CANBERRA WEEKLY 6 AUGUST 2026: NEW BOOKS FROM RILEY SAGER, ALEX DOOK and ANTHONY BYRT

Greetings from Athens! I am currently travelling but before I left, I did a couple of reviews for the Canberra Weekly, which have continued to run.

On 6 August 2026 I did a review of three very different, but highly entertaining, novels by Anthony Byrt, Alex Dook and Riley Sager.

Anthony Byrt’s Dying Days (Affirm) is an outstanding debut and spy novel that covers some interesting new territory.

In the Canberra Weekly I said:

“Dying Days is an outstanding thriller debut by New Zealand author Anthony Byrt.

In May 1945 Allied forces, led by New Zealanders, liberated the Italian town of Trieste from the Nazis. Also present in the town were a strong contingent from Marshal Tito’s Yugoslav Army. A tense stand-off ensued, with the Allies haplessly watching Tito’s forces settle old political scores. The Allies are reluctant to get involved until some Kiwi soldiers also disappear. A British MI6 agent and a New Zealand intelligence officer are charged with sorting the problem and find themselves caught up in a maze of lies and corruption. High-quality spy fiction.”

It has now been some time since I read Dying Days, but it has remained in my mind as an impressive spy novel that kept me engrossed from beginning to end. I particularly liked the originality of the setting and Byrt’s ability to craft a credible and interesting plot. Highly recommended.

Here is a link to the longer review that I did back in July: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/spy-fiction-august-2026-cold-sunset-by-william-boyd-and-dying-days-by-anthony-byrt/

Alex Dook’s debut crime novel, Gunpowder Creek, was a frantic, bloody, chase thriller that dazzled with its energy and page turning plot. His new novel, Nothing Personal (Echo, 4 August 2026), also has a brisk pace, but is probably more nuanced than Gunpowder Creek.

In the Canberra Weekly I said:

“Alex Dook burst onto the local crime fiction scene last year with his full throttle noirish tale Gunpowder Creek. A wild ride of a story, it kept you feverishly turning the pages until the final
blood-soaked climax.

Now Dook has followed it up with another exciting story, Nothing Personal, about a young woman who steals the wrong bag of loot and finds herself on the run from dangerous criminals and crooked cops. Once again, the pace is frenetic as Dook’s flawed, but likeable, central character races from one disaster to another as she tries to stay alive, and potentially richer. Very enjoyable.”  

I would also add that Nothing Personal has a slightly more complicated plot than the first book, and that the story takes a little longer to unfold. The characterisations are very good, especially that of the struggling central character Lola McKenzie, and Dook excels at creating the working-class milieu that his protagonists exist in. He probably piles on Lola’s problems a little too much to make her actions understandable but overall, it is a gripping read with a strong, if slightly unlikely, climax. Great fun.

I am fan of Riley Sager’s novels, especially those that are tinged by possible supernatural elements. His latest book, The Unknown (Hodder & Stoughton), is another good one that plays some interesting modern riffs on old horror themes.

In the Canberra Weekly I said:

“Riley Sager is one of the best authors working in that dark space between crime and horror. His latest book, The Unknown, is another subtly scary tale that will keep you up at night.

The story revolves around a creepy lake island in Vermont. In 1926 it was the scene of a mysterious disappearance of five spiritual mediums. Now in 2026 a film crew arrives on the island to make a movie about the event. However, things do not go as planned. Alternating between the present day and a diary from 1926, Sager steadily ramps up the tension until the suspenseful, surprising ending. Recommended.”

Sager’s books always have a good smooth flow to them and The Unknown certainly quickly gets the reader in with its sense of unease and the feeling that something is not quite right with the film crew. Marin Keane, the actress at the centre of the plot, is a finely crafted character and the diary extracts from a hundred years ago are interesting, as well as unsettling. The ending may divide readers, but overall, it is another good tale by Sager.

So, three very different thrillers to sample. I personally felt that Anthony Byrt’s Dying Days was the strongest of the three, but all are well worth reading.

Happy reading!