MID YEAR REVIEW: THE BEST CRIME AND THRILLER BOOKS OF 2025 … SO FAR!

I am about to head off on a seven week holiday, and thought it would be a good time to look back over the books I have read so far this year and sort through some of the main releases for the rest of the year before I go.

In doing so I have come up with a list of my favourite books of 2025, so far.

It is now just over half of the way through the year, and we have already seen some terrific releases from new and established authors. So much so, that I found it very hard narrowing down my list to eleven favourites plus a couple of debuts and a book which is not yet out.

I try to read widely (around 75 novels so far this year), but the below list is obviously framed by the books I have read and my own personal biases and preferences. There are many good books from 2025 that I have not gotten to yet, so the chances are that there are several excellent unread books that should also be on this list.

I have mainly focused on the books that I really enjoyed at the time of reading, and have stayed in my mind, rather than those books with strong critical credentials. This is a list for fans of crime fiction. A more critical analysis of plot, character and serious themes might have produced a different list, but these are the ones I enjoyed the most. Some of the books below combined a clever plot with provocative themes and moving personal insights, but mainly they are just good entertainment.

The list is restricted to books which were released in Australia in the first seven months of 2025. I have not tried to separate them into crime novels and thrillers, but have lumped them together. There are, however, a couple of noteworthy debuts that I have listed at the end. The books are in a rough order of preference, but I wouldn’t get too caught up on it. They are all good. I have also highlighted a couple of other books, which are very good but fell slightly short of the thirteen, or so, below.

I have provided some brief words under each of the books and a link to my longer reviews if you want to check out in more detail what I thought about them (but no spoilers).

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

There are a number of really good books that haven’t made the list below. In some cases I felt bad about their exclusion, but it is hard trying to fit 20 books, or so, into a list of eleven favourites. Some of them were in an earlier version of the list, but fell out as other books were read. In most cases there is very little between the Honourable Mentions below and the ones on the list.

So in addition to the ones below, these are some others that are also very well worth reading: Mark Ellis’ Death Of An Officer, Ashley Kalagian Blunt’s Cold Truth (was on the list for a long time), Shelley Burr’s Vanish, Geoff Parkes’ When The Deep Dark Bush Swallows You Whole and Cara Hunter’s Making A Killing. Check them out too!

BEST SO FAR …

Deon Meyer’s Leo has been out in the United Kingdom since late last year, but only made its way to Australia, and the United States, in January 2025, hence its inclusion here.

Leo is a terrific addition to Meyer’s series about South African detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido, and opens with the pair still exiled to the quiet, beautiful area of Stellenbosch for past misdemeanors. A murder disrupts their peace and soon the pair find themselves tracking a professional killer. Meanwhile a gang of professional thieves, including the beautiful Christina Jaeger who we last saw in The Trackers, are planning a dangerous high stakes heist that brings them to the attention of corrupt officials. 

A first class crime novel with great characters, gritty local dialogue, vivid descriptions of life in South Africa and a strong social conscience. It also has a clever plot that will keep you guessing all the way to the very bloody conclusion.

For those who are interested, here is my review from last year: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/south-african-crime-fiction-2024-leo-by-deon-meyer/

Michael Robotham is in very fine form with his latest novel, The White Crow (Sphere).

As a police officer and the daughter of a London crime boss, PC Philomena (Phil) McCarthy has always worked hard at keeping the two sides of her complicated life apart. Not always with success, however. On patrol one night she discovers a child in pyjamas, wandering alone, which leads her to a deadly home invasion and the robbery of a jewelry store. The police suspect that Phil’s father might have been behind both events, but it is not that simple. Full of great characters and dialogue, and some nice touches of humour, The White Crow is a highly accomplished novel. It is close to being the best book that Robotham has written, and is certainly his most exciting.

More here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/the-white-crow-by-michael-robotham/

Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy novels set in Northern Ireland during the 1980s, and now into the 1990s, are a terrific set of books, and up there with the best police novels currently being written. Hang On St. Christopher, (Blackstone), is the eighth novel in the series and opens with the same sense of chaos and violence that has permeated the series to date.

