Lifestyle
10 new crime novels to keep you up at night
If you love crime, mystery and thriller novels, you’re probably always on the lookout for your next great read. Whether you love your crime cosy, creepy or cold, Allison Tait has a recommendation for you.
By Allison Tait
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Australian readers love their crime, mystery and thrillers the best.
Despite the fact that a recent report by Australia Reads and Monash University’s BehaviourWorks Australia found that ‘feeling comforted’ was the most common reading-related emotion reported by respondents [to the survey], we remain drawn to suspense, mystery and crime.
In 2024, for instance, Rakuten Kobo released its report on 2024 Australian digital reading trends based on ebook and audiobook data from its platform, revealing that titles in the suspense and mystery genres accounted for 55% of the top 20 most popular audiobooks and 50% of the top 20 ebooks for Australian readers.
This should come as no surprise given that the first novel to be published in Australia was a crime novel: Henry Savery’s Quintus Servinton (1830).
We have a long history of crime fiction as an integral element of our national literary tradition!
But, as every crime and mystery lover knows, it’s not always easy to find your next read, so Citro has come to the rescue with 4 new authors to discover and 6 favourite authors with new books to check out.
New authors to discover
Unbury the Dead by Fiona Hardy
If you like Australian crime fiction, you’ll enjoy this fresh take by Fiona Hardy. Best mates Teddy and Alice are ‘hired hands with flexible moral boundaries’, fixers for local underworld figure Choker.
When Alice is hired to drive a dead billionaire home to his final resting place, it seems like a straightforward job; meanwhile, Teddy is searching for a missing teenager. The story is told in alternate chapters, revealing twists and turns as it unfolds. What makes this excellent page-turner sing is the dynamic between Alice and Teddy, who are funny, loyal and fierce, and the cast of characters that surrounds them. Highly recommended.
The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey
If you like a bit of creepiness with your crime, Laura McCluskey’s unsettling debut novel is for you. An isolated community off the coast of Scotland is grieving the loss to apparent suicide of 18 year old Alan Ferguson.
But when DIs Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart are sent, in a raging storm, to investigate, they discover that the islanders hold a lot of secrets – and don’t take kindly to mainlanders. The setting looms large in this novel and the reader soon becomes immersed in a cold, cruel landscape. An absorbing read.
The Paradise Heights Craft Store Stitch-Up by Kate Solly
Definitely at the ‘cosy’ end of the crime spectrum, this feelgood, engaging mystery about amateur detective Fleck Parker is both charming and satisfying. Fleck spends most of her time caring for three small children, feeling invisible, but she does love a good puzzle.
When fellow school-mum and avid crafter Trixie is accused of stealing money from the local charity and craft store where she works, Fleck gets involved to clear Trixie’s name. As the investigation plays out, however, the case becomes more complex and Fleck discovers that being ‘invisible’ has its upsides. A fun, light read.
Cold Truth by Ashley Kalagian Blunt
In her second novel, Ashley Kalagian Blunt takes readers into the depths of the Canadian winter to examine blood ties and the online world. Harlow Close has made a career as an influencer, uncovering the secrets of Winnipeg, but when her own father mysteriously disappears amid a brutal cold snap, she discovers secrets can lie closer to home.
New from favourite authors
Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben
The sequel to Fool Me Once, Nobody’s Fool sees a secret from Detective Sami Kierce’s college days come back to haunt him. With all the unexpected twists and turns that readers have come to love from Coben, this one brings past and present together in a twisty murder thriller.
Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb
The 60th book in J. D. Robb’s ‘In Death’ series starring futuristic homicide detective Eve Dallas. Fans come back time and again for the clever plots, but mostly for the recurring cast of characters. In this installment, Dallas is investigating a murder that leads her into history and the Urban Wars (which took place in 2026…).
The Deadly Dispute: A Tea Ladies Mystery by Amanda Hampson
Published this month, the fourth book in ‘The Tea Ladies’ cosy crime series is set in Sydney in 1967 and captures all the flavour of the era with a solid dollop of murder and mystery.
Hazel has a new job at the docks, where the criminal underworld lurks just below the surface, Betty is trying new things and wondering about a life that might have been, and Irene takes on the Maltese mafia.
The Tea Ladies are strong, entertaining characters and the whiff of nostalgia for another time is tempered by the reality of just what those times involved. The perfect, easy indulgence.
The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths
Fans of Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway series rejoice for The Frozen People heralds the start of a brand-new series by the bestselling author. We meet police officer Ali Dawson who has the extraordinary gift of being able to travel through time.
In this first installment, Ali steps back to 1850, the heart of the Victorian age, to try to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the great-grandfather of a current politician. But is Cain Templeton guilty of murder? One thing is for sure, Elly Griffiths knows how to blend history and mystery as few others do.
Three Little Birds by Sam Blake
Okay, this one has been out for a little while but sometimes it’s worth taking a second look at books you might have missed. Irish bestselling author Sam Blake serves up a dark, twisty mystery featuring facial reconstruction expert Dr Carla Steele.
It’s an interesting perspective and brings together two crimes – one fourteen-year-old cold case and one recent murder – into one clever police procedural.
The Prospect by Fleur McDonald
With a background in rural romance and the bestselling Detective Dave Burrows crime series under her belt, you know you’re in safe hands with author Fleur McDonald in the swirling red dust surrounding Kalgoorlie.
Investigative reporter Zara Ellison and her partner, policeman Jack Higgins have moved to Kalgoorlie for a fresh start that neither really wants. When a pair of grey nomads is involved in a devastating accident on an isolated stretch of highway, Zara and Jack find themselves embroiled in secrets.
All book images sourced from Amazon, used with permission. Citro may receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using the links in this article.
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