THE YEAR’S BEST: MY FAVOURITE CRIME NOVELS AND THRILLERS OF 2024

Coming up with the Best Books of the Year is always a challenging task. The idea of ranking and rating books never really sits right with me, as so much comes down to individual taste and even the mood that you are in when you read the book. There is also risk of just sticking with the familiar, and not looking past the latest novels from enjoyable veterans of the genre. Then there is the pressure to follow the crowd and join in the enthusiasm for the latest bright thing, or current trend or ‘critic’s choice’, and the need to ensure that your list is balanced and reflective of the genre.

This year I have gone back over the books I have read and just selected those that I enjoyed the most at the time, and which have stayed in my mind, regardless of their provenance or standing. Noting that there were many more than the 13 below that I really enjoyed.

Of course, the list is affected by the number and types of books I have read. By the end of 2024, I will have read (or listened to) over 140 crime and thriller titles, not all of them new books, plus a handful of non-fiction and horror titles. It is not a bad sampling of what is out there, but it does not come close to the more than 700 new crime novels released each year. Like always, there were a handful of recommended books that I did not get to for various reasons.

I have also tried to limit myself to books that were released in Australia in 2024. For this reason Benjamin Stevenson’s Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect and Matthew Richardson’s The Scarlet Papers do not appear on my list, despite featuring on several American lists, as they were released in Australia in 2023 and featured on my lists last year.

Similarly, Deon Meyer’s excellent Leo was easily one of my favourite books of 2024, but I have not included it below. To date it has not been released in Australia, or the United States, so I have excluded it. I assume though that it will be very high on my list for next year. For those who are interested, here is my review from earlier in the year: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/south-african-crime-fiction-2024-leo-by-deon-meyer/

I try to read widely across the genre, but as with most people I am subject to my biases and probably tend to read more at the action end of the spectrum. I do, however, venture into domestic suspense and cosier books on occasion, and I try to keep across the breadth of the genre. In looking back over the year, 2024 seems to have produced the usual range of crime and thriller titles, with a plethora of familiar domestic suspense and police novels. World weary police detectives, of both genders, with more than their share of personal problems, addictions and dark secrets still seem to be around in great numbers, and there was no shortage of suspense books featuring a female protagonist who does not know who she can trust. Destination thrillers continue to grow in number, with an increasing number of friend groups finding out that their trip to a remote location was a dangerous idea, as they are killed off one by one. Work groups and reality television shows also found that they are at risk, regardless of whether they are visiting the Antarctic or the Arctic, or some tropical island. Mysteries and thrillers featuring podcasters and cold cases are also on the rise, as are the number of physical books which started their lives as an Audible Original. Australian outback noir continued to be popular, although there seemed to be more books with forest mountain settings than those with arid, sunbaked farms. There is a degree of sameness between some of the books, but also lots of originality, particularly in the clever books by Chris Brookmyre and Sulari Gentill.

While it is always tempting to just read the latest book by one of my favourite authors, the number of which grows every year, I do deliberately try to allocate at least a quarter of my reading to debuts and authors who are new to me. I did slightly better than that this year and by early December had read around 40 books by authors new to me. This was undoubtedly helped along by being a judge for the Ned Kelly Debut Crime Novel Award and for the Ngaio Marsh Award, which introduced me to some very good New Zealand crime writers. Most of the 40 were debuts, but there were also a handful of books by established authors that I had not tried before, such as D. V. Bishop and C. J. Tudor, whose The Drift was excellent.

In my first three years of reviewing in the early 1980s I only got to read 2 crime novels by Australian authors and both of them were at the fringes of the crime genre, and nothing from New Zealand authors. In contrast, in 2024 it was hard to keep up with the flow of new novels by Australian and New Zealand writers. I read over 35 novels and novellas by ‘Downunder’ authors, and that only scratched the surface. I will again on Australia Day (26 January 2024) be presenting my favourite Australian-based crime novels of the past year, but some of them can be found on the lists below. I was also impressed with the New Zealand crime novels by Michael Bennett, Gavin Strawhan, J. P. Pomare and Gareth and Louise Ward that I read during the year.

There is always a risk that established authors with good sales behind them will be content with churning out the usual product, but I thought that in 2024 some of the veterans of the genre really stood up and produced some outstanding work. Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, Peter Swanson and Steve Cavanagh all produced strong novels, while relative newcomers, such as Pip Drysdale and Margaret Hickey, produced their best novels to date. I also thought that there was a good selection of promising debuts, including by David Goldman and New Zealander Gavin Strawhan, which I will be highlighting in the next couple of days.