Hang On St. Christopher has all the high quality elements we have come to expect from the series. The writing is first rate, the sense of place and time is vivid, and the story commands attention throughout. The plotting is tight and there are also some terrific set-pieces. A great read.

Hang On St. Christopher has not yet been widely released in Australia, but it can be obtained through the usual online sources. https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/new-2025-sean-duffy-book-by-adrian-mckinty-hang-on-st-christopher/

The exquisitely produced Moonflower Murders was one of my favourite television shows from 2024. Based on Anthony Horowitz’s eponymous novel, it was a delightful mystery featuring book editor Susan Ryeland and the fictional amateur detective Atticus Pünd. Marble Hall Murders, (Century), is the third book in the series and is another literary treat by Horowitz.

Susan’s previous experience with the late Alan Conway’s novels about the famous detective, Atticus Pünd, resulted in her nearly being killed, twice! Now she has reluctantly been persuaded to work on a Pünd ‘continuation’ novel. The new book is by Eliot Crace, grandson of the late bestselling children’s author Miriam Crace. When Eliot tells Susan that Miriam was deliberately poisoned and that the identity of the killer is hidden inside the book, Susan knows she’s in trouble again. Good literary fun!

Full review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/new-british-crime-fiction-2025-marble-hall-murders-by-anthony-horowitz-and-the-other-people-by-c-b-everett/

Alan Parks’ Gunner, (Baskerville), is a good gritty read set in Glasgow during World War II.

It opens in 1941 with former police detective Joseph Gunner back on the streets of Glasgow after being wounded on the front line in France. Still suffering from shock, and keeping the pain in his leg at bay with the help of morphine, he is reluctantly drawn into an investigation of the murder of a German soldier. It seems simple, but Gunner soon finds himself caught up in a nasty conspiracy.

This is a tough slice of meticulously researched noir that vividly captures a clear sense of place and time. The plotting is credible and the book moves along at good pace, with plenty of twists and turns. A first class read.

Full review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/recent-reading-new-books-by-lisa-jewell-tom-mead-riley-sager-and-alan-parks/

I missed Fiona Hardy’s Unbury The Dead (Affirm Press) when it first came out earlier year, but have recently caught up with it.

This story about two best mates, Teddy and Alice, who live on the fringes of society doing jobs of questionable legality is a tour de force. Teddy is searching the suburbs for a missing teenager with her occasional sidekick Art, while Alice’s mission is to drive one of Australia’s richest men along Victoria’s east coast to his final resting place before anybody finds out he’s dead. Both jobs are dodgy, but when the two cases collide Teddy and Alice find themselves in great danger.

I do not like to make comparisons to other authors and books, but Unbury The Dead really reminded me of Peter Temple’s Jack Irish novels at times with its strong Melbourne feel and its exploration of the dodgy grey area between semi-legitimate business and outright criminality. Give it a read!

Matthew Spencer’s Broke Road (Allen & Unwin) has only just been released and is a late entry onto the list.

Set in the outwardly picturesque Hunter Valley, it is an engaging police detective novel featuring well-crafted characters and convincing police procedures. The plot moves at a steady pace, with twists and developments that keep you interested, and the central characters are not weighed down by too much angst or introspection over past cases and bubbling addictions. The descriptions of the semi-rural community are also sharp and effective, and highlight the tension between the old coal mining families and the new facade of glamour brought by the trendy wineries. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Original review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/new-australian-rural-crime-broke-road-by-matthew-spencer/

A Spy At War (Canelo) is the gripping sequel to Charles Beaumont’s impressive first novel, A Spy
Alone. It is a very convincing and well researched spy novel that is also incredibly prescient in the way that it predicted some of the moves in the Ukrainian conflict that occurred after the election of Trump.

The story follows former British Intelligence agent Simon Sharman as he pursues the assassin of a colleague across war-torn Ukraine. While back in London, a Russian spy ring at the heart of the British Establishment continues to sabotage the support for Ukraine. Mixing intrigue, credible
spying and graphic depictions of the war, the book rattles along at a good pace towards the suspenseful conclusion. High-class spy fiction.

