Top list: Crime

From the New York Times bestselling author of Speaking in Bones, the first Temperance Brennan novel in the “cleverly plotted and expertly maintained series” (The New York Times Book Review).

Her life is devoted to justice—even for those she never knew.

In the year since Temperance Brennan left behind a shaky marriage in North Carolina, work has often preempted her weekend plans to explore Quebec. When a female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in trash bags, Temperance detects an alarming pattern—and she plunges into a harrowing search for a killer. But her investigation is about to place those closest to her—her best friend and her own daughter—in mortal danger…

“A genius at building suspense” (Daily News, New York), Kathy Reichs’s Temperance Brennan books are ripe with intricate settings and memorable characters” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

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 … ?

Hercule Poirot thought that retiring to a small village to do some gardening would bring his detective career to a halt. But when Roger Ackroyd's body is found in his study with a knife stabbed into him, Poirot takes on the case. Ackroyd, whose wealthy fiancee had just recently committed suicide, is hosting a dinner party for a swathe of guests one night when a friend comes to him in confidence and reveals that someone had been blackmailing his late fiancee. That is the last time anyone saw Mr. Ackroyd alive. Join one of Agatha Christie's most notable characters in this entertaining and surprising murder mystery.

""Full of tongue-in-cheek humor, excellent dialogue, and fantastic characters, this expertly crafted story from Carter (The Blonde Identity) is a heart-melting rivals-to-lovers romance combined with a delightful locked-room mystery."" — Library Journal (starred review)

Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

The laugh out loud holiday ""romystery"" that you've been waiting for!

Meet Annie Hart: newly inherited yarn and tea shop owner and reluctant amateur sleuth.

Annie Hart, daughter of Bryan Hart—talent agent to the stars—spends her life getting roped into whatever new task her father needs her to do for his VIP clients. So when she inherits a yarn shop in the small Indiana town of Franklin, she is curious to see what it feels like to have something that is solely hers!

But when her arrival is greeted by the local law enforcement, Annie senses things are not quite as they seem in this idyllic town . . . everyone knows everybody in Franklin yet when it comes to the death of the shop's previous owner, nobody seems sure of anything!

Annie soon discovers that Eleanor Danton was in fact murdered, strangled with her own yarn . . . invigorated by her need to find out the truth, and feeling somehow at home with the friendly bunch of local yarn artists who frequent the shop, she sets out to finding the killer. Much can be achieved over a cuppa and a yarn . . .

Listeners who love super cozy culinary mysteries will eat up this new charming cozy mystery series.

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.

'One of the best books ever, in one of the best series ever! It is THAT good!’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ NetGalley Reviewer

master of horror⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A and suspense’ NetGalley Reviewer

the perfect heroine‘Matilda Darke is ’ Elly Griffiths

A MISSING DETECTIVE

DCI Matilda Darke has been kidnapped and her nemesis, Steve Harrison appears to be behind it. He’s currently residing in the supermax of Wakefield Prison and spends twenty-three hours a day in his cell, so how could he possibly be responsible?

A SERIAL KILLER WITH A VENGEANCE

As Matilda’s team race to find her, they’re alerted to a body found in an abandoned car on the outskirts of Sheffield. With forensics scouring the woodland for clues, the last thing they expect is for the body count to rise.

A RACE AGAINST TIME

Meanwhile the search intensifies for the DCI when a video of her kidnapping is leaked to the media. And as she desperately tries to uncover what has led to her being held captive in an underground cell, she’s about to find out how much danger she’s truly in.

If Matilda’s team don’t find her soon, they might not find her at all…

‘Wow what a book… I adore this series and every book is better and better’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

sets off at a hundred miles an hour and never lets off‘This book … this is my favourite detective series’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

shocking‘Exciting, tense and compelling… and brilliant’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

twists keep on coming‘Wow! Wow! Wow! The to the last page’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This blew me away‘I don’t have words! Wow just wow! . DCI Matilda Darke and her team are my favourite detectives’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

some crazy twists and turns‘This book had a bit of everything… ’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

nail-biting‘Another cracking, read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Early readers have been blown away by Below Ground:

Darriby Hall is famous for entertaining second-tier aristocrats, tales from distant lands and a dead body . . . every now and then.

England, 1926

When an American party of intellectuals, who boast of knowledge of a rare slug species, ask Lady Darriby-Jones to stay at Darriby Hall, she hesitantly agrees.

She is in for a rude awakening when one of them is found dead with a gunshot wound. She thought it would be a matter that might be swept under the carpet until she's identified as a suspect. It leads her to wonder:

Who's the trigger-happy culprit? When did they turn into a slug-slayer? How on earth did they pull off this shocking slug-icide? And . . . Why, oh why, would anyone shoot a slug savant?

With her reputation teetering on the brink of disgrace, Lady Darriby-Jones must reluctantly embrace her inner detective and ask more uncomfortable questions if she is to prove her innocence and find a cunning killer.