This year I am once again dividing my list into Crime Novels and Thrillers. The division between the two is rather arbitrary, but I have tended to follow the advice of George Easter at Deadly Pleasures, and applied the term thriller to books which feature a fast pace, a protagonist in danger, lots of action, usually a deadline or two and the focus is on saving someone or something. And most importantly, there are no cats! Some of the books below could fit in either category, but I have shoehorned them into the one which seemed the most logical to me. There are more crime novels than thrillers this year, which reflects my reading and the absence of new books from favourite spy fiction authors such as John Lawton, Mick Herron, Charles Cumming, etc.

I tried to limit myself to twelve books, but ended up with 13, as I was unable to split a couple of the crime novels. Even getting it down to 13 was very hard, and I have included a handful of Honourable Mentions at the end of each list, all of which could sit comfortably in a Top Ten listing. Some of these books featured in my ‘best so far’ article from September, but they had to make way for the impressive novels I read in the final few months of the year. I have also included links to my original reviews of the books.

The order of preference is very rough, and changes every time I think about it. Ranking of books is always difficult and this was particularly the case with the books in the Crime category. I found it very hard to separate the books by Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, M. W. Craven and Garry Disher. In the end I decided that Rankin’s Midnight And Blue was ahead of the other four on the strength of its characterisations and the depth of its reflections. All four though, were exceptional, and the others on the list were not far behind them.

CRIME

Ian Rankin really excelled himself with Midnight And Blue (Orion).

The characterisations were subtle and the plotting was intricate and clever. Stuck in prison, and only surviving through the protection provided by a leading Edinburgh gangster, former detective John Rebus finds himself in a very precarious situation that only gets worse when a prisoner is found murdered in his locked cell. Superior crime fiction.

Link to earlier review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/midnight-and-blue-by-ian-rankin/

M. W. Craven’s The Mercy Chair, (Constable), was the most addictive crime novel I read this year. It moved at a rapid pace, with plenty of twists and turns, and, as the cliche goes, ‘I could not put it down’! A reasonable amount of suspension of disbelief is required at times, but it is certainly a very entertaining read with a great unexpected twist in its tail.

Here is the link to my earlier review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/june-2024-thrills-new-books-by-ruth-ware-m-w-craven-michael-robotham/

Michael Connelly’s latest Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch novel, The Waiting (Orion), finds the author in good form as Renée deals with far right extremists and a lingering cold case. Bosch is only used sparingly, but the opening sections with him in it are tense and exciting. In addition to good plotting, clever twists, nuanced characters and flashes of excitement, there are also vivid descriptions of LA and sharp political observations.

A strong entry in one of the world’s best crime series.

Here is the link to my original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/major-new-crime-releases-for-october-2024-new-books-by-richard-osman-michael-connelly-and-christian-white/

Sitting somewhere between a thriller and a crime novel is Natalie Conyer’s Shadow City, (Echo Publishing).

Moving smoothly between Cape Town and Sydney, Shadow City is an evocative and exciting story that also deals with pressing social and political issues. The depictions of both Cape Town and Sydney ring true, and the characters are nicely sketched and interesting. A very good novel from a former Ned Kelly Award winner that has stuck in my mind since I first read it.

Here is the link to my full review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/australian-crime-fiction-2024-new-books-by-natalie-conyer-and-david-whish-wilson/

Ace Atkins’ Don’t Let The Devil Ride (William Morrow), is a terrific novel full of interesting, quirky characters and a plot that ricochets around in unexpected directions until the final surprising outcome. The story reminds me of the novels by Elmore Leonard and Ross Thomas, but with more zip, and Atkins’ portrayal of Memphis and its various social layers is memorable. The storyline excites and amuses in equal measure and the book is a real fun read.

Dinuka McKenzie is developing into a crime writer of real substance.

Her first two books about mixed heritage, northern NSW regional detective Kate Miles, were very good, but I think with Tipping Point, (Harper Collins), she raises the bar even higher.

The characters are nuanced and credible, the plotting is interesting and tense, and a number of substantial themes are smoothly woven into the story without slowing the pace. A very strong book.

Here is a link to my earlier review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/women-on-the-ledge-new-2024-crime-fiction-by-dinuka-mckenzie-ruth-mancini-and-kylie-orr/

Witness 8 (Headline) is another ‘foot to the floor’ crime novel by Steve Cavanagh, which is filled with his usual twists and surprises, and the occasional well directed gunshot.  

