Crime: No Lovelier Death by Graham Hurley<br />Daemon by Daniel Suarez-Quercus <br />The Given Day by Dennis Lehane<br />Loser's Town by Daniel Depp

No Lovelier Death by Graham Hurley (Orion £12.99)

Now on opposite sides of the law, Detective Inspector Faraday and ex-Detective Constable Winter are both looking for clues in a double murder at the house of Winter's new boss, the notorious gangster and Faraday's nemesis, Bazza Mackenzie. Bazza promised to oversee a party in his neighbour's mansion, owned by a leading judge – only it got out of hand and ended in the deaths of the judge's daughter and her boyfriend. Hurley never disappoints, and here proves his standing as one of the UK's finest crime novelists.

Daemon by Daniel Suarez-Quercus (Dutton £12.99)

Daemon is the evil legacy of a computer genius who can make your wildest dreams come true, or your most terrifying nightmares haunt you. You must decide. Serve the monster or watch your world fall apart. This debut is superb, with some of the best action set-pieces I've ever read. For crime fans and sci-fi lovers both.

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane (Doubleday £16.99)

What would happen if a city's cops go on strike? In Dennis Lehane's sprawling new novel you can find out, as he weaves a fictional tale around the factual events of 1919, when the Boston police department did just that. Looting, shooting and tooting ran riot in the town as the good citizens took advantage of the lack of law enforcement. There's a terrific sub-plot featuring a killer on the run, and it's currently being filmed by Sam Raimi, which is good enough for me.

Loser's Town by Daniel Depp (Simon & Schuster £12.99)

A stunner! The debut novel of Daniel (half-brother of Johnny) Depp ploughs deep into the sleazy world of Hollywood movie-makers, of which he has real experience, and it shows. Featuring David Spandau, a stuntman turned PI who only takes cases he wants to, and would rather be working as a rodeo rider. Bobby Dye, superstar acting talent is getting death threats, or is he? What's certain is that he's mixing with folks from the wrong side of town. This one is a diamond. I loved every page.