Top list: Crime

"A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence.

""As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.""

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

Performed by David Cui Cui, Khaya Fraites, Zeke Alton, Alejandro Ruiz, Aure Nash, Bradley Foster Smith, Holly Adams, Megan Dorminy, Natalie Van Sistine, Michael John Casey, Rayner Gabriel, Shanta Parasuraman, Tanja Milojevic and Wyn Delano."

Though her main duty is still looking after Consort Gyokuyou, Maomao finds time to help her friends and acquaintances in the rear palace, including Xiaolan, who will need a job after her term of service ends, and Consort Lishu, who’s convinced she’s seen a ghost! When complications arise with Gyokuyou’s pregnancy, however, Maomao knows she’s not skilled enough to handle a situation that could threaten the life of both mother and child. She knows someone who is, but they haven’t been welcome in the rear palace for a very long time… Meanwhile, Maomao begins to discern what seem to be links between otherwise unrelated incidents in the rear palace. But what if her dawning knowledge makes her the next victim?

‘Had me laughing aloud within its first five pages. Charming, hilarious and heartfelt’ Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read

Life is good for sixty-year-old teashop owner and amateur sleuth, Vera Wong. Her teashop is bustling, and her son, Tilly, finally has a girlfriend! Still, Vera can’t help but wish for some excitement and adventure. Sometimes all an old lady wants is a murder to solve…

Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman in need of her kindly guidance. The woman is looking for her missing friend Xander. Online, he appeared to have it all: a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer.

When Xander turns up dead, it seems he isn’t who he claimed to be. The police have no leads, but Vera intends to uncover the truth in the only way that this Chinese mother knows how: by spilling the tea.

Praise for Vera Wong

‘I thoroughly loved it. With a Vera in your life nothing bad can ever happen!’ J. M. Hall, bestselling author of A Spoonful of Murder

‘Fans of Crazy Rich Asians will love it’ My Weekly

‘I appreciate the recent uptick in books featuring sleuths of a seasoned age, particularly ones as prickly, opinionated and delightful as Vera Wong’ The New York Times

Readers love VERA WONG…

'Vera Wong is my favourite fictional character in the world.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I'll be recommending this one to all my friends.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A mystery with heart and humour' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Vera Wong is honestly the best character I've read in crime fiction' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Fast paced and addictive' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From New York Times Bestseller and BookTok sensation Rina Kent comes a captivating age-gap billionaire romance filled with power, desire, and betrayal.

Nothing is fair in love.

This is my kingdom. My territory.

I own everything and control everyone,

Aurora included.

She shouldn’t have barged into my world with no armor.

She shouldn’t have caught my attention with no warning.

Alas, she did.

Then she thought she could disappear.

If a battle is what it’ll take to protect and own her, I’ll shed blood.

Wars aren’t fair, and neither am I.

Rise of a Queen is the second part of a duet.

©2020 Rina Kent (P)2020 Rina Kent

A Wall Street Journal ""Best Mystery of 2024""

“If The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair read like Gatsby by way of David Lynch, then The Alaska Sanders Affair recalls True Detective: there's something both classic and daring about it. One of the world's most original voices in crime fiction.” —A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story

“The Alaska Sanders Affair ... transcends pigeonholing with its abundance of plot, subplots and melodramatic U-turns ... everything seems to be connected ... [and] Mr. Dicker casts an undeniable spell.” —Wall Street Journal

The thrilling new whodunit from Joël Dicker, master of the plot twist and the author of The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair and The Enigma of Room 622.

April 1999. The body of Alaska Sanders is found on the shore of a lake near the quiet town of Mount Pleasant, New Hampshire. The young woman’s death rocks the small community, but the murder is quickly solved. Within days, a suspect is identified and soon convicted. Case closed. Or so it seemed. . . .

Eleven years later, Marcus Goldman, celebrity author and amateur sleuth, picks up a thread that will unravel not only the “open and shut” case of Alaska Sanders, but the very fabric of his best friend,–Sergeant Perry Gahalowood–’s life. Gahalowood, who led the original Alaska Sanders investigation, is hell-bent on finding the truth and setting the record straight. Teaming up with Marcus, he hopes to find redemption by solving the most intricate and trying case of his career.

Set both before and after the events of his phenomenal worldwide bestseller The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair, Dicker’s latest delivers the last word in slow-burn police procedurals. Clue by clue, witness by witness, question by question, his characters painstakingly piece together an unguessable puzzle that could only have been set by this acclaimed master of the plot twist. And as they uncover who Alaska Sanders truly was, other ghosts from the past emerge . . .

Translated from the French by Robert Bononno

This stunning blend of historical romance and time-traveling adventure has captured the hearts of millions of readers around the world and catapulted author Diana Gabaldon to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Outlander

introduces an exhilarating world of heroism and breathtaking thrills—as one woman is torn between past and present, passion and love.

