cross crime thriller, THE TAILOR, Josie Ottey, autism, film, becoming a bestseller, Simenon and The Dagger in the Library. The Tailor: Measure twice. Cut once.A bespoke tailor boards the 10:00 train from Bristol to London. Before it reaches Bath, he's found dead in the toilet, his throat slit and a plastic bag pulled over his head.DS George Cross deduces that this wasn't a robbery - nothing about the killing is random.It's an execution.George's investigation brings him dangerously close to a cold and merciless world. And is it his imagination or is he being followed?With the highest conviction rate of any officer in the force, someone will do anything to stop George from getting to the truth.This time, the next cut could be meant for him... Tim Sullivan is an acclaimed screenwriter. He originally read English and Law at university - the latter forced on him by his Dad - but instead he wriggled free of those parental ambitions and pursued his own, to make films. His writing credits include A HANDFUL OF DUST, starring Kristen Scott Thomas, WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD, starring Helen Mirren and Helena Bonham Carter, JACK AND SARAH (which he also directed) starring Richard E Grant, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen and LETTERS TO JULIET, with Amanda Seyfried. He is also a Television director whose credits include SHERLOCK HOLMES and COLD FEET and CORONATIONSSTREET. He has written extensively in Hollywood in both live action and animation, working with Ron Howard, Scott Rudin and with Jeffrey Katzenberg on the fourth SHREK movie. He has now embarked on a series of crime novels featuring the autistic, and brilliantly persistent DS George Cross. He self-published the first two books and once they'd achieved over 200,000 downloads he came to the attention of Head of Zeus publishers. So thanks to all his readers for this success and their shared love of George. The novels are set in Bristol in the south west of England, Cross’ methods often infuriate his colleagues and superiors “not so much a thorn in my side as a pain in my arse,” according to his boss DCI Carson. But his conviction rate, thanks to his dogged persistence and attention to detail, is the best in the force. Tim has now written the first four in the series with The Patient being published on March 3rd 2022. Tim feels confident in his claim that he is the only crime writer around who has also co-produced and written a My Little Pony movie for Hasbro. MY LITTLE PONY - A NEW GENERATION is now available on Netflix. Tim lives in North London with his wife Rachel, the Emmy award-winning producer of THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA and PIONEER WOMAN. Their daughters live near by. Recommended: Northanger Abbey Jane Austen, Ripley Patricia Highsmith, John le Carré, TV – The Pitt. Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime. His first book Spies on Screen will be published later this year.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Saima Mir talks to Paul Burke about the Khan trilogy, DELIVERANCE, Jia Khan, bringing up boys, patriarchy and toxicity in modern society, writing gangsters, optimism for the future. DELIVERANCE: She makes the rules, and God help anyone who dares to break them… Jia Khan has seized a power most only dare to dream of. In a world dominated by self-posturing men, she gave women a voice, and built a criminal empire that spans the globe. But now the time has come to legitimise her business. To protect the people she loves, she must escape the very chains her life was forged from.Freedom, however, is never easily won. Her blood runs too deep in the underworld, and powerful enemies have no intention of letting her walk away. When one of her own is murdered, the danger becomes more real than ever. Forced into uneasy alliances with those she once despised, Jia faces enemies pressing in from every side. Is her reign destined to end in blood? For Jia Khan, life has always been a fight, but this is the one battle she cannot afford to lose. Recommended: Honey - Imani Thompson Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime. His first book Spies on Screen is published this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GR HALLIDAY talks to Aspects of Crime about FROM THE SHADOWS, new ITV series THE DARK, the Highlands, psychological thrillers, ghosts and the supernatural. FROM THE SHADOWS: Seven days. Four deaths. One chance to catch a killer. Sixteen-year-old Robert arrives home late. Without a word to his dad, he goes up to his bedroom. Robert is never seen alive again. The discovery of a body on the coast of the Scottish Highlands plunges Detective Inspector Monica Kennedy into a murder investigation that won't begin and end with one death. