AUSTRALIAN CRIME FICTION – FEBRUARY 2026: REVIEWS AND PREVIEWS

Some short reviews and a quick look at a forthcoming new release by Australian crime maestro, Sarah Bailey.

Kirstyn McDermott’s genre crossing What The Bones Know, (HQ, 24 February 2026), is part rural gothic and part psychological mystery.

Set in a small town called Kiln Creek, outside of Melbourne, during the first lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, it follows struggling single mum Jude Mees who returns to her hometown to look after her mother who is possibly suffering from dementia. Her mother lives on a small rundown property, and Jude quickly realises that something is not right. Aside from her mother drifting off into her own world, there is also the mystery of strange smells, inexplicably wet footprints and a voice in the night. Meanwhile, the discovery of the bones of a young girl in the roots of a fallen gumtree also raises some questions about what happened in the past.

Kirstyn adroitly threads the narrative across two the timelines, with contemporary chapters from Jude’s perspective alternately with sections told through the eyes of a young blonde girl from some years before. Together the two storylines carry a sense of dread, as the sections from the past head towards a predictable and tragic outcome.

The vivid descriptions of the farm and the decaying homestead give the book a strong rural gothic feel, which is heightened by the claustropoic impact of the COVID lockdown. The mild supernatural elements add to the suspense and story moves convincingly through its various turns. The pacing is uneven, but overall it is an enjoyable read that explores themes around memory, guilt and the lasting impact of the past.

What The Bones Know is released in Australia on 24 February 2026.

More traditional criminal fare is provided by Louise Jordan’s The Ride, (Freedom Lands Publishing, November 2025).

On a blustery Melbourne night, Detective Jonathon Carver gets a call. A fourteen-year-old girl, Summer King, is worryingly missing. Summer looks like the other victims of a recent serial killer, but as the police investigate it becomes apparent that the guilty party may be closer to home. Summer’s dance teacher,
Harry Pickering, quickly becomes the prime suspect. He claims to have driven Summer home that night. Her parents, however, swear that Summer never arrived. When the case takes a tragic turn, Carver increases the pressure, unaware that his actions could have dangerous ramifications for others.

This is a polished first novel. The shifting between the police investigators and the lawyers in the third person and Pickering’s first person perspective, is well handled and very effective. The tension builds steadily and the investigation is convincingly conveyed in short sharp chapters. The characters are smoothly sketched in grey shades and are not over-written.

Some aspects stretch credibility, but the ending is very exciting, and the courtroom scenes are convincing and interesting.

In all, an entertaining first novel that hopefully signals the start of a successful career for Louise.

The Ride is already available on Kindle or as a paperback.

Fiona Hardy’s Unbury The Dead was one of the stand-out Australian crime novels of 2025 for me. Fresh and witty, it featured a great central character pairing in the form of dodgy investigators and marginal criminals Alice and Teddy. Now the pair are back, a bit more battered and a lot more warier, in a new adventure.

Old Games, (Affirm, 24 February 2026), opens with Alice and Teddy being tasked with locating the recently stolen ashes of long-dead celebrity tennis player Ashley “Perry” Perrineau. In theory it should be a routine job, but it quickly becomes clear that everyone who knew Perry is keeping secrets. Old jealousies are violently rising to the surface, his ex-doubles partner is lying and stirring up trouble, his mother is obsessed with preserving his legacy and an obsessive stalker is hiding her real life. Then there are the dodgy types who are hanging around in the background, including Alice’s estranged light-fingered sister, Pick.

As Alice and Teddy travel up and down Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula in search of the truth, the case becomes more complicated and incresingly violent.

Old Games maintains the feel and edginess of the first book, and certainly keeps the reader entertained as they travel along with Alice and Teddy. The descriptions and observations are sharp, and Fiona creates a strong sense of place. As with Unbury The Dead, the characters change and grow with the story and Fiona is very good at portraying complex relationships.

The plot plays out in a subtle way and Fiona keeps it interesting without spoon feeding the reader. Some minor side stories add to the pleasure, and it will be interesting to see how these are resolved in future books. If I had a complaint, it is that the case at the core of the book lacks the substance and import of the storyline in the first book. For a long time, there does not seem to be a lot at stake, which reduces the tension, and the book occasionally meanders in the early stages. The pace does pick up towards the end, and the finale provides some good twists and a strong dose of excitement and page turning action.

As with Unbury The Dead, Teddy and Alice are again the stars of the book, and their laconic banter, flexible morals and genuine affection for each other help to lift Old Games well above the rest of the pack. I can’t wait for the next adventure.

Old Games is released on 24 February 2026.

There is a wealth of promising looking Australian crime fiction coming out this year. New titles by Michael Robotham, Dervla McTiernan, Natalie Conyer, Candice Fox and J. P. Pomare are certainly high up the list of potential favourites, but there also interesting sounding debuts by Sam Elliott and Kirsty Lockwood. One of the books that I am most interested in is Sarah Bailey’s Click, (Allen & Unwin, 31 March 2026).

Click is the follow-up to her impressive 2021 novel The Housemate and once more features Melbourne journalist Oli Groves, who is now running a new digital news site. The publishers have provided the following details:

“Melbourne is gripped by fear after a backpacker’s body is found with a cryptic note, and two more women vanish without trace. When photographs begin to arrive in the inboxes of the media and police, it’s clear the killer isn’t hiding – they are performing.

Journalist Oli Groves, founder of a fledgling digital news site, knows the story could make or break her. Rookie detective Penelope Kibbs, still trying to prove herself, is desperate to stop the violence before more women are lost. But they soon realise the danger runs deeper than one killer – and closer than they want to believe.”

It sounds very good and I am looking forward to reading Click over the next month or so.

So some varied and enjoyable Australian crime fiction titles on the shelves and on the way! Happy reading.