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Yesterday a couple of the Killer Reads team were lucky enough to escape from our base in Hammersmith and spend the day in central London filming with author Will Adams. Will is the author of the Daniel Knox archaeological thrillers, The Alexander Cipher, The Exodus Quest, The Lost Labyrinth and the forthcoming The Eden Legacy. Spending time in Trafalgar Square, at St Martin in the Fields and down on the Embankment we found ourselves in between trying to film fighting off pigeons, entertaining curious tourists and placating inquisitive security guards. Read More

The next in the bestselling series of psychological thrillers featuring Carson Ryder, the detective with a unique perspective on serial killers Soon after witnessing the escape of violent psychopath Bobby Crayline from prison, Alabaman detective Carson Ryder takes a rare break in the mountains. But his vacation is interrupted when… Read More

To celebrate Agatha's big day, HarperCollins went all out, with a speech, champagne, a murder mystery and most importantly, cake! Because what's a birthday without it? Inspired by Christie's A Murder Is Announced, the cake has been christened 'Delicious Death', and was definitely one of the better cakes we've had, especially once it had had a good sprinkling of edible gold leaf. We just wish she'd been here to see it! To try it for yourselves then simply follow the Jane Asher recipe below, and anyone that posts a photo of their own attempt to make it will automatically enter a draw to win an Agatha Christie poster! So get cooking! Read More

They look just as I had imagined.  Battered, dog-eared and damp from decades without love in the HC archive, these books were just begging to be dug out - all featuring fantastic looking covers.  They were originally published as part of the Collins Crime Club, the pre-eminent crime imprint for the majority of the 20th century.  From an absolute treasure chest, I've singled out three gems to look at in more detail. The first, Roger East's 1935 classic 25 Sanitary Inspectors, stood out amongst the crowd.  The title promises a lot and the cover doesn't disappoint.  Set in San Rocco, a little known West Indian republic, the novel sees the murder of wealthy financier Pero Zaragoza.  Having no police force to investigate, a team of sanitary inspectors are called in.  Vivid and striking, the cover depicts the eponymous moustachioed investigators, going about their dirty work, marching in sync and aptly capturing the idiosyncratic, fascinating plot. Read More

Wednesday 15th September was Agatha Christie's 120th birthday. There was a plethora of activity to mark the occasion, with extensive press coverage celebrating the Queen of Crime and her work. If you didn't get the chance to see it, the 'Google Doodle' was Christie-themed in over 40 countries worldwide on the today. FIVE OF THE BEST Murder on the Orient Express Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer - in case he or she decides to strike again... Read an extract from Murder on the Orient Express Read More

When the clock strikes twelve, it’s time to die… One by one, random victims are stalked and shot at close range. Only the killer knows their sins, and who will be the next to die at midnight… Since her fall from Hollywood, actress Lorie Hammonds has returned to her hometown… Read More

Time of Death, the terrifying new page-turner from Beverly Barton hit the shelves this week. Killer Reads caught up with Beverly Barton to pick her brains about her inspirations, her characters and life as a New York Times bestselling author. Read More

Once again, Hangman is in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series, the 19th novel with them I believe. In it, Decker is dealing with some very grisly murders that culminate into some very shocking discoveries... The call comes in - a ghastly murder centered around a young woman hanging from the rafters of an unfinished house. He assigns his able detectives Marge Dunn and Scott Oliver to a murder scene - a homicide concocted from a depraved and warped mind. The woman, Adrianna Blanc was a nurse and although she was a caring and competent woman, she had her wild side which unfortunately put her into contact with some dangerous party hearty individuals. It is a story of the complexity of human nature as well as the dark side that lurks within us all. Read More

A novel of intrigue, violence and conflicted loyalties from the author of The Street Philosopher, Matthew Plampin. What price to take hold of the devil’s right hand? Spring, 1853. After a triumphant display at the Great Exhibition in London, the legendary American entrepreneur and inventor Colonel Samuel Colt expands his… Read More

The BBC have just put their 1977 Lively Arts documentary about Len Deighton online for the first time. If you've yet to discover the genius of Len, here is a little bit of background on the man behind The Ipcress File. Len Deighton was born in London in 1929. At the age of seventeen he became a photographer attached to the RAF Special Investigations Branch. Following his discharge in 1949 he did a variety of jobs and in 1952 won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art. His writing career began with The Ipcress File which was a spectacular success and was made into a classic film starring Michael Caine. Read More

After a typical British summer of meteorological highs and lows, the Killer Reads team have got together to bring you the top ten from our summer fiction. Whether you're stay-cating or heading further afield, be sure to pack these in your suitcase or leave on your bedside table or use as a makeshift hat against the vengeful rain... The Chosen One By Sam Bourne Out now in paperback After fantastic reviews, this summer's biggest thriller has not disappointed. This is one not to be missed under any circumstances! The multi-talented Sam Bourne, author of the bestselling The Righteous Men, The Last Testament and The Final Reckoning returns with another gripping high-concept thriller. Bruised by years of disappointments, political advisor Maggie Costello is finally working for a leader she can believe in. She, along with the rest of America, has put her trust in President Stephen Baker. But suddenly an enemy surfaces: a man called Vic Forbes reveals one scandal about the new president, and quickly another. He threatens a third revelation - one that will completely ruin Baker. When Forbes is found dead, Maggie is thrown into turmoil. Could the leader she idolizes have been behind Forbes's murder? Has she been duped by his message of change and hope? Who is the real Stephen Baker? On the trail of the truth, Maggie is led into the roots of a massive conspiracy that reaches back into history - and goes right to the heart of the US establishment... Read More

At last month's Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, the winner of Alibi's search for a new crime writer was announced. The culmination of the search, which was launched at the beginning of the year, ended with a short yet perfectly formed ceremony attended by the likes of Stuart MacBride and R.J. Ellory. Read More