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Nichol has been missing for seven days. His last message was to social worker Michael, who can't quite shake the suspicion that something is terribly wrong. As Monica is faced with catching a murderer who has been meticulously watching and waiting, Michael keeps searching for Nichol, desperate to find him before the killer claims another victim. G.R. Halliday was born in Edinburgh and grew up near Stirling in Scotland. He spent his childhood obsessing over the unexplained mysteries his father investigated, which has been a major inspiration for his writing. He now lives in the rural highlands outside Inverness, where he is able to pursue his favourite pastimes of mountain climbing and swimming in the sea, before returning home to his band of semi-feral cats. Recommended book - Happy Like Murderers Gordon Burns. Streaming - Should I Marry a Murderer? Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime. His first book SPIES ON SCREEN will be published later this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aspects of Crime Summer Reads Special featuring Richard Foreman, Mark Ellis, Jane Thynne and Paul Burke. A selection of crime and spy reads, fact and fiction. Thomas Waugh Time to Kill Anthony Horowitz A Deadly Episode  Ragnar Jónasson  Simon Mason A Dangerous Stranger & The Finder series. John Nichol Blitz Richard Weston Daniel Defoe Marc Mierowsky A Traitor Amongst Us Daniel Defoe A Tour Through the Islands Antonia Senior Stalin's Apostles  Emmerich Pressburger The Glass Pearl Blunt: Master of Lies Piers Blofeld  Charles Beaumont A Spy at War Mark Ellis A Death in Mayfair Robert Verkaik The Writer and the Traitor Edith Daria Santini (Edith Tudor Hart) Alan Bennett An Englishman Abroad & A Question of Attribution Jane Thynne Appointment in Paris Trent Park Listening Station - new museum. Sönke Neitzel Soldaten Philip Kerr Metropolis (TV Berlin Noir) Peter Straughan screenwriter Charles Cumming Icarus 17 David Jarvis Jan the Dutchman CJ Merritt Octagon Chris Lloyd The Art of Occupation   Paul Burke Spies on Screen: From Silent to Streaming - Sept '26 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jordan Harper talks to Aspects of Crime about his new Art-Pulp thriller A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE, LA, America, Hollywood, She Rides Shotgun... A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE Los Angeles, right now. America with its back up against the wall. This Frankenstein's monster of crimes and lurid dreams sewn together into something like a city.    A city ready to explode: A Hollywood pedophile is arrested, and is ready to tear down the city to get his freedom. A young woman goes missing—and men in black rubber gloves who look like cops clean out her apartment in the middle of the night. And the serial killer known as the LA Ripper is on the loose, leaving tragic/graphic/brutal crime scenes in his wake. Three people trying to keep their heads above the dirty water will find themselves coming together to unite these strands into one enormous, unspeakable crime ...   Jake Deal is a gonzo live-streaming nightcrawler, beaming the city's chaos straight to his audience of blood-hungry subscribers, giving them the view from the top of the mushroom cloud—until a job he can't refuse drags him back into his old life of Hollywood glamour, drugs, sex and sleaze. Armed with cameras and hidden mics, he'll infiltrate private clubs, gather high-class dirt—and stumble onto a conspiracy woven into the center of LA's most powerful men, who call themselves “The Kids in the Candy Store.”   Doug Gibson is a street lawyer, who fights for his clients against the army of cops, prosecutors and judges—he is the knife they bring to the gunfight. But when he's hired by a Hollywood pedophile ready to sell out his friends for a chance for freedom, he'll take on a fight bigger than he could have imagined. And when his client “commits suicide” in prison, Gibson will have to stop being a weapon—and become a warrior.    Kara Delgado works for an underground private concierge company—a make-a-wish foundation for the terminally rich. She scores drugs, makes connections, and plans multi-million dollar sex parties.She has learned the secret truth of this world: there are no rules, only prices. Her best friend Phoebe has gone missing, and Kara's the only person who knows that Phoebe's place was wiped clean of evidence by men in black rubber gloves. But when she begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to Phoebe, and its connection to the killer known as the LA Ripper, it will drag her into the dark heart of the city.   