This is the eighth book in Cavanagh’s series about New York ex-conman turned lawyer Eddie Flynn, and it delivers a good multi-layered plot that holds the reader’s attention from beginning to end. Some suspension of disbelief is required, but the fast pace and Cavanagh’s intriguing legal conundrums more than compensate.

Here is the link to my earlier review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/category/forecast-friday/

Margaret Hickey’s The Creeper (Penguin) pushed me over my twelve book target, but I simply could not leave it off. Located in Victoria’s high country, The Creeper is a carefully plotted novel that introduces a new series character for Margaret in the form of Detective Constable Sally White. The only officer at a small rural town, Sally becomes caught up in old and new crimes as the anniversary of infamous local shooting draws near.

This is a very accomplished novel that makes good use of its ‘past’ and ‘present’ timelines, and moves smoothly to a taut and surprising conclusion on a lonely mountain track. There is also a neat sting in the tail that increased my assessment of the book.

Here is the link to my fuller review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/australian-outback-noir-2024-new-books-by-margaret-hickey-and-gabriel-bergmoser/

As I mentioned upfront, I found it very hard to narrow down the list to the above books and there were several others that could have comfortably sat on the above list. So a shout out to the following novels which were also very good: Return To Blood by Michael Bennett, The Hitchhiker by Gabriel Bergmoser, When It Rains by Dave Warner, Mr Campion’s Christmas by Mike Ripley, The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale and the late year release by Iain Ryan, The Dream. None of these will disappoint either

THRILLER

Catherine Steadman’s Look In The Mirror, (Quercus), is a bit like Craven’s The Mercy Chair, in that it was a novel that I could not put down. From the opening pages I was curious as to what was happening, and what would become of the two main protagonists. The pace was quick throughout, and it certainly delivered on the surprises and shocks. Like Craven’s book, some suspension of disbelief was required, but overall it was one of the most exciting books I have read this year.

Here is the link to my earlier review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/twists-courtroom-action-and-a-hibernating-serial-killer-new-2024-crime-by-steve-cavanagh-catherine-steadman-and-duane-swierczynski/

John Connolly’s The Instruments Of Darkness, (Hachette), could have readily fitted in the Crime List, but its structure and slight supernatural elements gives it more of a thriller edge.

The story about a woman accused of murdering her own child is dark and absorbing, and the presence of far right extremists adds an extra element of excitement. Typical for a Connolly novel, there is also a rich tapestry of ideas and detail. Racism, stereotyping, far right politics, misogyny, 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. A superior novel.

Here is the link to my longer review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/new-british-thrillers-2024-the-instruments-of-darkness-by-john-connolly-and-profile-k-by-helen-fields/

Juan Gomez-Jurado’s Black Wolf, (Macmillan), is the second book in the Spanish author’s trilogy about detective extraordinaire Antonia Scott. A briskly paced and absorbing thriller, it follows Antonia’s efforts to track down a missing pregnant woman, before a notorious hitman can get to her first.

Full of surprises, some very bloody encounters and an interesting patina of quirkiness, Black Wolf is the best Euro crime thriller I have read this year. I cannot wait for the concluding volume due out in early 2025.

Here is the link to the original review: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/murder-and-mayhem-in-march-2024-fast-paced-crime-novels-by-lisa-gardner-juan-gomez-jurado-and-max-luther/

Henry Porter’s The Enigma Girl, (Quercus), was one of the best spy novels to cross my desk in 2024.

Featuring a new protagonist for Porter in the form of MI5 operative Slim Parsons, it follows the burnt-out and somewhat unreliable agent as she deals with the ghosts from her last deep-cover job, as well as new threats from people traffickers, the members of a radical news website and her own bosses.

This is a first class spy novel. Porter adroitly mixes the personal and the professional, and develops Slim into a character of real substance, who changes over the course of the book. The plotting is clever, the ideas are interesting and the pacing is generally good. It is may be a little too long, but overall this is a very fine thriller.

As I noted above, it was a challenge keeping the thriller list to four and I could have easily added the following titles to it: Simon Kernick’s extremely exciting You All Die Tonight, The Best Revenge by Gerald Seymour, Paul Doiron’s terrific chase thriller Pitch Dark and David Goodman’s impressive A Reluctant Spy, which I am featuring in my Debut list.  

In all, more than enough good books to keep you reading into 2025.

I will be doing my list of the Best Debuts of 2024 in the next few days.