Full review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/spies-and-lies-my-recent-may-2025-reading-simon-mason-gerald-seymour-john-lawton-and-charles-beaumont/

Nightshade introduces a new character for Michael Connelly in the form of Detective Stilwell from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. Stilwell, no first name, has been ‘exiled’ to a low-key post, policing rustic Catalina Island, after departmental politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland. It is a more restful job, until he involves himself in an investigation into the discovery of a body found wrapped in plastic and weighed down at the bottom of the harbour.

Connelly is incapable of writing a bad book, and Nightshade is a good addition to his canon of works. It starts a little slowly, but once underway it draws you in, especially after the dramatic twist at the midway point. Stilwell and Catalina Island make for a nice change and Nightshade is a captivating read.

Full review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/looking-forward-friday-nightshade-by-michael-connelly/

Packaged as the ninth book in Lawton’s excellent series about Frederick Troy of Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad, Smoke And Embers (Grove Press) actually skirts around the edge of the spy and crimes genres and only briefly features its titular central character. Nevertheless it is a very good read that delves into issues around identity and life choices set against the chaotic final days of the Second World War and the emerging horrors of Hitler’s Final Solution. As always with Lawton, a superbly written book that engrosses and informs.

Full review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/spies-and-lies-my-recent-may-2025-reading-simon-mason-gerald-seymour-john-lawton-and-charles-beaumont/

After a five year break, Dervla McTiernan returns to her popular Galway detective Cormac Reilly in her latest book The Unquiet Grave (Harper Collins).

When a mutilated corpse is found in a bog, it is initially assumed to be a historical find, but analysis quickly shows that it is a much more recent death. The victim is a local schoolteacher who disappeared two years ago. As Cormac and his team investigate the killing, they uncover a web of lies and secrets, while Cormac also gets caught up in a strange case involving the missing husband of a former girlfriend.  In all, an intelligent and atmospheric crime novel that will keep you reading well into the night.

Full review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/the-unquiet-grave-by-dervla-mctiernan/

DEBUTS AND A FORTHCOMING RELEASE

Gunnawah (Hachette) by the pseudonymous Ronni Salt is an engrossing mixture of crime, historical reflection and a coming of age story. It is set in the Riverina in 1974 as the local community around Gunnawah awaits the benefits of a proposed irrigation scheme, including those after quick illegal dollars. While across Australia broader social reforms are occurring under Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, which also impact upon the local region.

The plotting is perhaps a bit too busy, but Gunnawah is a confidently written and highly enjoyable crime novel that explores a fascinating time in Australian history. An entertaining read.

Full review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/new-outback-australian-crime-fiction-for-2025-gunnawah-by-ronni-salt/

Melaleuca (HQ) by First Nations author Angie Faye Martin brings a new perspective to the Australian outback crime novel. Set in a small Queensland country town it follows the efforts of Indigenous policewoman Renee Taylor as she investigates the murder of a woman found down by the local creek. A crime which strangely seems to be connected to the disappearance of two young aboriginal women thirty years before.

This is an evocative and moving crime novel that deals with major themes around racism and poverty, while also delivering the suspense and surprises expected of a crime novel. A fresh and provocative mystery that will leave you thinking.

Full review here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/downunder-crime-update-june-2025-news-reviews-and-previews/

Michael Brissenden’s Dust (Affirm) is not out until the end of August, but it is a very good novel that brings a refreshing contemporary political perspective to the outback crime novel.

The story about the investigation into the discovery of a body in the dusty remains of a dying lake quickly draws you in and keeps you reading till the final revelation. The plotting is interesting and Brissenden ably complements it with a good cast and some sharp political commentary. His portrayal of the groups caught on the fringes of Australian society, whether by misfortune or deliberate choice, is first rate and his astute social observations give substance to what is a gripping crime novel.

I will be reviewing Dust in more detail before I head off, but it is certainly one to put on your ‘to read’ list.

So, there are my favourites for the year so far. I am still reflecting on some of the recent books I have read, such as Gabriel Bergmoser’s High Rise, and there are some impressive releases scheduled for later this year, including from Garry Disher, M. W. Craven, Jane Harper, Alan Carter, Benjamin Stevenson and a second novel from Michael Connelly, so I suspect that the above list may go through some changes over the coming months! In the meantime, happy reading!