RUSSEL'S READS:

LOSS by Tony Black (Jan, 2010, Profile Books)

Black is one of my favourite Scottish noir writers of the last few years and with this brilliant third novel, he firmly cements his ex-hack reporter Gus Drury as one of the most convincing characters I've read in a long time. Walking the kind of Edinburgh streets that would give DI John Rebus nightmares, Drury is always one step away from total breakdown, a fact brought to light as he investigates the apparent murder of his own brother. A brilliant, sweeping and heartbreaking novel, Black truly deserves your attention.

THE LEVELS by Sean Cregan (Jan 2010, Headline)

A smart, fast moving American urban thriller by a writer from, of all places, Eastbourne, THE LEVELS is a cracking read. Whiplash pacing and a brilliant central conceit that credibly creates an utterly alien world smack bang in the centre of what should be a familiar Urban setting, THE LEVELS feels like no other thriller out there. Cregan's writing feels fresh and controlled, and should have a wide appeal, especially to those looking for something a little different in their thrillers. Just pray the Furies don't wind up at your door.

61 HOURS by Lee Child (March 2010, Bantam)

Another Brit writing about the US (although by now, Child is to be considered very much a staple of American thriller writing), this latest novel about long-running drifter/knight errant Jack Reacher delivers from page one. A reluctant hero. A small town conspiracy. An isolated and terrifying situation that becomes more urgent as the book progresses. The clock is literally ticking for Reacher in this one, and fans of Child will be hooked.

CAPTURE by Neil Cross (January 2010, Simon and Schuster)

A former scriptwriter on BBC's award winning Spooks (MI5, no 9 to 5, as the adverts would have us believe), Cross has been slowly building an audience for his short, punchy and sometimes terrifying novels over the last few years. CAPTURED is my favourite yet; a morally ambiguous protagonist, a genuinely terrifying ethical dilemma and prose that doesn't force the reader to take any one side, this is sharp, punchy and emotionally stirring stuff.

AND THE BEST OF THE REST:

January 2010:

Simon Kernick presents THE LAST TEN SECONDS, a twisting thriller set in the urban sprawl of London. After the success of THE CORONER, M.R. Hall returns with THE DISSAPEARED. Graham Hurley's latest DI Faraday thriller is BEYOND REACH, while Quintin Jardine (and Primavera Blackstone) prepare to paint the town BLOOD RED.

February 2010:

Mo Hayder's latest unnerving thriller - one not for the faint of heart, I'll wager - is GONE. David Hewson returns to Rome and his successful series character Nic Costa with THE BLUE DEMON, and Jim Kelly returns with the new Shaw and Valentine thriller DEATH WATCH. Fellow Scot Karen Campbell (whom, I'm told, is one to watch out for), has her third novel out: AFTER THE FIRE

March 2010:

Feel the cold with Jo Nesbo and THE SNOWMAN in Norway. Then join bestselling psychological thriller writer Sophie Hannah for the most thrilling kind of clean-up in THE ROOM SWEPT WHITE. Get to know the GANGSTER GIRL courtesy of Dreda Say Mitchell. And William Ryan takes us to Stalinist Russia in THE HOLY THIEF.

So there you go, and those books are just the tip of the iceberg! Its going to be a packed and thrilling first few months of the new year for you. So here's to a good 2010 for you, dear readers, and of course, some damn fine reads!

Russel McLean