MAY MAYHEM: NEW CRIME NOVELS BY JOHN CONNOLLY, JO MURRAY and MIKE RIPLEY

May and early June brings a very entertaining trio of books, each of which offers something a little different.

John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series certainly has some staying power! The twenty-third book in the highly acclaimed series, A River Red With Blood (Hodder & Stoughton, 5 May 2026), has just been released and offers the usual mixture of grisly crime, astute social observation and supernatural elements.

Parker’s involvement in the current story starts when he is hired by Ward Vose, an inmate at the Maine State Prison, to investigate the death of his son, Scott Theriault, whose corpse was found in the Kennebec River in northern Maine. Scott apparently ran away from the notorious Spero School, where at-risk teens are sent when they become too much for their parents, and got lost in the woods and drowned. Vose doesn’t accept the official version – why was Scott fleeing deeper into the forest instead of towards civilisation – and wants Parker to investigate. Then there is also the disappearance of a local girl, Mallory Norton, who may have been linked to Theriault.

Parker accepts the case and unknowingly finds himself confronting an evil band of men who hunt and kill for fun. Meanwhile Parker’s friends, Angel and Louis, become aware of a shadowy danger from their past that is seeking revenge.

This is another evocative and grislily absorbing tale by Connolly. The book starts darkly and becomes even gloomier as we are introduced to the real life horrors of a ‘tough love’ boarding school. Some well described vignettes get the story off to a strong start, and even though the pacing is leisurely at at times the various story arcs keep you interested. As usual, Connolly’s writing is beautifully descriptive and he creates some vivid scenes.

All the characters are richly described, with even minor ones being given deep backgrounds, and it is nice to catch up with members of the regular cast, especially the deadly Angel and Louis. The darkly amusing Fulci brothers also make good guest appearances, lightening the tone and provided muscle when needed. The villians are predictably nasty, and almost without any redeeming features.

Typical for a Connolly novel, there is a rich tapestry of ideas and detail. Racism, child abuse, corrupt institututions, greed and the cloud of political influence are all tackled by Connolly in a telling way, but without overly slowing the pace or lessening the excitement. He also hits the target in his portrayal of local, and national, American politics, connecting the manner in which the boys are tied up and dragged off to Spero, to the horrific effects of the ICE sweeps in America.

A warning: the violence is never gratiutious but it is graphic. There are also more supernatural elements this time around, and hints of more to come, as well as suggestions of past lives.

I really enjoyed A River Red With Blood. As with his previous books, Connolly offers more than the usual cime novel and his writing is superb. Recommended.

A River Red With Blood is released in most places around 5 May 2026. Thanks to the publisher and the Canberra Weekly for an advanced copy of the book.

I have a soft spot for courtroom dramas and Dissection Of A Murder, (Macmillan, 12 May 2026), by Jo Murray is a good one.

When Leila Reynolds is handed her first murder case, she’s shocked at how high-profile it is: the murder of a well-respected and well-known judge. This is not the kind of case she should be leading, it is way beyond her expertise, but the defendant, Jack Millman, is very that clear that he wants Leila and no one else. To make things worse, Millman is refusing to talk, informing Leila that he is saving his defence for when he is in the witness chair.

A further complication is that Leila’s former pupilmaster has been chosen as the prosecutor. He is the one who taught her everything about the law. He is also her husband.

As Leila prepares the best that she can for the case, she develops a deep suspicion that things are not what they seem and that someone is out to get her.

Jo Murray very quickly draws the reader in and keeps them keenly turning the pages until the final revelation. The plot unfurls at a good pace and is very well crafted, with the unexpected develoments in the case being nicely matched with the Leila’s growing concerns that her someone is burrowing into her past and stalking her. Then there is also the drip feeding of reflections and revelations by the mysterious Witness X.

Leila is a very engaging central narrator. Like her creator, she is from a working class background and her outsider view of the class-laden British legal system informs and adds to the pleasure. She is also not above taking risks, especially as the hearing date for the case nears. The other characters are also well sketched and convincing.

Dissection Of A Murder touches on a number of topical issues around privilege, sexism and the legal system, but in the end it is a damn good crime novel with some spectacular twists towards the end. Jo probably does not always play fair with the readers, but it is very easy to go with the flow and enjoy. I certainly could not put it down. A stunning debut.

Dissection Of A Murder is released in Australia on 12 May 2026, in the United States on 5 May and in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2026. Thanks to the publisher and the Canberra Weekly for an advanced copy of the book.

Last year Mike Ripley moved away from his Albert Campion continuation books, and provided a fresh, cheeky twist on the British murder mystery with Buried Above Ground. Now he has provided an even better follow-up with Played To Death, (Severn House, 2 June 2026).

Played To Death features a similar structure to the earlier book, with the story being told through four viewpoints. Once again librarian and crime fiction expert, Roly Wilkes is central to the story. This time Wilkes is approached by a local solicitor to read and analyse a play that is due to be performed by the solicitor’s amateur dramatics group. The solicitor is of the view that the play plagiarses classic crime novels and wants Wilkes’ perspective. Of course things are not that simple and murder soon ensues.

The first part of the book is told progressively from the viewpoint of four potentially unreliable characters – Roly, the Librarian; Adam, the Lawyer; Jemma, the Producer, and Toni, the Police Inspector. After an intermisison the second part is told mainly from the perspective of the police detective, Inspector Toni Walker, and Roly.

It is a very clever structure that works well. Ripley keeps the story ticking over at a good pace and there is a solid mystery around who the killer is. There is also a good dollop of suspense at the end. The main pleasure from the book, however, comes from Ripley comprehensive knowledge of classic crime ficiton and publishing. The book is full of fascinating references to novels and authors, there is even an appendix at the end explaining some of them, and plenty of wry humour. The cultural references are cleverly woven and often quite amusing, as well as being astute. At one stage, Ripley adroitly moves from a whimiscal reference to Are You Being Served to a spot-on analysis of current day crime covers:

“[I wish] I had shares in Shutterstock images of young females in red coats walking off into a threatening landscape.”

In all, Played To Death is a real treat! Put it on your ‘to read’ list!

Played To Death is released in the United Kingdom on 2 June 2026.

Three really good books for you to enjoy in May and June!