In 1945, former combat nurse Claire Randall returns from World War II and joins her husband for a second honeymoon. Their blissful reunion is shattered when she touches a boulder in an ancient stone ruin and is instantly transported to 1743

Scotland, a place torn by war and raiding border clans. Will Claire find her way back to her own time, or is her destiny forever linked with Clan MacKenzie and the gallant Jamie Fraser?

A Richard & Judy Book Club Pick

New York Times Bestseller

A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist

Bright Young Women is an unflinching thriller based on Ted Bundy's heinous crimes, as two women search for justice in the wake of his brutal murders. From Jessica Knoll, author of the New York Times bestseller and #1 Netflix movie Luckiest Girl Alive.

'A compelling, almost hypnotic read' - Lisa Jewell, bestselling author of None of This is True

Tallahassee, 1978. Sorority president Pamela Schumacher wakes to a shocking scene of implausible violence and death, and is drawn into a mystifying crime that grips the nation for decades . . .

In Seattle, Tina Cannon connects her best friend's disappearance to the Tallahassee tragedy, and is convinced that a single man is responsible.

Determined to find justice, the two join forces as their search for answers leads to a final, shocking confrontation . . .

'Knoll deconstructs the myth of a criminal mastermind, revealing the women he seeks to destroy as the truly brilliant ones' – Flynn Berry, author of Northern Spy

'A sharp examination of our culture's obsession with serial killers and true crime' – Harper's Bazaar, Best Books of the Year

'Knoll sets about dismantling every last Bundy myth with a controlled but palpable rage' – Catherine Ryan Howard, author of Run Time

THE SUNDAY TIMES bestseller, as seen on BBC 2's BETWEEN THE COVERS

A WATERSTONES THRILLER BOOK OF THE MONTH

*WINNER* OF THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2024

*WINNER* OF THE CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCIATION ILP JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER 2024

AND NOMINATED FOR TWO OTHER MAJOR AWARDS

Capital Crime Book of the Year 2023

Crimefest Specsavers Best Debut Crime Novel

‘I devoured this in one sitting’ Rob Rinder, as featured on BBC 2’s Between the Covers

‘Terrifyingly timely and provocative' Val McDermid

'The most original crime novel you'll read this year' Clare Mackintosh

In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds.

Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye.

DCS Kat Frank knows all about loss. A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her instincts. Picked to lead a pilot programme that has her paired with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, Kat's instincts come up against Lock's logic. But when the two missing person's cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help Kat when the case gets personal.

AI versus human experience.

Logic versus instinct.

With lives on the line can the pair work together before someone else becomes another statistic?

In the Blink of an Eye is a dazzling debut from an exciting new voice and asks us what we think it means to be human.

'Just brilliant!' Lisa Jewell

'Has to be a strong contender for crime debut of the year - sharp, perceptive writing and a brilliant new take on the detective duo' T. M. Logan

'Everything you could hope for in a thriller: heartbreaking, intelligent, deftly plotted and so original' Fiona Cummins

'Jo Callaghan makes her entry into the crowded police procedural genre with a fresh take on the buddy-buddy cop trope . . . Provocative and compelling' Vaseem Khan

'The kind of fresh and fearless debut I just adore. Wildly original, heartfelt, funny, and properly thrilling. Take a bow, Jo Callaghan' Chris Whitaker

Maomao has effectively become Jinshi’s personal physician, but she’s just a simple apothecary. If she’s going to give him proper medical treatment, she’ll need more than her meager surgical skills. When she turns to her father for help, he says he’ll only teach her if she can pass a test he sets for her. Even if she succeeds at his mysterious request, however, the truth behind the practice of surgery at court may be more than she cares to know. And only once she has the knowledge she needs will she be able to accompany Jinshi on what could be his most dangerous journey yet.

AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF 2024

WINNER OF GOODREADS MYSTERY & THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

'I was totally gripped' DOUGLAS STUART

'Immersive and enthralling' PAULA HAWKINS

'At first hard to put down. By page 200, impossible' STEPHEN KING

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When their thirteen-year-old daughter Barbara goes missing at summer camp, all eyes fall on the Van Laar family.

They're cold, rich people. They own the camp. And it's happened to them before.

Fourteen years ago their little boy, Bear, vanished without a trace.

Two children lost to the same wilderness.

Is it a tragedy… or a crime?

