The Transaction, by Guglielmo D'Izzia

"Under the brutal brightness of D’Izzia’s Sicilian sun, we’re forced to confront the most uncomfortable and grotesque taboos. What’s more, we, like De Angelis, are forced to confront our complicity in their continued existence."—Hollay Ghadery

A property harbouring a gruesome secret goes up for sale. Two men—perhaps, the wrong men—are shot in plain daylight. Nothing is what it seems. And matters do not turn out as anticipated. De Angelis, an inscrutable northerner, is travelling to a small town perched somewhere in Sicily's hinterland to negotiate a real estate transaction, only to find himself embroiled in a criminal conspiracy. While en route, the train he's on mysteriously breaks down, forcing him to spend the night in a squalid whistle stop. What follows is a web of unsettling events, involving child prostitution and brazen killings, that lead to the abrupt demise of his business deal. But De Angelis is undeterred and intent on discovering what went wrong with his transaction. As he embarks on a reckless sleuthing, an unexpected turn of events sends him into a tailspin. At the heart of it is an alluring blue-eyed girl, Marinella. The chance encounter with the eleven-year-old traps him in a psychological and moral cul-de-sac, leaving him no choice but to confront the type of man he really is.

**

Lake Crescent, by JJ Dupuis


"J.J. Dupuis crafts a mystery that's atmospheric and layered, where myth and legend clash with real-world stakes. Lake Crescent pulled me under and kept me eager to know more."—Samantha K. Garner


A TV documentary crew explores murky waters in search of legendary lake monster Cressie, only to dredge up a body instead. 

Laura Reagan, host of the cryptozoological documentary series Creature X, and her team are in Newfoundland shooting an episode about Cressie, a legendary giant eel. Things don’t start off great: scientific evidence is scarce, stories keep changing, and the locals are throwing a wrench into the production. But what began as a simple TV shoot takes a drastic turn when the crew pulls a body from the depths of Lake Crescent.

 For Laura, unravelling the cold case means unearthing long-buried secrets about the most prominent citizens of the remote town of Robert’s Arm. With time running out, she and her team must put the pieces together and expose the killer before more blood is spilled.



**

The Perfect Family, by Robyn Harding

“Excellent psychological suspense . . . [Harding’s] best so far. . . . This is an excellent cottage weekend book.”—The Globe and Mail

In The Perfect Family—which has received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist—#1 bestselling author Robyn Harding explores what happens when a seemingly perfect family is pushed to the edge...and beyond.


Thomas and Viv Adler have a picture-perfect family. Affluent and attractive, with two well-mannered kids almost out of the nest, they live in a beautifully restored Craftsman house in a well-to-do neighbourhood in Portland, Oregon. Their jobs are secure; their children are thriving; the world is their oyster. 
Until one morning, when they wake up to find that their house and car have been pelted with eggs. Thomas dismisses it as the work of a few out-of-control kids, but when a smoke bomb is tossed on their front lawn, and the tires on their BMW are punctured, he begins to worry. The family installs surveillance cameras but they show nothing but grainy images of shadowy figures in hoodies. Unable to identify the perpetrators, they are helpless as the assaults escalate. The police assure them that this is just the work of bored teenagers. But no one in the Adler family believes it. After all, each of them has a secret—kept not only from the outside world but from each other.


Seventeen-year-old Tarryn is dabbling in a seedy online world; her older brother, Eli, has dropped out of college and refuses to tell his parents why; and Thomas and Viv have their own secrets that began as harmless fun and relief from the pressures of everyday life, but have grown into something darker and more dangerous. As the Adlers grapple with their guilt, fear, and shame, the assaults grow deadly. Their “perfect” façade is crumbling, and it may be too late for any of them to do anything about it in this addictive and twisty suspense novel that will keep you turning pages until its explosive ending.

**

The Devil's Choir, by Martin Michaud

"The Devil's Choir is a 'complete' thriller: a very well-run plot, captivating and believable characters, impeccable suspense. Michaud is carving out a place of choice among the elite of the Quebec industry."—La Presse

In this intricate, intense mystery from the acclaimed “master of the Quebec thriller,” the ghosts of Victor Lessard’s past come back to haunt him as he investigates a horrific murder-suicide that doesn’t add up.

 When a young Montreal family dies in an orgy of bloody violence, all signs point to a rampage by the father. But Victor Lessard isn’t convinced. The brilliant, brooding detective suspects that others were involved in the killings. But who? And why? As Lessard struggles to solve the puzzle, the discovery of a nightmarish chamber of horrors seems to confirm that the murders are part of a wider pattern.

 Meanwhile, in the Major Crimes Unit, Jacinthe Taillon is investigating the strange kidnapping of Laila François, a former street kid turned webcam girl. Could there be a connection with Lessard’s case?



With a ghost from his past making him doubt his own sanity, Lessard must evade the lethal operatives of a powerful, highly secretive organization as he races to untangle the mystery—before a diabolical killer can strike again.

**

Beneath Her Skin, by C.S. Porter


"A truly compelling mystery about a series of grisly murders in a lovely east coast town. The writing is superb, the novel tightly plotted. The reader is swept along by the expert pacing and mounting suspense as the bodies pile up and suspects emerge from the shadows. Detective Kes Morris becomes conflicted as she closes in on the killers, and we understand why, when she finds evidence of unspeakable events in the town's past. Porter has created an authentic, fully realized character in Detective Morris, and we'll want to hear from her again."—Anne Emery, Arthur Ellis Award–winning author of Though the Heavens Fall


A literary crime thriller from a mysterious new voice in Atlantic fiction.


She knew her process. Knew the itch in her nerves. The cold hardness creeping in. She was pulling on the killer's skin too fast. Something wild flickered across her heart. When she fully donned it, there wouldn't be room for anyone else but the killer and her.

Did You Know? This is C.S. Porter's debut novel. A solitary writer who lives near the Atlantic Ocean, it is rumoured he or she was once involved in crime investigation; that Porter suffered an immense personal loss; that they came from US or UK, or grew up in these parts. Age unknown. The author has never been interviewed.

**