THE WHITE TRILOGY By Ken Bruen, Justin Charles & Co, $1499 ISBN: 1 932112 02 2 reviewed by Russel Dive into the dark streets of Bruen’s London with three short, sharp novels that hit you like a truncheon to the head. Peopled with the worst kind of characters London can produce, with coppers who are barely separated from the criminals they are charged to contain, the White Trilogy is an exercise in style and dark psychology. As ever, Bruen’s fluid, often dream-like shattered prose propels you into his character’s nightmares, and his brutally simple evocations of London life fill you with a dread for modern Britain few other writers can ever hope to emulate.

THE JAMES DEANS By Reed Farrel Coleman, Penguin, $13, ISBN: 0 452 28650 6, reviewed by Doug Its 1983 and ex NYPD cop turned somewhat reluctant PI, Moe Prager, is dragged into a missing person’s case that may have deeper repercussions after its resolution that it could ever have as an unsolved. Prager is a tough yet oddly vulnerable character and Coleman’s evocations of New York City at ever level are beautifully written. This is superior PI fiction by a writer who knows exactly what he’s doing.

HIT ON THE HOUSE By Jon A Jackson, Cannongate Crime, £10, ISBN 0 86421 936 0, reviewed by Doug One hell of a caper novel, Hit on the House is by turns tough as hell, funny as hell and gripping as hell. In fact, most of the time its all three at once. Dealing with the fall out from a failed mob hit, Jackson sets his players in motion before setting back and watching the chaos ensue. There’s a quote on the front cover says Jackson’s one of the best kept secrets of American Hardboiled Connoisseurs. They ain’t wrong. We need more of this and we need it now!

THE CRIME TRADE By Simon Kernick, Transworld, £6.99, ISBN 0 552 15065 7, reviewed by Russel Kernick's complex, twisted novel presents the reader with one of the most intriguing and twisted characters ever to grace the London crime scene, Stegs Jenner. With Stegs at the centre of an internal investigation led by the far more virtuous DI John Gallan, Kernick's galloping plot takes us into the kind of conspiracy that leaves the reader's head spinning. But among all the machinations, Kernick presents us with incredibly real, often repugnant characters who regardless of their capacity for self serving violence still manage to fascinate us. After reading this book, you'll never look at a steam iron the same way again...

THE TOUCH OF GHOSTS By John Rickards, Penguin, £6.99, ISBN 0 141 01409 1 reviewed by Russel Rickards’ second novel, set in small town Maine, is a confidently told tale with a spare narrative that gives us a deep insight into the mind of its central character, Alex Rourke, an ex-FBI agent turned private detective. With tragedy both personal and professional hanging over Alex’s shoulders, Rickards' excellent novel is peopled with characters who touch you deeply and scenes that stay with you long after the book is finished.

TOUGH LUCK By Jason Starr, Vintage Crime, $12, ISBN: 0 375 72711 6, reviewed by Russel Starr is one of the names to watch just now and from this book alone its easy to see why. His characters are spot on and the age old theme of the nice guy thrown into worse shit than he could possibly imagine is handled with extreme skill. Mickey, our “hero” really gets us on his side and as the book moves on faster than the speeding bullets which really turn his life around, we begin to sense the looming tragedy. And then Starr pulls a beautiful twist on us, in a climax we should have seen coming but which still takes us completely by surprise. With Starr the recent recipient of an Anthony, you really should check his work out. Right now.