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The Pinnacle: A Mumbai Murder Mystery In Abir Mukherjee's 'The Pinnacle', set in a Mumbai apartment block, the immensely rich and those who serve them exist side by side but worlds apart. Fading American actor George Abercrombie, married to superstar Sweety Sahota, discovers his wife stabbed to death in their marital bed with one of his blood-stained shirts in the laundry basket. Told from multiple viewpoints including George, his assistant Amit, and Sweety's PA Gemma, this novel weaves a tense, fast-paced tale of class, power and corruption with dry humor and social commentary. A Violent Masterpiece: LA's Dark Underbelly Jordan Harper's 'A Violent Masterpiece' is set in the dark, amoral world of LA. The story follows three protagonists: Jake, who livestreams crime scenes; Kara, who works for Sub Rosa, a concierge service for the wealthy; and Gibson, a public defense lawyer. When Kara's colleague goes missing and she suspects it's the work of the LA Ripper, their worlds converge. Harper's novel, told in apocalyptic language with shades of James Ellroy and Tom Wolfe, explores greed in all its forms in an intense, chaotic narrative. Murder on the Red River: A Native American Perspective Marcie R Rendon's debut novel 'Murder on the Red River' introduces Cash Blackbear, a 19-year-old Ojibwe woman living on the North Dakota/Minnesota border in 1970. When an Ojibwe man is murdered, Cash helps Sheriff Wheaton's investigation, putting herself at risk. Rendon beautifully writes not just about individual crime but also the systemic crimes committed against Native Americans, such as the forcible removal of children from their families. This first novel in a projected series features an appealing central character and promises more to come. The Devoted: Triad Secrets in Hong Kong Catherine Cho's 'The Devoted' explores generational trauma and limited choice among the rich and powerful in Hong Kong. The narrator Eunha, daughter of a key player in the Triad crime syndicate, has her pampered existence as a 'tai tai' (wealthy wife) disrupted when her young son is kidnapped. After being judged unfit to look after him, she takes a job as a nightclub hostess and begins to understand the extent to which she and her family have been caught up in her father's criminal world. Told in alternating chapters between present and past, this novel offers a female perspective on 'The Godfather'. The Repentants: 18th Century Scottish Domestic Noir Kate Foster's fourth historical mystery, 'The Repentants', begins in 1790 in St Monans on the east coast of Scotland. When Florrie Aitken, the underappreciated wife of important local businessman Jonny, is caught with a lover, she is forced into a humiliating public act of repentance where she meets Eliza Wood, similarly punished for failing to attend church. As Jonny plans revenge on his wife and takes both women to Iceland, a bond forms between them as they plot their escape. This intelligent, atmospheric novel offers a unique 18th-century domestic noir perspective.