Book Reviews

Shailee Thompson makes a spectacular entry into Australian popular fiction ranks with her genre blending debut novel, How To Kill A Guy In Ten Dates (Atria, 28 January 2026). Combining the familiar tropes and themes of the slasher genre with the light-hearted spirit of a classic romantic comedy, How To… Read more: VALENTINE DAY MURDER: HOW TO KILL A GUY IN TEN DATES by SHAILEE THOMPSON

Nowhere seems safe in these recent British crime fiction titles, with murders occurring at weddings, castles and even retirement homes! Fergus Craig’s new novel, I’m Not The Only Murderer In My Retirement Home (Sphere, 17 February 2026), is probably the pick of the three, although all are good. Borrowing from other recent… Read more: DEADLY WEDDINGS, CASTLES AND RETIREMENT HOMES: 2026 BRITISH CRIME BY FERGUS CRAIG, STUART MACBRIDE & C. L. MILLER

Late January and early February 2026 brings a wealth of very different crime novels by a clutch of always entertaining authors. Ashley Elston’s Anatomy Of An Alibi, (Headline, 20 January 2026), is one of my favourites in this current batch. Ashley drew considerable praise for her debut novel, First Lie Wins, but she… Read more: CRIME FICTION WRAP – FEBRUARY 2026: NEW BOOKS FROM ASHLEY ELSTON, ALICE FEENEY, C. J. BOX, JOHN McMAHON, and DOUGLAS PRESTON & LINCOLN CHILD.

Looking back over the past twelve months since last Australia Day, it has been another good year for crime fiction set in Australia. Once again the overall quality of the books greatly impressed, especially given that some new favourite authors of mine, such as Dinuka McKenzie and Natalie Conyer, did… Read more: AUSSIE CRIME 2026: Recent Australian Based Crime Novels To Read This Australia Day!

I recently read and enjoyed Andrew Garve’s crime novel Frame-Up, which inspired me to re-read his spy novel The Ascent Of D.13 (1969), the details of which had largely escaped my memory. I borrowed a copy of The Ascent Of D.13 off a friend, before finding a copy for myself… Read more: FORGOTTEN THRILLERS: ASCENT OF D.13 by ANDREW GARVE

Before the domination of the Australian paperback market by Horwitz, there were a range of smaller publishers that produced a regular supply of mysteries. One of these were Invincible Press which produced around 100 stapled digests with hard cardboard covers in their Invincible Mystery series between about 1944 to 1952… Read more: TRASHY TUESDAY: AUSTRALIAN PRE-PAPERBACK CRIME – INVINCIBLE PRESS MYSTERY BOOKS

This week in the Canberra Weekly I reviewed three enjoyable crime novels to get your 2026 criminal reading off to a good start. First up is a very good outback Australian noir thriller. Tim Ayliffe’s Dark Desert Road, (Echo), sets an early high standard for Australian crime fiction in 2026.… Read more: CANBERRA WEEKLY 15 JANUARY 2026: NEW CRIME BY GEOFF PARKES, TIM AYLIFFE and M. K. OLIVER

Each year George Easter from Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine does a mammoth job in collating the various best mystery, crime fiction and thriller lists from around the world and seeing what they tell us about the year’s best books. In 2025 he found 86 ‘best lists’. There is a strong American flavour… Read more: THE BEST OF THE BEST 2025 CRIME NOVELS

British crime fiction gets off to a strong start in 2026 with three very different, but engaging, crime novels by Nicci French, M. K. Oliver and Paul Finch. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised and highly entertained by M. K. Oliver’s A Sociopath’s Guide To A Successful Marriage, (Hemlock… Read more: SOCIOPATHS, SERIAL KILLERS AND DEADLY REUNIONS: NEW 2026 BRITISH CRIME by NICCI FRENCH, M. K. OLIVER and PAUL FINCH

2026 has already gotten off to a good start with two enjoyable, early Downunder crime novels by Tim Ayliffe (Dark Desert Road) and Geoff Parkes (The First Law Of The Bush), and Eva Macrae’s gritty slice of Tartan Noir A Death In Glasgow (8 January 2026). I have also already enjoyed… Read more: CRIME NOVELS THAT I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING IN 2026