NOVEMBER 2025 CRIME ROUND-UP: NEW BOOKS BY SIMON KERNICK, DAVID BALDACCI AND DAVID HEWSON
The Christmas and summer holiday season (at least in Australia) is nearly on us and I have recently read three books that would make for ideal reading over the festive season, or as great gifts for the crime and thriller aficionado in your family.
Simon Kernick is one of those authors who never fails to entertain. You always know what you are going to get with a Kernick novel: fast frenetic action, twists, bloodshed and plenty of surprises, and that is certainly the case with his latest novel, You All Die Tonight (Headline, November 2024).
You All Die Tonight centres on an interesting premise. Seven people wake up drugged in a remote British mansion. None of them have any idea where they are or who brought them there. All of them recognise each other though, as they are all connected to a horrific massacre four years earlier. As they try to escape, a disembodied voice echoes through the house, advising that they have all been poisoned and have less than 12 hours to live. There is an antidote on hand, but only if someone admits to being the killer. As the killer advises: “If you’re innocent, you need to find out who committed this crime. If you’re guilty, your only chance of a quick death is to unburden yourself.”
This is a wild ride of a story. From the opening pages you are quickly caught up in the plot, as it ricochets between the present and the police investigation four years ago. The two main central narrators: a police officer and an employee of one of the victims, both have secrets to hide, and Kernick skilfully uses the two of them to foreshadow events and to create tense cliff hanger endings for each chapter. Later another voice is added.
The book flies along at a brisk pace, and it is very easy to become caught up in the action and the mystery. Sure, it is very contrived, but this does not stop it from being a gripping read that you will easily fly through in a couple of days. One of the year’s most compulsively readable thrillers, and a great book to while away the time between Christmas meals.
You All Die Tonight was released in early November in Australia and the United Kingdom. It is not clear when it will be released in the United States.
Note: I listened to You All Die Tonight on Audible. It worked very well as an audio book and was a high quality production.
David Baldacci is also a polished purveyor of thrills and spills, and his latest book is another fun romp.
To Die For, (Macmillan, 29 October 2024), opens with special agent Travis Devine still trying to dodge a skilled killer who wants him dead. To get him out of the way, his boss in Homeland Security sends him to Seattle to assist the FBI agent in protecting Betsy Odom, a 12-year-old girl whose parents died from drug overdoses and whose wealthy uncle is under RICO charges. Betsy is convinced that her parents were murdered, and she soon has Devine also suspecting that there is something more sinister going on. Once he starts investigating, the bullets begin to fly and Devine is left wondering who the real enemy is.
This is the third novel in Baldacci’s ‘The 6.20 Man’ series, and it reproduces the fast pace and action of the first two books. Baldacci is the consummate professional and the plot smoothly goes through it paces, as Devine and Betsy race to the blood splattered conclusion. The surprises are not as devilish as those in the Kernick book, but it is still very enjoyable and will keep you happily engaged over the holiday period.
To Die For was released in Australia on 29 October 2024 and in the United States on 12 November 2024.
I have been an admirer of David Hewson’s crime novels for many years, particularly his Nic Costa series and the Spanish based Semana Santa from the mid-1990s.
His latest book, When The Germans Come (Bloodhound Books, 5 November 2024), takes another new direction and is set in Dover in 1940.
The war is not going well for the British. The disaster of Dunkirk is only months behind them and most of the population are readying themselves for the Germans. This is particularly the case in Dover, the possible starting point for any invasion. Bombs and aerial fights are frequent occurrences and there are persistent rumours about German spies and sympathisers. Thrust into this uncertain situation is Louis Renard, a onetime Scotland Yard murder detective who is recuperating from wounds received at Dunkirk. His new job finds him working in Dover’s barely functioning police station. It should be a quiet job until the murdered body of a dancer is found in a secret underground bunker. As the body count rises, Renard has to tangle with a web of lies, spies and secrecy, but is determined to uncover the killer. Meanwhile, Canadian journalist Jessica Marshall is keenly reporting from Dover as the ‘town is on the brink of a German invasion’. For her it is the opportunity to break into the big time, but it comes with a lot of risk.
When The Germans Come is a bit of a slow burn thriller. The plot takes a little while to come together, and the opening sections with their myriad of characters and relationships require some patience. Once the story is underway, however, the pace picks up and the final sections are very exciting.
The historical depiction of Dover is very convincing and the reactions of the various inhabitants to the pending invasion ring true. Hewson is very good at picking out the small telling detail, and the atmosphere of a town under threat is well conveyed.
Once it kicks in, the murder plot is well handled and there are some decent surprises and jolts. In all, When The Germans Come is a very enjoyable mystery-cum-thriller, and will appeal to fans of historical crime stories.
When The Germans Come seems to be readily available in Australia and the United Kingdom across the usual media on order. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of the book for review.