The CrimeReads editors make their picks for the best debut novels in crime, mystery, and thrillers.
Allison LaMothe, Dirty Metal
(Flatiron)
In Allison LaMothe’s standout debut, Dirty Metal, a tabloid reporter is covering the arrival of a new generation of Russian gangsters settling into Brighton Beach after the fall of the Soviet Union, when suddenly a murder pops up on her radar, and she finds herself running a dangerous gauntlet. LaMothe is a startling and original talent and her new book may just be the year’s big breakout debut. –DM
Karen Parkman, The Jills
(Ballantine)
The Buffalo Jills were the first pro-football cheerleading team to unionize, which perhaps is why the team so aggressively eliminated its star supporters from the sidelines (the team was dissolved soon after organizing). In The Jills, a cheerleader goes missing at the start of the novel, leading her ever-capable friend & teammate down a dark rabbithole that touches on every crisis of upstate New York. As we’ve learned from Dare Me, Tik Tok, and countless reality TV shows, there is nothing more noir than cheerleading. –MO
C. William Langsfeld, Salvation
(Counterpoint)
In a small Colorado town, a man’s murder at his best friend’s hand sets the stage for a slowly-unfolding tragedy and the investigation into where it all began. Langsfeld handles the difficult material with a delicate hand, telling a compelling story of survival and violence. –DM
Caroline Glenn, Cruelty Free
(William Morrow)
When a former starlet returns to Los Angeles, it’s been ten years since she lost her child, ten years since she was dropped by her adoring fans, and ten years since her husband came out of the whole mess scott-free. A chance encounter with a charismatic younger woman leads to a risky, yet rewarding, new business plan: kill off anyone who’s ever mistreated them, boil their bones into collagen, and sell it to women desperate to firm up their faces before they find themselves replaced. What could go wrong? –MO
M.K. Oliver, A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage
(Atria)
A mother with a busy family life adds ‘disposing of a dead body’ to her multi-tasking daily agenda in this mordantly funny new thriller. This is a high-concept thriller that delivers on the brilliant premise with a more than memorable ending. –DM