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‘Brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced … I can't remember the last time I felt so entangled in a novelist's coils’ Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

'A beguiling novel with a relentless grip. You won't be able to put it down' Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground

'At once an immersive family saga and utterly propulsive mystery. Beautifully written' Emilia Hart, author of Weyward

‘A masterful literary thriller’ Lucy Clarke, author of The Hike

‘Riveting from page one to the last breathless word … This book flew by at lightning speed, but will stick with me for a very long time’ Rebecca Makkai, author of I Have Some Questions For You

‘Dickensian in scope … Very entertaining’ Vogue, Best Picks for Summer 2024

The God of the Woods debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list on 21 July 2024.

READERS ARE SAYING…

'I simply couldn't put it down!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'An excellent page-turner' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I didn’t see the end coming' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I strongly urge everyone to read it and experience the magic for themselves' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'My top read for 2024 so far. Actually, top read full stop' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A fascinating story with lots of ups and downs… I did like the conclusion, very clever!!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Loved this book from page one! … A book not to be missed!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I cannot think of when I have read anything so evocative' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A riveting read. If you're looking for intriguing characters, a beautifully crafted, slow and atmospheric mystery that feels incredibly intense, then this is the one for you' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One incredible weekend in Maine, and Beckett Porter is officially a distracted man. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings. He knows how it goes. But Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh, her hand pressed flat against his chest, her smiling mouth at his neck, her eyes, her legs. So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he is confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon: social media influencer Evelyn St. James. When she disappears again, Beckett resolves to finally forget her and move on. But Evelyn St. James has a problem. Feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly unhappy, she’s trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was happy, Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild. It has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with—nothing at all. In The Weeds is a sweet and steamy second-chance romance about finding your happiness. It features a grumpy farmer, a no-nonsense social media influencer, a small town of busybodies, and four very cute kittens. This is the second book in a series of interconnected standalones following the three Lovelight owners.

The New York Times No.1 bestselling and multi award-winning YA crime thriller and TikTok sensation that everyone is talking about. Now a major BBC series!

‘A taut, compulsively readable, elegantly plotted thriller', GUARDIAN

'Prepare to be murdered by this book. Dark, dangerous – my heart literally pounded', LAURA STEVEN, author of bestselling Infinite Fates

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth … ?

Winner of the Fingerprint Award for Thriller of the Year

THE NEW CAUTIONARY TALE OF OBSESSION, LOVE, JEALOUSY AND DECEPTION FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUR HOUSE AND THE OTHER PASSENGER

Wrong time. Wrong place. Wrong man.

Alex lives a comfortable life with his wife Beth in the leafy suburb of Silver Vale. Fine, so he’s not the most sociable guy on the street, he prefers to keep himself to himself, but he’s a good husband and an easy-going neighbour.

That’s until Beth announces the creation of a nature trail on a local site that’s been disused for decades and suddenly Alex is a changed man. Now he’s always watching. Questioning. Struggling to hide his dread . . .

As the landscapers get to work, a secret threatens to surface from years ago, back in Alex’s twenties when he got entangled with a seductive young woman called Marina, who threw both their lives into turmoil.

And who sparked a police hunt for a murder suspect that was never quite what it seemed. It still isn’t.

No one else could have done it. Could they?

‘The best Louise Candlish novel yet’ Lisa Jewell

'I'm blown away by how good it is. A gripping tale of love, secrets and deception - it's the best psychological thriller I've read in a long time' Mark Edwards

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas delivers a scintillating tale of an unconventional beauty who finds passion with the spy who can’t resist her.

A woman who defies her time

Dr. Garrett Gibson, the only female physician in England, is as daring and independent as any man—why not take her pleasures like one? Yet she has never been tempted to embark on an affair, until now. Ethan Ransom, a former detective for Scotland Yard, is as gallant as he is secretive, a rumored assassin whose true loyalties are a mystery. For one exhilarating night, they give in to their potent attraction before becoming strangers again.

A man who breaks every rule

As a Ravenel by-blow spurned by his father, Ethan has little interest in polite society, yet he is captivated by the bold and beautiful Garrett. Despite their vow to resist each other after that sublime night, she is soon drawn into his most dangerous assignment yet. When the mission goes wrong, it will take all of Garrett’s skill and courage to save him. As they face the menace of a treacherous government plot, Ethan is willing to take any risk for the love of the most extraordinary woman he’s ever known.

‘Very few debuts are as insightful, cunningly plotted and well written as this.’ Best Thrillers of 2022The Sunday Times

‘I couldn’t put this one down’Prima

‘This was dark! Edge of your seen stuff… incredibly atmospheric and tricky.’Platinum

‘A smart, edge-of-your-seat story with plot twists you’ll never see coming.’ Karin Slaughter, No. 1 Bestselling AuthorSunday Times

Chloe Davis’ father is a serial killer.He was convicted and jailed when she was twelve but the bodies of the girls were never found, seemingly lost in the surrounding Louisiana swamps. The case became notorious and Chloe’s family was destroyed.