As Jake, Doug and Kara all investigate these crimes, they'll encounter ketamine-addled sitcom stars, bloody riots, homeless gangsters, a killer cop on death row, secret vaults in Beverly Hills, tech-bro orgies, medical cannibals, true crime junkies, private security wet-work teams, reality shows, street takeovers, car chases, coyotes, a sadistic Tarzan, and a three day, fifty million dollar wedding, before everything is revealed and they must each make their choice about how to fight back in this violent world before the bloody, blazing conclusion. Jordan Harper was born and educated in Missouri. He now lives in Los Angeles where he works as a writer and producer for television. See She Rides Shotgun on streaming. Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime. His first book Spies on Screen will be published in September. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CJ Merritt, Chris, talks to Paul Burke about his novel OCTAGON, right wing extremism, HOT, psychology in the novel. Octagon: A DYING RUSSIAN SCIENTISTconfesses to his children what he did as a young man.A MURDERED SPYshares vital intelligence before he’s ruthlessly assassinated in the English countryside.A RITUAL KILLINGhidden in a forest clearing in Sweden hints at something much worse.FORMER MI6 AGENT RUNNERStella McRae is the only person who can be trusted to investigate now her former employer has been compromised.EX-SAS OPERATORTommy Kane has always had Stella’s back, but as the threats against them escalate, will his formidable skills be enough this time?OCTAGONA devastating plot against the West is already in train. Only Stella and Tommy stand in its way. And time is running out... C. J. Merritt served as a British diplomat in Iraq and Jerusalem. Pursuing his interest in the psychological impact of armed conflict, he then retrained as a Clinical Psychologist and worked for the National Health Service in London, where he focused on treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. During this time, he began writing fiction, and his debut novel was published in 2018. Since then, he has authored several more thrillers (as Chris Merritt). Now, alongside his writing, he analyses espionage and insider risk for a cybersecurity consultancy. He lives in London. Recommended: Gods and Other Spies James Wolff. Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime. His first book Spies on Screen: From Silent to Streaming will be published on 24th September. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DAVID JARVIS talks to Paul Burke on Aspects of Crime, JAN THE DUTCHMAN, Mike, zeitgeist, comedy and globetrotting. JAN THE DUTCHMAN: When a deadly enemy from her past appears alive and well, can Michaela 'Mike' Kingdom finally face up to her demons? On holiday in The Gambia, Terry Bailey is enjoying his retirement from MI6 when he receives a shock. He spots a man in a car. It's a fleeting glimpse. But it's enough. He swears it is Jan the Dutchman, a drug overlord linked to a Colombian cartel. It can't be Jan, as Jan is dead. Terry should know, he killed him. Only one other person knows that Terry killed Jan - Michaela 'Mike' Kingdom, a CIA analyst based in London. Seven years ago, Jan had orchestrated the ambush in Holland that had killed Mike's husband Dylan leaving her severely injured. Was Terry tilting at windmills, Dutch windmills, or was Jan really alive seeking revenge? Terry tells Mike about the sighting and it re-opens wounds they both thought were long-healed. It is now the beginning of a race to find Mike's nemesis. But where to start? All Mike knew for certain is that he was not called Jan and he wasn't a Dutchman. Apart from that, the search should be straightforward, shouldn't it? Recommended: Kyril Bonfiglioli All the Tea in China, Carl Hiaasen. Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime. His first book Spies on Screen: From Silent to Streaming will be published in September. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony Aberford talks to Paul Burke about his new cost crime novel The Conservatory, Aunt Lily, ancient myth, homeopathy, Malta, Yorkshire and owning a brewery.  The Conservatory: Some secrets are best left buried; others are better never planted! In a restored Victorian conservatory, four grieving women from the local wellness centre discover that their friend's mysterious death, amongst her toxic plants, was not an accident. When eccentric homoeopath Aunt Lily arrives on her tricycle, she seems just the person to help uncover answers. But who is she really, and why is she there? A sixteenth-century journal hidden in the conservatory holds dark secrets that could change everything. And an enigmatic stranger will stop at nothing to find it - making false promises and real threats. Can the friends resist his temptations and unlock the book's hidden secrets in time? Do they have the strength to make an impossible choice before it is too late? Anthony Aberford, is a businessman and writer with a strong bond to Yorkshire and Malta. His Detective Zammit series set on the island of Malta was published under the name AJ Aberford (also published by Hobeck Books). The Conservatory is set in Yorkshire and is a cross genre cosy/supernatural/murder mystery. The opener for a new series.  Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime, a CWA Dagger judge and his first book is Spies on Screen: From Silent to Streaming will be published in September.     Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime.Spies on Screen: From Silent to Streaming - Sept '26    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

