So, here’s a writer I missed until recently. Charlie Stella is a New York writer who deals in wise guys, undercover cops, hookers and a very twisted sense of humour. Charlie Opera tells the story of what happens when a window cleaner accidentally breaks the jaw of a New York wiseguy and finds himself tailed to Vegas by mobsters determined to get their revenge. Add to the mix Charlie’s cheating wife, the mob’s own internal war and some killer dialogue and you have a book that brings to mind Elmore Leonard were he to write an episode of The Sopranos. With a pedigree like that, you can’t fail to have a good book on your hands. Stella’s greatest strength is his dialogue. His characters come across in sharp focus and their verbal sparring is entertaining, enlightening and utterly believable. According to sources I’ve missed out on at least two other books by Stella but, trust me, they’re being searched out as we speak. Masterful, fun and highly recommended.

THE COMPANY: A NOVEL OF THE CIA by Robert Littell (Read by Russel)

Out now in paperback, The Company is a massive book spanning several decades since the conception of America’s answer to the KGB, the CIA. Following the lives of a whole generation of Agents, the narrative of The Company is strung together by the search for a mysterious mole at the heart of the CIA. But to be honest that pales in comparison to the sense of history and atmosphere in the book. The characters are well rounded, although I can see the perfect movie cast assembled in my mind’s eye (Tell me, that by the end of the book, The Wiz isn’t played by Marlon Brando!) but this adds to the atmosphere. The prose is solid and readable which really helps with a book so immersed in history and ultimately it’s a pleasurable read; one of those books you really can lose yourself in.

TIME OF DEATH By Jessica Snyder Sachs(Read by Doug)

Abolutely brilliant: a history of forensic investigation, Time of Death manages to combine a readable narrative with fairly accurate scientific asides. An absolute must for anyone interested in both the nature of forensic investigation and the history of the discipline.

THE SACRED ART OF STEALING by Christopher Brookmyre (Read by Russel)

If you like Carl Hiassen you’ll like Chris Brookmyre. No doubt about it, the pair are transatlantic cousins. Me, I’m not a diehard fan of either, and I believe they produce variable works, occasionally allowing their own smugness to get in the way of their stories. Scared Art of Stealing is often very funny, with some excellent asides and a clever plot. But Brookmyre’s dependency on Scots stereotypes (our football wars) is what gets in the way as usual, leaving you exhausted by the time he gets round to any real action. His philosophical musings are also entertaining but quite often at the expense of the plot. Sacred Art of Stealing is still an enjoyable read but I’m finding increasingly these days I really have to be in the mood for Brookmyre’s sarcastic and occasionally smug before I can start one of his novels (and I feel much the same about Hiassen, really).

 Jinx: The Definitive Collection By Brian Michael Bendis (Read by Doug)

Bendis is the king of comics. Jinx is his masterpiece; a straight, hardboiled tale of criminals, a beautiful bounty hunter and a plethora of pop-culture references, this is a joy to behold. The artwork is experimental and yet grows on you. The bald guy is based on Bendis physically (hopefully not mentally) and Jinx herself is very cute and very dangerous. Comics ain’t just about guys in tights, and Bendis may be writing more superhero titles these days but between this and his short but far-better-than-Todd-McFarlane run on Sam and Twitch he shows that comics can be every bit as good (and sometimes better than) a good crime novel.