AUSTRALIAN CRIME FICTION MARCH 2026: NATALIE CONYER, J. P. POMARE & FIONA LOWE

Australian crime fiction has certainly started with a bang this year, with some strong new releases over the first two months, and plenty more scheduled for March and April 2026.

Leading off the March books are enjoyable new crime novels by Natalie Conyer and J. P. Pomare, while Fiona Lowe provides her usual entertaining mixture of family drama, moral dilemmas and psychological suspense.

Natalie Conyer builds on the promise of her first two novels, with another engrossing tale. Finding The Bones, (Echo, 3 March 2026), is set in Sydney and follows Homicide Detective Jackie Rose, who we previously met in Shadow City, as she investigates a high profile case that has severe implications for her family and herself.

The story is told through two time frames. In the 1980s, Belle Fitzgerald, young, rich and spirited, lives in Kings Cross, the city’s bohemian heart. When she learns of plans to demolish her street and evict its residents, she commits to fighting the development, even though this brings her up against the Cross’s crime lords and their servants, the notoriously corrupt local cops. Recklessly, and against her better judgment, she embarks on a secret affair with one of those cops, Sergeant Stanton Rose. When she goes missing, her disappearance becomes one of the nation’s great mysteries. 

Almost forty years later and the retired Stanton Rose is an Australian icon, celebrated for his undercover work in the Cross. Jackie Rose, his daughter, with some reservations, has followed in his footsteps. When Belle Fitzgerald’s bones are discovered, Jackie is given the very cold and very public case. This is her chance to shine, but what she finds threatens everything she cherishes.

Finding The Bones draws its acknowledged inspiration from the infamous disappearance of Juanita Nielsen in the mid-1970s and the rogue’s gallery of characters suspected in her demise, but the story is very much Natalie’s own. The opening chapters are perhaps a little clunky, but once underway the plot quickly finds its feet and the rest of the novel flows very smoothly. The twists and turns keep the reader on their toes and the ending delivers some genuine surprises.

Central to the book are the strong willed characters of Belle Fitzgerald and Jackie Rose, both of whom are well fleshed out and nuanced. As with Shadow City, Sydney features heavily in the story with Natalie bringing to life its dark corners and darker history. There are also some nicely placed jabs at the media, contemporary internal police politics and the always tricky relationship between the Police Commissioner and the Government, which will resonate with those familiar with recent Sydney politics. Fans of Natalie’s earlier books, will also appreciate the fleeting references to the South African detective Schalk Lourens who was the central character in Present Tense and a major figure in Shadow City.  

Jackie Rose is really emerging as a character of significant substance and Finding The Bones should be high on your list of Australian crime novels to read this year.

Finding The Bones is released on 3 March 2026 in Australia in all formats, and on Kindle in the United Kingdom on the same day.

Kiwi author and Melbourne resident J. P. Pomare is a master of the twisty, unpredictable story and his latest novel, The Gambler (Hachette, 24 February 2026), is another tightly plotted tale that takes you down unexpected paths to an exciting conclusion.

The Gambler features American private eye Vince Reid, who we first met in The Wrong Woman, in a new case involving some very dangerous players. Reid is visiting his old friend and mentor, Nick Lark, when he is offered a case he cannot refuse. A young university graduate was recently shot at a political rally by a respected local woman who inexplicably opened fire at the attendees, before being killed herself. The victim’s parents want to know what motivated the woman to shoot their daughter. Reid is told that it is easy money, but as he delves further into the case he finds some curious inconsistencies, and has questions about the victim’s supposed boyfriend who killed the shooter and has now disappeared.

The story is largely told from Reid’s perspective, although it is complemented by other viewpoints from shortly before the shooting and by a link back to the 1990s. The various strands work well together to generate early interest and mystery, and book has a good momentum to it. Pomare is an accomplished entertainer, and it is very easy to become caught up in the story and to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.

The characters are simply, but effectively, described and Reid is a compelling and believable central narrator whose commitment to the case keeps the story moving along nicely. The background information on mathematical theory, grassroots American politics and the local Amish communities is interesting and seamlessly woven into the story, and Reid’s reflections on life are judiciously managed.

As with any Pomare book, it is the plot that dazzles and this one is a tricky feast. I guessed some of it, but most of the twists were complete surprises and Pomare does some clever sleight of hand work with suspects towards the end.

An enthralling and enjoyable book, and probably one of Pomare’s best.

The Gambler was released in Australia on 24 February 2026. The release dates for overseas are not clear at the moment.

Fiona Lowe’s stories about secrets, families and moral dramas in small town Australia always make for popular reading, and The Drowning, (Harper Collins, 24 February 2026), is another entertaining tale.

As a child CC loved spending her summers with her four much richer cousins at their holiday home in the Victorian coastal town of Kooramook. They continued the summer tradition into adulthood, getting together at the shack with its absolute beach frontage.

That harmony is broken when CC finds out that she has inherited a fifth share of the property along with her cousins. The cousins are divided over what should happen to the property with half of them wanting to sell, while half want to keep the legacy intact. A feud soon erupts and when a body is found on the beach the tensions escalate further and CC finds herself in danger.

Fiona makes good use of the setting and the family dynamics to build interest over the slowish opening chapters and gradually the pace picks up as the truth around the eponymous event emerges. There is plenty of introspection, childhood memories and relationship angst, as well as a touch of romance. The criminal elements are generally muted, although Fiona does keep the reader guessing about some aspects.

Fans of Fiona’s earlier books will enjoy this latest outing.

The Drowning was released in Australia on 24 February 2026.

So, some very good reading. If the quality of Australian crime fiction keeps up at this rate, it will be hard, but good fun, keeping up with it this year!