Failure to do so will lead to her good name being tarnished and a bumbling police chief dragging her behind bars.

'This is David Baldacci at his best' - Michael Connelly

'I couldn’t stop turning the pages, fascinated, moved, horrified' – Alex Michaelides

'A Tour de Force' – S.A. Cosby

'May be the best novel David Baldacci has ever written' - Scott Turow

'A tale of high tension, false assumptions and stubborn humanity' - Stacey Abrams

Set in the tumultuous year of 1968 in southern Virginia, a murder case sets a duo of Black and white lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants in this courtroom drama from the number one bestselling author David Baldacci.

Jack Lee is a white lawyer from Freeman County, Virginia, who has never done anything to push back against racism, until he decides to represent Jerome Washington, a Black man charged with killing an elderly and wealthy white couple. Doubting his decision, Lee fears that his legal skills may not be enough to prevail in a case where the odds are already stacked against both him and his client. And he quickly finds himself out of his depth when he realizes that what is at stake is far greater than the outcome of a murder trial.

Desiree DuBose is a Black lawyer from Chicago who has devoted her life to furthering the causes of justice and equality for everyone. She comes to Freeman County and enters a fractious and unwieldy partnership with Lee in a legal battle against the best prosecutor in town. Yet DuBose is also aware that powerful outside forces are at work to blunt the victories achieved by the Civil Rights era.

Lee and DuBose could not be more dissimilar. On their own, neither one can stop the prosecution’s deliberate march towards a guilty verdict and the electric chair. But together, the pair fight for what once seemed impossible: a chance for a fair trial and true justice.

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?

Danielle Garrett presents Book 3 in the Sugar Shack Witch Mysteries.

What connects a massacre in a Blockbuster video store in 1999 with the murder of four teenagers fifteen years later?

It's New Year's Eve of 1999 when four teenagers working late are attacked at a Blockbuster video store in New Jersey. Only one inexplicably survives. Police quickly identify a suspect, the boyfriend of one of the victims, who flees and is never seen again.

Fifteen years later, four more teenagers are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town, and again only one makes it out alive.

In the aftermath of the latest crime, three lives intersect: the lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre, who is forced to relive the horrors of her tragedy; the brother of the fugitive accused, who is convinced the police have the wrong suspect; and FBI agent Sarah Keller, who must delve into the secrets of both nights to uncover the truth about the night shift murders...

'A terrific thriller, tautly written with compelling characters. I was totally hooked' PETER JAMES

'Wow, this is crime fiction at its best. Instantly immersive, pacy and propulsive, and full of surprises. Alex Finlay is the real deal, believe me' LEE CHILD

"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?"

**Don't miss MAKING A KILLING, the new DI Adam Fawley thriller, OUT NOW**

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THE *INSTANT* NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

*THE FIRST EVER STAND-ALONE FROM AUTHOR OF THE DI ADAM FAWLEY MILLION-COPIES-SOLD SERIES*

**A Financial Times Best Book of 2023**

**A Guardian Best Crime and Thriller book of 2023**

‘This devilishly clever, ground-breaking novel will keep you guessing’ IAN RANKIN

‘This book had me riveted to the page. It is original, inventive and totally 21st Century… Just brilliant!’ JANICE HALLETT

–––-

IT WAS A CASE THAT GRIPPED THE NATION

LUKE RYDER’S MURDER HAS NEVER BEEN SOLVED

In October 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home in London, leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything.

Now, secrets will be revealed – live on camera.

Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence on Infamous, a true-crime show – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on?

Or does the truth lie closer to home?

Can you solve the case before they do?

The truth will blow your mind.

Over a million copies sold of Cara Hunter books across all formats (paperback, ebook and audio) as of 1st July 2023

MURDER IN THE FAMILY was a #7 Sunday Times bestseller for week ending 3rd September 2023

*PRAISE FOR MURDER IN THE FAMILY*

‘Unique and hugely enjoyable.’ Sunday Express

'Addictive’ Sunday Times

‘An excellent, wholly original whodunnit!’ Gilly MacMillan

‘Genius premise with all the twistiness you’d expect from Cara Hunter. Her best yet!’ Victoria Selman

‘Reads like True Crime—relentlessly twisty and utterly compelling’ Shari Lapena

Return to the world of the Farseers…

Robin Hobb’s best loved characters, Fitz , The Fool and Nighteyes the wolf, face new adventures and trials in the first book of The Tawny Man trilogy.

When Assassin’s Quest closed, Fitz was living in self-imposed exile. Wracked with pain, he had chosen to discard the magical gifts that had seen him survive the wonders and torments of navigating the legendary city of the Elderlings, and of raising a dragon.

Now, in this the first of a new trilogy, we are returned to the world of the Six Duchies and the lives of those who managed to survive the events of the first Assassin trilogy.

