The menu is self-explanatory - try it and see for yourselves. The magazine is arranged into three main sections, REVIEWS, FEATURE ARTICLES and STORIES, and NEW & COMING SOON TITLES. The latter section is a little like a bookshop where you can browse what's new for this month, but it is arranged by Publisher, as this is the easiest way for me to do it. Let me knowwhat you think...

If you were lucky, and you're a dad, you might have received a copy of this fantastic book on Father's Day! Neil Oliver, the historian from the smash BBC series COAST, retells the stories that inspired us to be better men during the last century. He laments... more

Amanda Greenslade is a fantasy writer, like me (except she's young enough to be my granddaughter, and therefore has time on her side!). Her ASTOR CHRONICLES look fantastic, and I hope it won't be long before she finds a publisher. In the meantime, there's an interview with Amanda in this issue, together with information on TALON, the first book in the series.

KELLEY ARMSTRONG's latest book, THE SUMMONING, is so good I had to give it joint book of the month in the fantasy section; Kelley never lets you down, and this is a terrific read, chilling and entertaining at the same time - don't miss it!

And don't forget to let me know what you think of this issue of BOOKS MONTHLY ~ you can e-mail me at editor@booksmonthly.co.uk

Last weekend the fourth INDIANA JONES movie smashed box office records with takings estimated to be in excess of £148m - there are lots more great new Indy books reviewed in this issue, see the Feature Articles and Stories menu above

All of the titles listed or reviewed in Books Monthly are available from the store. Click on the Amazon logo to check availability as many are not yet published.

by Judith E. French

Human monsters. They torture and terrify, then terminate innocent lives. For pleasure. And always there is a pattern, a signature that sets their crimes apart.

Agent Jillian Maxwell is sure she’s identified one of the worst ever. Twenty-three unsolved murders in two years. A trail of bodies with slashed throats, dumped by the sea. Her distractingly hot new partner disputes her theory, but Jillian’s instincts tell her she’s closing in on her quarry. The postcards she’s received before each strike hold the key; she knows the scene of the next murder—Ocean City, Maryland. Despite “Cowboy” Reed Donovan’s objections, she’ll go undercover to draw out the perp. Only too late, she realizes there’s more than one player in this deadly game, and she’s been set up to be the latest loser in their…BLOOD SPORT

by Constance O'Banyon

From the winding alleys of Rome
After a childhood spent living on the streets, Thalia had survived more danger than most men saw in a lifetime. Perhaps that was why she could not bring herself to accept one of the inexperienced young suitors her adoptive Bedouin mother encouraged her to marry. But when a stranger with silver eyes appeared in her garden, Thalia felt a fear she had almost forgotten…and a desire she’d never known.

To the shimmering dunes of the Egyptian desert
They called him the Destroyer, a commander of men, but at the first sight of his lost betrothed, Count Ashtyn’s heart surrendered. He made a vow then to win her love and restore the heritage that was stolen from her as a child. But another man had followed her into the desert, one that served a dark figure who had sworn never to rest until the formidable beauty had taken her proper place as his bride. He would do anything to own her, but Ashtyn would dare anything to stand at her side.

by Minda Webber

In eighteenth-century Cornwall, life as a Grimm sister could be…well, grim. With six siblings all obsessed by fairy tales, it was hardly possible for a girl of delicate sensibilities to meet a prince, no matter how many frogs her brothers put in her bed. But when an aunt invited the self-proclaimed beauty Rae, and Greta, her literary-minded sister, to the Black Forest, things started to shape up. Rae met a widowed baron and his children who made Schortz work of all her marital misgivings, and Greta fell for…a less-than-charming prince. Still, even with all the paranormal oddities cropping up, life in this forest was better than being two Corny hens, and the hairier their situations got, the clearer it was to both sisters that, like Little Red Riding Hood, they’d stumbled onto a couple of wolves…and would love every minute of it.

by Candace Sams

Earth policewoman Sagan Carter was ready for the lunatic effect an intergalactic male beauty pageant would have on her city. She was prepared for the screaming females of all species, for the advertising-and-promo circus. The one unexpected thing? Orders to manage an alien police officer’s undercover investigation. And by “manage,” that meant making sure Captain Keir Trask followed all the rules of the pageant in which he was “competing,” or giving him a first-class saucer ticket home. True, the Oceanun had all the right moves, and a body to die for, and he had tracked these intergalactic weapons smugglers to Earth, but work with the high-and-mighty, obstinate, conceited…handsome, sculpted…arrogant Oceanun? She’d rather catch the crooks herself.

From bikini waxes and cucumber facials, to a coworker whose effect on the libido is even stronger than TV ad–touted Pluto Pillow Mints, being a cop has never been so hard. But it’s all in a day’s work for the next would-be… ELECTRA GALAXY’S MR. INTERSTELLAR FELLER

by Nina Bangs

The Eleven—an alliance of ultimate predators. Primal, lethal, irresistible. The Prophecy—an ancient Mayan prediction that the world will end on 12-21-12. The Prey—where can you hide from pure evil?

Kelly Maloy opens her car door to much more than a great looking stranger at the Houston airport. Terror, desire, and a horrible truth climb in with him. She’s only supposed to drive Ty Endeka around the city for a few weeks. Too bad no one tells her that once day fades she’ll become part of a battle fought in the darkened streets with an enemy that isn’t human. And the sensual man who feeds her fantasies hides a soul that gives new meaning to animal magnetism.

