42 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ NOVEMBER 4, 2019
Review_FICTION
nearby military
base, and a
trailer con-
taining three
Stinger missiles
is taken from
the crash site.
The separate
investigations
intertwine as
Creek digs into
the complex
Sackler case, exposing buried secrets and
grave injustice, as well as an extensive
poaching operation, unlawful drone
surveillance activities, and treasonous
intentions. The action builds to a suitably
thrilling conclusion. Garvin skillfully
draws together the many plot threads
while also shining a compassionate light
on PTSD sufferers bearing the scars of
war. Agent: Peter Rubie, Fine Print Literary.
(Jan.)A Rush of Blood
David Mark. Severn, $28.99 (224p) ISBN 978-
0-7278-8905-8
Set in London (“with its rain and its
noise and the feeling that every breath
has been through a million other lungs
before it reaches your own”), this vivid
and often witty gothic thriller from Mark
(The Mausoleum) comes complete with all
the trimmings: madness, death, a gloomy
house that holds a terrifying secret, and
echoes of a bloody past. Ten-year-old
Hilda is the daughter of Molly, the man-
ager of the Jolly Bonnet, “Whitechapel’s
premier Victorian gin bar.” Decorated
with antique medical equipment, the pub
is “a must-see destination for anybody
with an interest in the murky world of
morbid anatomy.” When a schoolmate
goes missing, Hilda seeks help in finding
her from Molly and Lottie, “a well-respected
pathologist and an excellent curator of the
necro-museum she personally established,”
who has her own YouTube channel. Lottie
and her posse of followers soon discover
that other young girls have gone missing.
The blood-drenched finale and disturb-
ingly creepy epilogue will long remain in
the mind of the reader. Those with a taste
for the macabre will be well satisfied.
Agent: Oli Munson, A.M. Heath (U.K.).
(Jan.)An Incantation of Cats: A Witch
Cats of Cambridge Mystery
Clea Simon. Polis, $26 (288p) ISBN 978-1-
947993-80-8
In Simon’s entertaining sequel to
2018’s A Spell of Murder, Becca Colwin
has already declared herself a witch
detective to her friends and coven. With
the help of her three cats, known as
familiars in the Wiccan world, Becca sets
out to discover who’s trying to kill her
client Gaia Linquist, a clerk at the
Wiccan boutique in Cambridge, Mass.
Gaia suspects the culprit may be her boss,
Margaret Cross, who believes Gaia’s
having an affair with Margaret’s husband,
Frank. But when Frank ends up dead,
both Gaia and Margaret become suspects
in his possible murder, until someone
tries to kill Gaia. Gaia thinks her boyfriend,
Tiger, is assisting Becca as she combs the
streets of Cambridge for clues. Then the
police tell Gaia that Tiger claims he has
never met Becca, and Gaia realizes that
he’s not who he says he is. Becca’s cats,
each with a distinctive personality, use
their individual magical skills in their
efforts to solve the case and keep Becca
safe. Fans of talking cat cozies will havefun. Agent: Colleen Mohyde, Doe Coover
Agency. (Jan.)★ Wolves at the Door
Gunnar Staalesen, trans. from the Norwegian
by Don Bartlett. Orenda (IPG, dist.), $15.95
trade paper (276p) ISBN 978-1-912374-41-0
Varg Veum, whose Old Norse–derived
name connotes “an outlaw,” prowls the
mean streets of contemporary Bergen,
Norway, in Staalesen’s searing 21st novel
featuring the
world-weary
PI and former
child welfare
officer (after
2018’s Big
Sister). Veum
abandoned
social work
because he lost
faith in his
country’s ability
to help children caught up in “pure evil,”
but only 16 months earlier, he was
arrested then found innocent of pos-
sessing child pornography. Now, after
being nearly killed in a hit-and-run, he’s
stubbornly tracking those responsible★ The Rabbit Hunter:
A Joone Linna Novel
Lars Kepler, trans. from the Swedish by Neil Smith. Knopf,
$27.95 (528p) ISBN 978-1-5247-3228-8K
epler (the pen name for a husband-and-wife writing
team) manages a clever and intriguing variant on
the serial killer theme in his outstanding sixth
novel featuring Stockholm Det. Insp. Joona Linna
(after 2019’s Stalker). Linna, who’s behind bars for helping
a convict escape and assaulting a guard, gets a chance at
redemption when he’s summoned to a meeting with his
attorney, only to find the Swedish prime minister present. The previous night,
Swedish foreign minister William Fock was murdered in his home by a masked
man. Fock’s killer left a living witness—escort Sofia Stefansson, whose assignation
went bad after Fock drugged her and tied her to his bed. Stefansson overheard
the murderer tell Fock that “Ratjen opened the door.” The police believe Ratjen
to be Salim Ratjen, a convicted drug dealer who was recorded making a phone
call referencing “three big celebrations.” Since the date of the first one coincides
with Fock’s killing, the PM fears that two more terror attacks are in the works.
Linna agrees to help, but the investigation takes some highly unexpected
directions. Kepler has never been better at hiding key clues in plain sight.
Agent: Niclas Salomonsson, Salomonsson Agency (Sweden). (Jan.)