Books

Edited by SA Cosby and Steph Cha — This annual compilation of short stories by leading American crime authors has evolved quite a bit since Steph Cha took over the editorship from Otto Penzler, who now publishes The Best Mystery Stories of the Year as a rival. Many thought Penzler’s long-running series needed a refresh,

The City Sings Green & Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife is an inspirational treasure trove that introduces young readers to the concept of rewilding, showing how cities and communities around the world are repairing some of the environmental damage caused by human habitation. Focusing on 11 intriguing examples, Erica Silverman has created a unique blend

When Rolling Stone music critic Rob Sheffield called me from New York City, I didn’t spend any time with softball questions or developing rapport. I jumped right in with my hardest-hitting question about his new book, Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music: Did he write an essay about the 1989

This week sees the arrival of an unusual crime fiction character – one who feels no pain. But are they indestructible? Find out in Emma Cook’s You Can’t Hurt Me. Our lead book is followed by two novels set in Scotland, a brutal one set in gangland London in the 1950s, and nice little trip

Happy Halloween, and welcome to our final crime fiction news column for October. If you’re hankering for some slightly scary crime fiction in ghostly hour, see our Six criminally spooky cosy reads for Halloween. Meanwhile, in our news you’ll have a whale of a time with the latest from John Straley, some gritty pulp action

When Kiss Of Death was published in 2018, I doubt Paul Finch expected his readers to have to wait six years to see how he resolved the astounding cliff-hanger DS Heckenburg faced at the conclusion of that novel. But it seems not even best-selling authors are immune to the vagaries of the publishing industry. Still,

The upcoming sequel to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator looks brutal to man and beast alike. It arrives in cinemas on 15 November, but we think crime fiction lovers interested in Ancient Rome might be drawn to something a little more… subtle. Here to help us is classicist Fiona Forsyth, author of five crime series set in

Sleeping Dogs is the fourth outing for DS Adam Tyler and life just keeps getting harder for the South Yorkshire detective sergeant. One way or another he’s been in trouble ever since he first appeared in Firewatching in 2020. Between his bosses and the criminals it’s been a rough ride for the unorthodox officer. This

This is Emma Cook’s first crime novel, but it arrives with the confidence of an accomplished author. And so it should, because although this standalone mystery is her first book of genre fiction, Cook is an experienced newspaper editor and author of several non-fiction works. It’s a slow-burn, multi-layered story which takes a while to

Leading French thriller author Pierre Lemaitre is back and if you enjoyed his Camille Verhoeven series, you’re in for a treat as he brings an anti-heroine spin to his latest, which will delight anyone who loves a spotty dog or two. See below. We’ve also got trickery in Florida, adventures on the Black Isle in

‘Hammerhead’ Jed Ounstead is back. Bronco Buster is the fourth book in the award-winning series written by Canadian author, AJ Devlin. Jed stands out from your typical crime fiction lead characters. In addition to being addicted to banana milkshakes, he is a prize-winning pro wrestler, an effective private investigator and the son of a highly

Ajay Close’s new crime thriller is a work of fiction inspired by the notorious Yorkshire Ripper case of the 1970s, which gained huge media coverage and prompted a massively inefficient manhunt. In that case, the police eventually identified the killer, but were severely criticised for the many failings of their investigation. A journalist and author,

For the fourth year running, Crime Fiction Lover and its readers are celebrating the best in the genre with our awards. The shortlists for the 2024 accolades are ready, and now we’re inviting crime fiction lovers everywhere to vote on their winners. Across the six categories you see below, every book, crime show and author

Once upon a time, we didn’t have cell phones. Emergency Quarters, written by Carlos Matias and illustrated by Gracey Zhang, takes us back to those days, while coming with a perfectly worded note for those young enough to not remember technology-free days. Emergency Quarters follows Ernesto through his first week of going to and from

With Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple, award-winning author Liz Garton Scanlon launches a new chapter book series starring a lovable protagonist “with a whole lot to say.” Eight-year-old Bibsy loves school and learning (especially about science), and she has adored all of her teachers—that is, until third grade, when her teacher is stern Mrs.