Fifteen years have passed and events are about to sweep Fitz out of his quiet backwater life and into the main political current again. Persecution of the Witted has become rampant throughout the Six Duchies despite Queen Kettricken’s effort to damp it. The Witted themselves have begun to strike back. So when 15 year old Prince Dutiful disappears, is it only because he is nervous about his betrothal ceremony to an Outislander princess, or has he been taken hostage by the Witted? Worse, is he perhaps another ‘Piebald Prince’, a Farseer tainted by Wit magic? As the desperate situation worsens, Kettricken has no choice but to summon Fitz to Buckkeep, for who better to track the young prince down than another gifted with the Wit, together with his bonded companion, the wolf Nighteyes?

The whole capital seems to have gone Go-crazy when Lakan publishes a book about his games. He’s got even bigger plans, holding a Go tournament that’s open to all—and rumor has it that if anyone can topple the strategist himself, he’ll grant them any single request they might ask. Jinshi sees an opportunity.

But it’s not all fun and games, as Jinshi learns when reports arrive of crops devastated by a plague of locusts in a remote village. All his attempts to forestall the insects’ devastation will soon be put to the test, and the outcome may mean survival or starvation.

When a retired police inspector suddenly drops dead in a train carriage arriving at Charing Cross station, young London barrister Hetherwick finds himself the key witness to the murder.

Thrust into the centre of this terrifying mystery, Hetherwick must unveil the disturbing truths of the case and locate the nefarious culprit.

Fans of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ will be enthralled by this 20th century crime classic, a gripping tale of mystery and suspense that will have them on the edge of their seats till the very end.

Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863 – 1935), better known as J.S Fletcher, was a prolific English journalist and author of over 230 books. Raised as the son of a clergyman in West Yorkshire, Fletcher would go on to become a creative powerhouse of crime fiction during ‘The Golden Age of Detective Fiction’.

Best remembered for his crime novels featuring Private Investigator Ronald Camberwell, Fletcher was considered a contemporary of Sir Arthur Doyle of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ fame.

Any fans craving classic crime after watching ‘Knives Out’ or Robert Downey Jr’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ simply must read some of J.S. Fletcher’s fantastic work.

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING SENSATION

WINNER OF WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2025

A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK

‘A full-fat, Michelin-starred treat’

THE SUNDAY TIMES

‘A cult phenomenon’

iNEWS

‘Took the literary world by storm’

BBC

‘A killer Japanese novel’

THE TIMES

'I have been glued to Butter’ NIGEL SLATER

The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story, and translated by Polly Barton.

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body. Might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?

Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, 'The Konkatsu Killer', Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, gripping exploration of misogyny, obsession and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

Longlisted for the CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger Award 2025

'It isn’t entirely clear whether to read the novel or devour it’ OBSERVER

‘Readers around the world are finding themselves utterly captivated’ DAILY MAIL

‘I really enjoyed it’ MEERA SYAL, on BBC Between the Covers

'Compelling, delightfully weird' PANDORA SYKES

'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' ERIN KELLY

'You’ll be craving rice, butter and soy sauce in no time’

STYLIST

‘Nothing short of ingenious’ iNEWS

‘Ambitious and unsettling’

GUARDIAN

'Luscious … I devoured this' IMOGEN CRIMP

'A salty morsel with one hell of a bite’ ALICE SLATER

*SOON TO BE A MAJOR NETFLIX TV SERIES STARRING TESSA THOMPSON AND PRODUCED BY JESSICA CHASTAIN*

‘Stunning, addictive … this book should not be missed!’ Samantha Downing, Sunday Times bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

‘This is great … Keeps you guessing all the way through’ Jane Fallon

‘Alice writes the twisty sort of novel that leaves you breathless and unsure about everything and everyone… Warning – could cause sleepless nights!’ Adele Parks, Platinum

‘The ultimate rollercoaster reading experience’ Woman & Home

‘Dark, twisted, and oh-so-good’ Prima

‘We gulped down this intense thriller in one heart-in-our-mouth afternoon – it's that good!’ Sun on Sunday Fabulous

'Cleverly plotted and tightly written, this deliciously dark thriller will leave readers breathless… Feeney’s best book yet’ Daily Express

‘A pacy thriller full of lies’ My Weekly

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If there are two sides to every story, someone is always lying…

Jack: Three words to describe my wife: Beautiful. Ambitious. Unforgiving.

Anna: I only need one word to describe my husband: Liar.

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Anna’s ex-husband, DCI Jack Harper, is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.

Someone is lying, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

**************************************************

Readers LOVE Alice Feeney:

‘An absolute must for thriller fans!’

‘I loved every page of this book’

‘Absolutely enthralling’

‘Best psychological thriller I have read’

‘This book completely sucked me in. I couldn’t put it down’

‘It's dark, disturbing, beautifully written and finished it in almost one sitting’

_________________________________________________________________

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!*