I began writing about books for the New York Times in late 2023 and officially began my tenure as the horror fiction columnist for the New York Times Book Review in January on 2024. I love that gig with all my heart, but it often makes me miss something else I love with all my heart: crime fiction. Sure, I’m still reading crime (and noir, thrillers, mystery suspense, true crime, etc), but I’m not writing about what I read, and writing about what I read is what I’ve always done. Solution? Start a column to talk about crime fiction. The perfect place? CrimeReads, a place that has supported me from the start. Yeah, I’m happy to be here. Let’s talk about some new books.
Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade
(Celadon Books)
Kevin Wade has had a great career as a screenwriter, television writer, and producer. All of that, however, came to a screeching halt when the writers’ and actors’ strikes hit in 2023. Locked in and with not much to do, Wade wrote a novel. Johnny Careless, Wade’s first novel, is a fun, fast-paced narrative written by a “debut” author who brings to the table decades of accumulated knowledge and a deep understanding of pacing, structure, and dialogue.
Police Chief Jeep Mullane used to work as a cop in New York City, but after a very personal case broke him while also earning him a NYPD detective’s shield, Jeep opted to return home to Long Island’s North Shore to run a small new local police department. The North Shore is home, but while Jeep settles in relatively quickly, the things he ignored in the past and the big differences between hardworking people like himself, the son of a cop, and the wealthy families that populate the area start rubbing him the wrong way and making his work a little harder.
When Jeep gets a call about the body of a drowned man who turns out to be one of his best childhood friends, Johnny Chambliss, his new role as the law in town clashes with his past. Johnny, nicknamed Johnny Careless by his coaches, grew up rich. Jeep didn’t. Back then, that meant feeling like an outsider and knowing Johnny and him would have different paths in life. Now, the difference means a lot more. As Jeep navigates his grief and tries to get to the bottom of Johnny’s death, he is also forced to deal with the wounds of his recent past, Johnny’s secretive family and overbearing father, Johnny’s own past, corrupt local politicians, and a gang of car thieves.
This novel is always moving forward at breakneck speed. Short chapters–many of them carried mostly by dialogue–and Wade’s lean prose make this a quick read. There are two narratives at play here, and they both move well. The first, which occupies center stage and delivers the biggest emotional punches, is happening now as Jeep investigates his friend’s death. The second, which provides context and helps with character development, follows Jeep and Johnny back at the end of their high school days when they played lacrosse together. Unfortunately, the chapters from the past end up revealing too much and giving away all of the pieces of the puzzle.
There are a few tropes here that might have worked better on television, including things like Latinx bad guys with tattooed tears and a cop talking about how good cops are and how rough the gig is. Despite those flaws, Johnny Carless is an impressive debut from a voice that sounds like a veteran because it comes from a veteran who knows how to tell a story.
The Note by Alafair Burke
(Knopf)
Alafair Burke consistently delivers, so I went into The Note, her latest, with high expectation. Burke met all of them and then kept going, delivering what is arguably her best novel to date.
May Hanover is one of those people who likes to follow the rules. To a fault. Most of it comes from growing up the daughter of a first-generation Chinese single mother who understood that education and discipline were the way to a better future and had very high expectations. But May isn’t perfect. A video of her yelling at someone on the subway went viral. It destroyed her life for a while.
Now May is engaged, teaching law, and on her way to a couple of days with old friends in a rented house in the Hamptons. Lauren and Kelsey have experienced things like what happened to May–scandals also altered their lives forever–so their bond is deep despite their bumpy past. While out for drinks, the three friends have a bad experience with a parking spot that leads to a prank that goes horribly wrong and quickly becomes an investigation that threatens to expose the three friends to the world once again.
The Note is a complex, shifting, and very timely procedural. Burke has always excelled at those, so this comes as no surprise. However, the intricate way in which Burke examines female friendship and the lingering impact of trauma after it has been amplified by social media make this a remarkable novel. Also, the plot is still delivering surprises in the last few pages, which is saying a lot. Burke is a master of suspense, which is great, but what is astonishing about her is that she somehow keeps getting better.
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
(Atria)
As someone who pays the bills writing a mix of horror and crime, I’m fully aware of the differences between those genres as well as of all the ways in which they share the same dark heart. The work of Lisa Jewell–murky, twisted–has always appealed to me because it brings in enough human darkness to be horror while remaining firmly entrenched in a crime. None of This is True, now out in paperback, is Jewell at the top of her game.
Josie Fair is in a pub with her much older husband celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. At the same pub and doing the same thing–also for her forty-fifth birthday–is Alix Summer, a famous podcaster. When the two cross paths, the encounter is a funny “I found my birthday twin” story for Alix, but it has a much deeper meaning for Josie. When the two women run into each other again, Josie talks to Alix about an idea she had while listening to her podcast, which she has been obsessed with since meeting Alix at the pub on their birthday night. Josie wants to change her life, and Alix could tell her story. Alix agrees, but when she and Josie start working together, she realizes Josie might not be who she says she is.
A story about lies that also delves deep into topics like pedophilia, alcoholism, and grooming, None of This is True is a dark spiral of tension that gets weirder and creepier as it goes. Josie’s unhealthy obsession with Alix and the way she wedges herself into the podcaster’s life is only the start, and everything leading up to is even worse.
There is a lot to like in this novel, but besides the great dialogue, twists, and master class in tension, one of the most interesting elements of the narrative is the snippets of a true crime Netflix documentary that readers “see” by reading audio from the podcast as well as interviews done after with people who knew Josie and Alix. To say more would be to give away too much, so I’ll end it there. There are many reasons why Jewell sells so many books, and all of them are in full display here.