Since bringing her award-winning police procedural series featuring DI Marnie Rome to an end, English author Sarah Hilary has turned her attention to writing standalone works, like last year’s Black Thorn which won a five star review on this site. This is a writer who mines the darkest depths of the human psyche to great

Joseph Nightingale, nicknamed Fearless after a moment of heroism during the Bosnian conflict, is a British war photographer who was in Nairobi during the August 1998 attack on the U.S. Embassy. While he was away, his pregnant girlfriend, an award-winning investigative journalist, was killed in an automobile accident. As Praveen Herat’s gripping debut political thriller,

Sometimes, it seems, magnetic north has a pull that is more than just ionic. For Swiss crime fiction author Joachim B Schmidt, this was certainly the case and after falling in love with the place as a teenager he emigrated there in 2007. It’s where he was inspired to write novels and he is the

The broiler is a breed of chicken favoured by the American poultry industry for its flesh. If you’re hatched a broiler, you’re dead meat, and the sense of fatalism hinted at in the title is something that will certainly cast its shadow across the narrative in this new novel from Eli Cranor, a rising star

It’s October 1944 and all is far from well in the Republic of Salò. As the last bastion of Fascism in Italy, the tranquil setting on the shore of Lake Garda belies the turmoil currently engulfing the seat of the German-backed puppet government. As the Italian authorities struggle to cling to power, Partisans fight to

It’s July at the time of writing – the perfect time of year for the Swedish crime show End of Summer to arrive with subtitles on BBC Four. From 9pm on Saturday 6 July, viewers in the UK will be able to enjoy double episodes of the six-part series, which is based on the novel

It’s been five years since we last saw Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, but at last Texan author Joe R Lansdale is back with his unique blend of grit and whimsy. We reckon the series will have gained fans since it was adapted for television, so you might want to tune in. We’ve also got

Rosena Fung’s latest graphic novel, Age 16, explores the complicated relationships between three generations, jumping in time between the experiences of three 16-year-old girls: Roz in Toronto in 2000; her mother, Lydia, in Hong Kong in 1972; and Roz’s grandmother, Mei Laan, in Guangdong in 1954. How did you come up with the narrative structure

Megan Davis’s debut The Messenger in 2023 was a powerful blend of conspiracy thriller and psychological drama. Building on some themes in that novel, the abuse of power and wealth are to the front again in Bay of Thieves – a financial thriller right on the edge. There’s wealth and then there’s the Cote d’Azur

What are your bookstore rituals? For example, where do you go first in a store?I go first to the new in paperback section. I love the feel and heft of a paperback as well as its affordability and convenience. I also love reading staff recommendations, even for books that I’ve read before. It’s always fun

Kellye Garrett began as a crime fiction author with the Detective by Day cosy mysteries about a broke black actress who becomes an amateur detective. Her debut, Hollywood Homicide, won multiple awards for best first novel including the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty and IPPY. It was also named one of BookBub’s Top 100 Crime Novels of All

If you are the sort of person who can’t bear to part with sentimental objects—“That belonged to Mamaw!”—this book is for you. Packed inside The Heirloomist: 100 Heirlooms and the Stories They Tell are photographs and stories of 100 items belonging to everyday as well as famous people, including Gloria Steinem, Rosanne Cash and Gabby

It’s been two years since Dan Malakin‘s thriller The Box kept readers glued to the pages. With his latest crime thriller Malakin conjures up a story reminiscent of Gillian Flynn’s popular Gone Girl, asking the question: “Did the husband do it?” 32-year-old Astrid Webb is missing. The wreckage of her car has been found near

Get ready to fall in love with Max, the irrepressible elementary school narrator of That Always Happens Sometimes. He’s full of energy and enthusiasm that constantly erupts like a volcano. In Kiley Frank’s clever text, Max poses a series of questions that reveal his personality, such as “Have your electric pencil sharpener privileges ever been

Indie bookstore Fabulosa Books — located in San Francisco’s historically queer Castro District — is running a program called “Books Not Bans.” Last May, Fabulosa’s Becka Robbins began raising money for the project, which uses customers’ donations to send LGBTQ+ books to places in the country where they’ve been banned. So far, the books have