Here are three well-reviewed, recently published Crime Fiction novels. Two come from England, each with a strong story to tell, while the third hails from Japan, from a highly-regarded veteran suspense writer.

When four highly influential members of an exclusive London gentlemen’s club known as the March Club are fatally poisoned, the young waitress who was working the room is seen on the closed-circuit TV of the club leaving the premises, and is promptly charged. What Cloke does with the structure of this novel is have five different men remembering what Katherine Cole meant to them. There’s her father, her lawyer/barrister, a journalist, her childhood friend, and her lover. Together, it’s like a composite is being created, for us to understand who Katherine Cole is. As for the four murdered men, one is the owner of the club, one a property magnate, a Government minister, and a Russian oligarch. So it’s obvious that the publicity and social media noise surrounding the trial would be fever pitch.

Which is the true face of Katherine Cole? Hydrogen cyanide is detected in the brandy bottle that was served to the four. Privilege, passion, how a woman’s voice is sidelined and silenced, and what happens when she speaks out - are just some of the themes taken up by the narrative. What's interesting to note is how the aforementioned structure serves as a way to keep us unbalanced; that we’re constantly second-guessing on Katherine’s guilt, and whether either of the five narrators can lead us to the truth. Even what qualifies as truth is given a righteous wringing in the course of the story, and it’s to Cloke’s credit that at some point, there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, and we appreciate the ride that we’ve been taken on. A legal thriller that’s unique and punchy, and always psychologically astute; I’m now a believer, and interested to see what Cloke will come up next.

Deary is behind the Horrible Histories series, and comes up with this thrilling Crime fiction novel that’s reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock film, but with a strong dash of humor. It’s dark, witty, and clever. We open in 2023 with a Tony Davies recounting what happened 50 years ago, in 1973, when four strangers found themselves in a carriage of a late-night milk train headed to Newcastle and Sunderland. And how an unremarkable little man with glasses, who we know as Mr. Brown, makes the astounding announcement that his occupation is a murderer. This sets into motion several things that not only involve the other two passengers, Claire and a Mr. Delmont, but also include Aline, the local police officer who happened to be on the platform when the train reached its destination.

Aline, the local police officer, has her own agenda. Along with Mr. Brown and Davies, the three take turns narrating the story and how their fates are intertwined. By the following day in 1973, one of the four is dead, one turns into an unexpected blackmailer, and one is forced to commit a crime. How this all happens is what drives the narrative of the novel, and kudos to Deary for turning this into a twisty, rife with coincidences, storyline that never fails to whet our interest. It’s the classic page-turner, and while one could level the accusation that it does seem a bit too contrived, you succumb to the writing style and the deadpan humor that’s injected into the treatment. It’s this humor that makes us forgive the dry thing and just go along for the ride. This is the first novel of Deary that I’ve read, and I’m now a convert, ready to read what he’ll come up with next. Old school, but with a new sheen.

This is the first novel of Nishizawa that’s been translated into English. He’s a celebrated crime fiction author in his native Japan, and his Serial Murder was even shortlisted for the first Ayukawa Award 35 years ago. This one may have a familiar, clichéd "Groundhog Day" premise, but it’s executed in connection with a murder that needs to be solved via the time loop predicament. Hisataro is our young, high school-age protagonist. At random times, he’s afflicted by the Trap, when the same day recurs for nine days, and thus makes him feel he’s lived more years than his true adolescent age. Hisataro’s grandfather is the founder of a prominent restaurant empire in Japan, and he has three daughters, two of them estranged, having left him because he mistreated their late mother. Since their fortunes took a downward turn, these two daughters are now seeking to reconcile with their father.

At the annual New Year gathering at the mansion of grandfather Fuchigami, he is found dead the following January 2 morning, and it looks like murder. With a large inheritance at stake, Hisataro takes it upon himself to spend the next recurring days with two missions; one is to prevent his grandfather from being murdered, and if that cannot be avoided, two, to discover who is in fact responsible for his untimely death. Despite his efforts, he seems to fail each time, while secret ploys, illicit love affairs, and crazy, jealous rivalries rise to the surface. A highly dysfunctional family, it’s the family dynamics and how the inheritance at stake motivates them that creates an intriguing second layer to the narrative, and makes this more than just a murder mystery. Nishizawa is quite adept at this family history saga, and it results in a highly charged blend of humor, SciFi, and a murder mystery.