Here are 15 of the best novels to come out in paperback over the past three months, as selected by the CrimeReads editors.
Jessica Knoll, Bright Young Women
(S&S/MarySue Ricci Books)
“Stunning… By focusing on the women affected by her Ted Bundy stand-in instead of the nuances of his criminal psychology, Knoll movingly reframes an American obsession without stripping it of its intrigue. The results are masterful.” –Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)
Una Mannion, Tell Me What I Am
(Harper Perennial)
“Quietly powerful. . . . A compelling portrait of a fractured family and a sister’s never-ending search for justice.”– New York Times
Stephen Kearse, Liquid Snakes
(Soft Skull)
“An immensely engaging read–clever and nimble in its narration, pointed in its critiques—with a chorus of interesting voices and arresting images.” –Jake Caselle Brookins, Chicago Review of Books
M.M. DeLuca, The Night Side
(Severn House)
“Genre fans will relish the head-spinning twists and white-knuckle suspense in this compelling, suspenseful, gothic-style mystery” –Booklist
Mark Billingham, The Last Dance
(Grove)
“Billingham’s Tom Thorne series set the bar very high indeed, but The Last Dance is well up to standard—funny, moving and expertly plotted.”—The Guardian
May Cobb, A Likeable Woman
(Berkley)
“You can’t close summer without a murder mystery. Fans of Desperate Housewives and Devious Maids will love this thriller…” –Cosmopolitan
Colin Walsh, Kala
(Vintage)
“[A] gritty heartbreaker of a thriller…Part heartfelt coming-of-age tale, part brutal Irish noir, this is a spectacular read for Donna Tartt and Tana French fans.” –Kirkus, starred review
David Joy, Those We Thought We Knew
(Putnam)
“[A] bracing novel…both a murder mystery and a deeply intimate story of generational relationships and loss.” –Vanity Fair
Liz Nugent, Strange Sally Diamond
(Gallery/Scout)
“This is exquisite storytelling, harnessing a full palette of emotions. Darkness and humour, hope and despair. Sublime.” –Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi, The Centre
“This has all the makings of a high-concept thriller for the ages.” –Matthew Jackson, Paste magazine
Dwyer Murphy, The Stolen Coast
(Penguin Publishing Group)
There’s a real Out of the Past vibe to this moody tale of a femme fatale who returns to trouble the life of the guy she left behind and perhaps set him up for a final fall. . . . Murphy has the lonely saxophone notes of noir down cold in his writing.” –Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air
Linda Castillo, An Evil Heart
(Minotaur)
“Skillful storytelling… An Evil Heart proves this is a series that continues to soar.” –Oline Cogdill, Shelf Awarness, starred review
Dann McDorman, West Heart Kill
(Vintage)
“Irresistible….. West Heart Kill is about both the rules and the breaking of the rules, the conventions of the murder mystery and their subversion…. A complete original—and a total delight.” –BookTrib
Samantha Downing, A Twisted Love Story
(Berkley)
“This is a great, twisty, soapy, well-written novel that only Samantha Downing can write. She has never written a bad novel, and this one is another winner.”–Red Carpet Crash
Mick Herron, The Secret Hours
(Soho)
“An intricate espionage thriller from Herron, whose Slough House series is the basis for Apple TV+’s Slow Horses. Bonus: This terrific standalone offers an enticing slice of Slough House’s origin story.” –People Magazine
