The CrimeReads editors make their picks for the best debut novels in crime, mystery, and thrillers.
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Nicola Solvinic, The Hunter’s Daughter
(Berkley Books)
In Solvinic’s debut, a decorated cop kills a man in the line of duty and is confronted with an onslaught of suppressed memories about her father, a serial killer. She then confront a new killer who seems to be copying his dark rituals. The story unfolds like a dream, and Solvinic penetrates deep into her characters’ tortured psyches. –DM
Alana B. Lytle, Man’s Best Friend
(G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
In Lytle’s chilling debut, a young woman who has recently given up on her dream of acting encounters a young scion who can introduce her into a world of wealth and privilege she has always coveted. But soon the compromises begin, and she finds herself increasingly cut off from her earlier life, with disturbing suggestions as to why. Lytle writes compellingly about this decadent world and the costs of belonging. –DM
Sam Garonzik, A Rough Way to Go
(Grand Central)
An atmospheric beach town and a father at loose ends combine to strong results in Garonzik’s well-crafted debut. When a body washes up in the surf, we find ourselves thrown headlong into a gripping murder mystery, as an out-of-work father investigates a shady hedge fund and a dead financier, all with a plucky three year-old at his side. –DM
Fiona McPhillips, When We Were Silent
(Flatiron)
Fiona McPhillips breathes new urgency into the private school thriller with this tale of justice delayed. In When We Were Silent, Louise Manson enrolls at an elite Dublin academy with a singular goal: expose the swim coach as a sexual predator. Decades later, she must confront her past traumas when another of the school’s coaches goes on trial for abuse. McPhillips infuses her story with deep sensitivity and righteous fury, for a compelling and thought-provoking read. –MO
L.M. Chilton, Swiped
(Gallery)
Another send-off of modern dating, this time with an extra-fun twist! Chilton’s unlucky-in-love heroine finds herself under suspicion of murder after the shocking demise of multiple men with whom she’s matched. Who is the culprit killing off all these (admittedly mediocre) dating prospects? And why are they so determined to pin the blame on her? –MO