JULIE ANDERSON talks to Paul Burke about her new historical crime thriller FESTIVAL DAYS, Ellie and Faye, London crime, the Festival of Britain, cinema, Opera... FESTIVAL DAYS: May 1951. Celebration is in the air with the Festival of Britain and for the first time in years the mood is one of hope rather than hurt. For Detective Constable Faye Smith, London is not as safe as it seems. The criminal underworld is gaining strength, enjoying a lively existence below the surface. Then two bodies are found in the war-time shelters, a man and a woman. Who are they? What's their story? Why were they murdered and how did they end up in the shelters? Meanwhile, Ellie Peveril is busy with a celebration of a different kind. Ellie does all she can to support her friend but has her own worries, with ex-fiancé Patrick Havistock looming in the shadows. Faye, keen to unravel the mystery of the double murder, finds herself tangled up in crimes that stretch far beyond a simple killing. Faye and Ellie must face their toughest case yet as their lives change, irrevocably, for the future. Julie Anderson: Julie Anderson writes historical crime fiction, although she has also written a series of Whitehall thrillers, the third of which, Opera, was listed for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2023. She lives in south London where her latest crime fiction series is set. The Clapham Trilogy comprises 'The Midnight Man' (2024), 'A Death in the Afternoon' (2025) and 'Festival Days' (coming 2026) all published by Hobeck Books. Before becoming a crime fiction writer she was a senior civil servant, working across a variety of departments and agencies, including the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Unlike her protagonists, however, she doesn't know where all the bodies are buried. She began writing with a short series of historical adventure tales for young people of all ages, the first of which, 'Reconquista', was listed for the Children's Book Award 2016. Julie also writes crime fiction reviews (and the occasional arts column) for Time and Leisure Magazine and is a co-founder and Chair of Trustees of the Clapham Book Festival, south London's annual celebration of books and writing. She has been working recently with St Pauls Opera Company as an historical advisor on their production of 'L'Elisir d'Amore'. Recommended: Elizabeth Buchan Woodspring Heidi Amsinck The Woman in the Wall, Andrew Miller The Land in Winter. Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Publisher, author, translator Quentin Bates talks to Paul Burke about his Gunnhilder mysteries, Icelandic crime fiction, Stella Blómkvist, The Murder Pool, translating, publishing, and fantasy fiction. The Murder Pool : Sometimes murder runs in the family. Or does it? When a well-known artist is found in Snorri's Pool with an axe buried deep in his chest, Stella Blómkvist is immediately thrown in at the deep end, brought in to defend the apparently harmless young man the police have in their sights as the killer. The man's mother had spent time prison, convicted of the killing of a personal trainer, despite her protestations of innocence. Stella can't help being drawn into both the cold case and this fresh murder, with a trail of guilt that stretches half-way around the world. As if she doesn't have enough to keep her busy, Stella's pursuing a political high-flyer suspected of being a serial rapist, and defending a senior police officer on corruption charges that have all the hallmarks of a vendetta. But the toughest challenges Stella faces are among her own loved ones… With a razor-sharp tongue and a moral compass all of her own, Stella Blómkvist has a talent for attracting trouble. Her trademark explosive mix of murder, intrigue and surprise has made this of Iceland's best-loved crime series. Mentions: Little Rebel - Jerome LeRoy, Arnaldur Indridason, Solveig Palsdottir - Icebears, Elsa Drucoff Rodolfo Walsh's Last Case, Jon Atli Jonasson - Broken, Toxic, Teresa Solano Corylus Books Stella Blómkvist Reviews Paul Burke is editor of Aspects of Crime. His first book Spies on Screen: From Silent to Streaming will be published on September 24th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices