SPRING CLEANING – THE BEST CRIME NOVELS AND THRILLERS OF 2026 …. SO FAR!

I am just back from a long holiday and have been doing some Australian Spring cleaning: looking back over the books I have read so far this year, sorting through the piles of books that are scattered across the floor of my study and looking ahead at releases coming out later this year.

I will shortly be doing a post on some upcoming releases, but in the meantime, here is a list of my favourite books of 2026, so far.

With three quarters of the year nearly over, we have seen some terrific releases from new and established authors. So much so, that I found it very hard narrowing down my list to a baker’s dozen! The number of high quality Australian and New Zealand crime books again this year is particularly pleasing, and I could have easily added more to the list below. There has also been a surprising number of very good spy novels so far this year, with a few more still in the pipeline.

The below list sets out, in a very rough order of preference, my favourite books of 2026 so far. I have also highlighted at the end some other books, which were also very enjoyable.

In the main I have focused on books which really grabbed my attention and kept me interested. These are books that I greatly enjoyed at the time of reading, and which 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 good entertainment, especially the last two books on the list, which were just good fun.

I try to read widely (around 98 novels so far this year, including some old stuff), but the below list is still a limited view of the books released so far, obviously framed by the books I have read and my own personal biases and preferences. There are many good books from 2026 that I have not gotten to yet, so the chances are that there are several other books that should be on this list. There are also some very promising releases coming out over the next few months, which I assume will potentially be strong contenders for the Best Reads of 2026.

The list is restricted to books which were released in Australia in the first nine months of 2026. I have not tried to separate them into crime novels and thrillers, but have lumped them together. 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 were entertaining but fell slightly short of the thirteen.

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).

Tim Ayliffe’s Dark Desert Road, (Echo), was one of the first crime novels I read this year, and it has stuck in my mind ever since. The story about a female police detective trying to track down her identical sister, Billie, who has been living off the grid with her former American marine husband and a young child in a sovereign citizen camp in a remote rural area west of Wagga Wagga, grips from the opening page and keeps you invested until the end.

The plotting is assured and Ayliffe’s portrayal of the decaying rural towns from that part of Australia is vivid and memorable. In all an outstanding piece of crime fiction that entertains while raising legitimate concerns about the rising threat of sovereign citizens and the media sponsored far-right in Australia.

Link to original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/new-2026-outback-australian-crime-dark-desert-road-by-tim-ayliffe/

In contrast, William Boyd’s Cold Sunset, (Viking), is one of my more recent reads and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Boyd’s 1960s based books about travel writer and occasional spy Gabriel Dax, are an outstanding example of well written and intelligent spy fiction. Cold Sunset is the third book in the series and is probably the best so far.

The plotting is intricate and clever, and the pacing is probably brisker this time around. The story quickly moves through a series of well-orchestrated twists and turns, and there is genuine suspense as Dax navigates some difficult situations. The evocative portrayal of 1960s Britain and Europe is also a highlight.

Link to original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/spy-fiction-august-2026-cold-sunset-by-william-boyd-and-dying-days-by-anthony-byrt/

I have a soft spot for well-crafted courtroom dramas and Jo Murray’s Dissection Of A Murder, (Macmillan), is probably the most twisted one I have encountered in quite a while.

The story about a relatively inexperienced lawyer handling her first murder case, involving the killing of a high profile judge, is a bit contrived, but it is a marvellously twisty tale that certainly kept me off guard the whole way through. Jo does not always play fair, but she certainly keeps you turning the pages, while also dealing with topical issues around privilege, sexism and the legal system. A very good crime novel with some spectacular twists towards the end.

Link to original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/may-mayhem-new-crime-novels-by-john-connolly-jo-murray-and-mike-ripley/

The twists also come quickly and frequently in Dervla McTiernan’s first Australian based crime novel, Three Reasons For Revenge (Harper Collins).

Cleverly constructed, the plot initially involves a sexual assault complaint against a prominent psychologist. However, when a Melbourne detective tries to follow it up, she finds that the complainant has disappeared. At the same time identical looking packages are delivered to three very different households and inside each are life shattering gifts. Then the first murder occurs. With consummate skill, Dervla unfurls her plot with clockwork precision and keeps the reader guessing all the way to the breathless climax. 

Link to original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/australian-crime-round-up-may-2026-new-books-by-dervla-mctiernan-dave-warner-rebecca-lim-and-holly-craig/

Mixing old and new crimes, Natalie Conyer’s Finding The Bones (Echo) is a briskly paced police novel that entertains while bringing alive Sydney’s recent dark history.

Homicide Detective Jackie Rose is the daughter of legendary police detective Stanton Rose, who came to fame for cleaning up Kings Cross. Back when he was a young undercover police officer in the 1980s, he tangled with some of the Cross’s worst gangsters and had an affair with the controversial anti-developer Belle Fitzgerald. Now, forty years after Belle disappeared, her bones have been found and it is up to Jackie to find out who killed her, regardless of the consequences. An impressive read that confirms Natalie’s status as one of the brighter new stars of Australian crime fiction.

Here is the link to my earlier review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/australian-crime-fiction-march-2026-natalie-conyer-j-p-pomare-fiona-lowe/

2026 is shaping up as being a great year for serious spy fiction. There are plenty of good books already around, as evidenced by the number of titles on this list, and some high quality releases on the way later in the year. As I noted above, I really enjoyed William Boyd’s Cold Sunset, but I think that Charles Cumming’s Icarus 17, (Hemlock Press), is probably the more exciting of the two.

The story is basically an old fashioned international chase thriller, with various intelligence agencies and other players trying to hunt down a young American and his Middle Eastern girlfriend who have some politically sensitive material in their possession. Leading the chase is Cumming’s regular hero, Lachlan Kite, head of the covert intelligence agency Box 88, who has some pressing personal reasons to find the young man. While in the background other issues are also complicating Kite’s life and his future.

Good, exciting fun.

The Daniel Hawthorne books, in which Anthony Horowitz features as a character himself, are an absolute treat. I binged my way through them last year and found each one to be excellent. In the latest, A Deadly Episode (Century), a murder takes place on the film set where the first book in the Hawthorne series, The Word is Murder, is being filmed.

The story engages from the opening pages, and Horowitz’s unassuming narration drives the story along at a good pace with plenty of twists and amusingly wry asides on the writing life. Horowitz is no stranger to television and film sets, from his time on Foyle’s War and other productions, and A Deadly Episode is also filled with interesting snippets of insider information and a credible background of sniping actors, greedy agents and frustrated directors. Terrific fun.

Link to original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/deadly-authors-and-murderous-retreats-new-2026-crime-from-evelyn-clarke-anthony-horowitz-victoria-brownlee/

Michael Connelly is in good form with Ironwood, (Allen & Unwin), his second novel about Detective Stilwell from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, who has been ‘exiled’ to a low-key policing role on Catalina Island. His caseload mainly involves small acts of vandalism and unruly tourists, but when a drug bust goes wrong, and officers are shot, he finds himself benched from the investigation. With time on his hands he looks into a strange disappearance that leads him to Detective Renée Ballard and a very active cold case.

Ironwood is vintage Connelly, with great police detail, steadily building suspense and a tense and unexpected ending.

Link to original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/ironwood-by-michael-connelly/

James Wolff’s Spies And Other Gods, (Baskerville), is probably the more cerebral of the spy novels in this list. Using an interesting narrative device involving an omniscient narrator, who describes themself as being the spirit of British Intelligence, it starts a little slowly, but the pace soon picks up and the final pages are full of twists and suspense.

A very clever read, it contains an enjoyable cast of quirky characters and has some nice touches of humour. I particularly enjoyed the book’s freshness and originality, and was pleasantly surprised by the various turns in direction that it took. It also has a great ending.

Link to original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/new-2026-spy-fiction-by-james-wolff-paul-weaver-and-jason-m-hough/

Also partially in the spy fiction camp is New Zealand author Anthony Byrt’s impressive thriller debut Dying Days, (Affirm Press).

In May 1945 Allied forces, led by New Zealand soldiers, 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.

The background to Byrt’s novel is fascinating and the characters are nuanced and interesting. I also really liked the originality of the setting and Byrt’s ability to craft a credible and interesting plot from an obscure historical event. Probably the best debut novel I have read this year.

Link to original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/spy-fiction-august-2026-cold-sunset-by-william-boyd-and-dying-days-by-anthony-byrt/

I have only recently caught up with Jordan Harper’s A Violent Masterpiece, (Faber), while on holidays.

A follow-up to his masterful Everybody Knows, A Violent Masterpiece is a dark, gritty tale that provides a no-holds-barred look at contemporary Los Angeles and the current corrupt state of America. It uses a similar narrative device to Everybody Knows, with three different, and very flawed, protagonists pursuing their own separate paths, until dark forces push them together. The story crackles with tension and dark images of the abuse of power, and the suspense steadily mounts before violently exploding in the final chapters. A must for fans of tough fiction and neo-noir.

I have not reviewed A Violent Masterpiece yet, but here is a link to Harper’s Everybody Knows from 2023: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/november-2023-reading-kevin-powers-david-whish-wilson-gillian-mcallister-jordan-harper/

Much more lighter in tone is Mike Ripley’s enjoyable Played To Death (Severn House).

As with last year’s Buried Above Ground, Mike uses four unreliable narrators to tell his story about murder and dodgy dealings around an amateur theatre production in a small English town. The clever structure works well and Mike keeps the story ticking over at a good pace. There is a solid mystery around who the killer is, and a good dollop of suspense towards the end. The main pleasure from the book, however, comes from Mike’s comprehensive knowledge of classic crime fiction 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. A very enjoyable read.

Here is a link to my original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/played-to-death-by-mike-ripley/

Paradox, (Forge), by Douglas Preston and Alethea Preston strains credibility, but it is a terrifically fun read with plenty of action and interesting asides on history, archaeology and the paranormal.

When a reclusive old prospector is found dead under grisly circumstances in the Colorado wilderness, CBI Agent Frankie Cash and Eagle County Sheriff Jim Colcord, team up to solve the crime. The old man appears to have been ritualistically murdered, and the investigators find links to other bizarre killings, rumours of UFOs, baffling money transfers and the theft of an ancient religious icon from the Vatican.

The story rattles along at a fast pace, and there is plenty of Crichton-esque scientific speculation and lots of fascinating details to flesh out the story. A great holiday, or long weekend, read.

Link to original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/2026-thrillers-paradox-by-douglas-aletheia-preston-and-witch-hunt-by-richard-bernadette-orawe/

As I mentioned earlier, it was hard limiting the list to 13. In addition to the above, there were other books that could have found their way onto the list. Spy novels by David Goodman (Solitary Agents) and Jason M. Hough (Throw Away The Key) could have easily been there, and new books by Australian/Kiwi authors Sherryl Clark (For All The Dead Girls) and J. P. Pomare (The Gambler) were also unlucky to miss out. Fergus Craig’s I’m Not The Only Murderer In My Retirement Homewas was also very funny and clever, and M. W. Craven provided another fast paced, enjoyable Washington Poe mystery with The Killer’s Mark.

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 Jack Heath’s Choppy Water (due out in November), and Alan Parks’ Deception, and there are other impressive releases scheduled for later this year, including from Alan Carter, David McCloskey, Simon Conway, Michael Robotham, Ian Rankin, 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!