For fans of suspense and mystery, the latest crop of crime and thriller novels offers a compelling mix of remote isolation, dark homecomings, and cut-throat urban ambition. This roundup highlights five standout recent releases that are perfect for engrossing winter reading.
Eco-Thriller on the Edge of the World
Charlotte McConaghy's "Wild Dark Shore" (Canongate, £9.99) plunges readers into a chilling, climate-ravaged landscape. The award-winning Australian author's third adult novel begins with a woman named Rowan mysteriously washed ashore on Shearwater, a remote research island between Tasmania and Antarctica.
The outpost is home to a global seed vault, a last defence against ecological catastrophe, and colonies of wildlife. Dominic Salt and his children have been its sole inhabitants for eight years, but rising seas force an imminent evacuation. Rowan's arrival is an enigma, matched by the family's silence about the missing scientists and the sabotage of the island's communications. McConaghy masterfully builds tension and explores profound themes of grief, survival, and moral compromise against a breathtaking natural backdrop.
A Haunting Return to Ireland
In Rebecca Hannigan's impressive debut "Darkrooms" (Sphere, £20), chaotic kleptomaniac Caitlin returns to her small Irish hometown after her mother's death. While welcomed by old neighbours, she is forced to confront a past trauma: the disappearance of her nine-year-old friend Roisin in local woods two decades prior.
Roisin's sister, Deedee, now a garda drowning her unresolved grief in alcohol, is convinced Caitlin knows more than she admits. This slow-burning, bleak narrative is a powerful study of shame, generational trauma, and misplaced loyalty, building towards a conclusion that feels heartbreakingly inevitable.
A Queeny Kiwi Crime Caper
Winner of the Ngaio Marsh award for best first novel, RWR McDonald's "The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace" (Orenda, £9.99) offers a lighter, though ultimately dark, touch. Set in small-town New Zealand, it follows eleven-year-old Tippy Chan.
When her mother leaves on a cruise, Tippy is cared for by her flamboyant uncle Pike and his partner Devon. Their sequinned arrival turns serious when a teacher dies in suspicious circumstances. Inspired by Nancy Drew, the trio form a detective club. This novel is a funny, touching exploration of family and friendship, wrapped in a compelling mystery.
Property Obsession Turns Deadly
The theme of dangerous ambition continues in two London-centric thrillers. Marisa Kashino's "Best Offer Wins" (Doubleday, £16.99) is a satirical take on millennial housing anxiety in Washington DC. PR executive Margo and her lawyer husband Ian are desperate to win a bidding war for their perfect home.
Margo's increasingly deranged scheme to secure a private sale spirals into stalking and deception. This darkly funny and inventive thriller expertly captures the desperation underpinning modern life goals.
Meanwhile, in Sam Blake's "Your Every Move" (Corvus, £14.99), the pressure cooker of London's luxury property market boils over. Successful estate agent and influencer Rosie Kinsella is being stalked by a man calling himself Michael. As terrifying photos arrive, a colleague is found murdered in one of the multi-million-pound homes on their books. This zippy mash-up of chick-lit and psychological thriller delivers ample romantic suspense and intrigue.
From climate frontiers and Irish secrets to property madness and Kiwi sleuthing, this selection proves the crime and thriller genre continues to be one of fiction's most vibrant and varied.