Eleven Gods of the Night… The only creatures more deadly are the ones they’ve been summoned to destroy.

by Eve Kenin

Tatiana has honed her genetic gifts to perfection. She can withstand the subzero temperatures of the Northern Waste, read somebody's mind with the briefest touch, and slice through bone with her bare hands. Which makes her one badass chick, all right.

Nothing gets to her. Until she meets Tristan. Villain or ally, she can't be sure. But one thing she does know: he has gifts too—including the ability to ramp up her heart rate to dangerous levels. But before they can start some chemistry of their own, they have to survive being trapped in an underground lab, hunted by a madman, and exposed to a plague that could destroy mankind.

by Trish Albright

Alexandra Stafford always considered herself an adventurous sort. Escaping slave traders—no problem. Captaining a ship on storm-tossed seas—piece of cake. But putting on a gown and attending a ball for the crème de la crème of London Society—now that terrified her. Especially if she had to dance with the new duke of Worthington. He held her way too close, made her heart beat way too fast, muddled her thoughts with his silken kisses.

Worthington knew Alex was trouble the minute he laid eyes on her. She was stalked by a relentless enemy and enmeshed in a powerful prophecy, but even that couldn’t keep him away from the captivating heiress. To earn her love, he’d risk his life—again and again—and completely surrender himself to the…SIREN’S SONG

by Melanie Jackson

Evil forces are on the rise, and Io is part of a secret association dedicated to stopping them. The only solution to make sure the world remains safe is to travel to the mystical, underground Wildside, rendezvous with Jack Frost and uncover the plot. The quest will force Io through labyrinths of vice; challenge every aspect of her incomplete magical training. And if enemies aren't enough, her ally will imperil her heart. Jack Frost is much more than a simple sorcerer: He rules the realms of love and death. Yet in Jack's hands, a little death can be a very, very good thing.

by Charles Atkins

Chad finally feels like he has his life under control. He’s manic-depressive with a history of psychosis, but his meds have helped and he’s just been released from the hospital. The up-and-coming artist is looking forward to his SoHo gallery opening. But the murder of his psychiatrist the night before the opening turns what should have been a triumph into a nightmare. The police see him as the prime suspect in the case. And someone just ransacked his apartment. As the threats become increasingly ominous—and the voices in his head return to haunt him—Chad needs to find someone who believes him before the killer closes in.

by Simon Wood

Hayden Duke is a young man on the fast track. He’s just signed on with Marin Design Engineering to work on a very high-level government project. But just before Hayden started, one of MDE’s employees committed suicide. And he’s not the only one. Is it the pressure? Or is there some other connection? Has Hayden Duke just put himself on the fast track to an early death?

by Sarah Pinborough

A charismatic new priest has come to Tower Hill. A handsome new professor is teaching at the college. And a nightmare has settled over the town. A girl is found dead and mutilated—by her own hand. Another has slashed her face with scissors. Have the residents of Tower Hill all gone mad? Or has something worse…something unholy…taken over?

by Richard Laymon

Neala and her friend Sherri only wanted to do a little hiking through the woods. Little did they know they would soon be shackled to a dead tree, waiting for Them to arrive. The Dills family thought the small hotel in the quiet town seemed quaint and harmless enough. Until they, too, found themselves shackled to trees in the middle of the night, while They approached, hungry for human flesh….

by Max Brand

MANHUNT

Les Tarron was a young man looking for some adventure. Then he met Doran—a mysterious loner on a mysterious errand. When Doran is shot and Les takes on the dying man’s job, he’s putting himself straight in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded killer. And suddenly he has more excitement than he ever bargained for. On the run and dodging an army of hired gunmen, Les has only one goal in mind: finish his mission and find…THE CITY IN THE SKY

by D. B. Newton

Ed Bannon has a secret. No one in the town of Mitchell knew about it when they pushed him into being marshal. Not even the rancher who took an immediate dislike to this stranger in town. But the man with the scarred face knows. He knows because he’s been hunting Bannon for ages. Now that Bannon’s stuck in Mitchell, the scarred man is about to catch up, and Bannon’s explosive secret will be exposed to the world….

by Stephen Overholser

Aaron Mills had loved Sadie Anne for as long as he could remember. But fate always kept them apart, and then even Sadie Ann herself said they must part forever. The night she ran away, the murders began. Aaron knows he’s the only one who can clear her name. But first he has to find her, and that won’t be easy in a seething frontier town full of barely tamed men. It’s a place where people go when they don’t want to be found, a place where the law has no hold, a place where Aaron might just become a murder victim himself….

by Donald Westlake

SOMETIMES WINNING FEELS AN AWFUL LOT LIKE LOSING.

Cab driver Chet Conway was hoping for a good tip from his latest fare, the sort he could spend. But what he got was a tip on a horse race. Which might have turned out okay, except that when he went to collect his winnings Chet found his bookie lying dead on the living room floor.

Chet knows he had nothing to do with it—but just try explaining that to the cops, to the two rival criminal gangs who each think Chet’s working for the other, and to the dead man’s beautiful sister, who has flown in from Las Vegas to avenge her brother’s murder...