His crimes stalk her like a shadow.Now Chloe has rebuilt her life. She’s a respected psychologist in Baton Rouge and has a loving fiancé.But she just can’t shake a tick-tick-tick of paranoia that, at any moment, it might all come crashing down.

As does something darker.It is the anniversary of her father’s crimes, and Chloe is about to see her worst fears come true –a girl she knows goes missing.

The nightmare has started again…

She thought the murders had stopped. She was wrong. The instant bestseller and a Thriller of the Year, soon to be a major TV series, developed by Emma StoneNew York TimesSunday Times

***Don't miss the second book in the series, Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man), out now!***

Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…

'Vera Wong is my new favourite sleuth' Elle Cosimano

Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?

Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).

But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.

Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.

USA Today Bestseller and Edgar Award Winner

Readers LOVE Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers

'This is the perfect book for fans of found family, humour and mystery – full of warmth, heart, good food and well-meaning meddling' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Fans of The Thursday Murder Club and other cosy mysteries with great characterisation will love this book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This was ABSOLUTELY my cup of tea' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I need a Vera (and her cooking) in my life! This book is potentially my favourite read of the year' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?"

From New York Times Bestseller and BookTok sensation Rina Kent comes a captivating age-gap billionaire romance filled with power, desire, and betrayal.

Nothing is fair in war.

Jonathan King is every bit his last name.

Powerful. Untouchable. Corrupted.

He’s also my dead sister’s husband and way older than me.

When I first met him as a clueless child, I thought he was a god.

Now, I have to confront that god to protect my business from his ruthless grip.

Little did I know that declaring a war on the king will cost me everything.

When Jonathan covets something, he doesn’t only win, he conquers.

Now, he has his sights on me.

He wants to consume not only my body, but also my heart and my soul.

I fight, but there’s no escaping the king in his kingdom…

Reign of a King is the first part of a duet.

©2020 Rina Kent (P)2020 Rina Kent

Amos Decker, David Baldacci's unique special agent, who suffered a head injury that resulted in giving him the gift of a remarkable memory, takes on another case in The Fix.

Walter Dabney is a family man. A loving husband and the father of four grown daughters, he’s built a life many would be proud of.

But then the unthinkable happens.

Standing outside the FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, Dabney shoots school teacher Anne Berkshire in cold blood before turning the gun on himself.

One of the many witnesses is Amos Decker; a man who forgets nothing and sees what most miss. Baffled by what appears to be a seemingly senseless and random killing, Decker is thrust into the investigation to determine what drove this family man to pull the trigger.

As part of an FBI special task force, Decker and the team delve into the lives of Dabney and Berkshire to find a connection that doesn’t seem to exist. What they do find are secrets that stretch back a lifetime and reveal a current plot of impending destruction that will send the world reeling, placing Decker and his team squarely in the crosshairs.

The Fix is the third audiobook in the Amos Decker series, following The Last Mile. Continue the investigative thrillers with The Fallen.

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Get swept away by the million-copy bestseller . . .

*THE NO.1 & TOP TEN BESTSELLER*WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST MYSTERY/THRILLER*WINNER OF THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME FICTION*A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME PICKNEW YORK TIMESSUNDAY TIMES

‘An escapist pleasure‘An instantly gripping whodunnit’‘Smart, riveting, and deliciously refreshing ’’ LISA JEWELL_________________________________________________________________SUNDAY TIMESSTYLIST

It begins like any other day for Molly Gray, silently dusting her way through the luxury rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel.

dead in his bedit’s the maidBut when she enters suite 401 and discovers an infamous guest , a very messy mystery begins to unfold. And Molly’s at the heart of it – because if anyone can uncover the secrets beneath the surface, the fingerprints amongst the filth – . . .

_______________________________________________________

Everyone’s getting swept away by :The Maid

‘Excellent and totally entertaining . . . the most interesting (and endearing) main character in a long time’ STEPHEN KING

‘This is phenomenal thriller. Maid or murderer or victim? Find out in the book’ READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Gripping, deftly written, and led by a truly unforgettable protagonist in Molly. I'm recommending it to everyone I know' EMMA STONEX

‘I loved everything about this book’ READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I didn’t think I could love a character any more than I loved Eleanor Oliphant but along comes Molly the Maid. God, I love her’ READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Fresh, fiendish and darkly beguiling. The Maid is so thrillingly original, and clever, and joyous. I just adored every page’ CHRIS WHITAKER

‘Felt like a modern day homage to Agatha Christie’ READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Lots of twists and turns and highly gripping’ READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A No.4 bestseller for w/c 24/01/2022Sunday Times

A No.1 bestseller for w/c 31/01/2022New York Times

*Molly the maid returns in THE MYSTERY GUEST – available to buy now!*