Crime

The Last Devil to Die (The Thursday Murder Club, Book 4) by Richard Osman

Reviewed by Margaret Snowdon

This newest addition to Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series was my introduction to the unconventional retirees from Coopers Chase. Some may be appalled that I didn’t start with the first title in the series, but I’ve always felt that…

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The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

One cannot describe The Golden Spoon without first comparing it to eating a chocolate lava cake: the outside is so neat, pristine, and perfectly preserved in shape, until you dig in and the darkness within pools out into an irreversible…

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Ripper by Shelley Burr

Reviewed by Kate McIntosh

The ‘Rainier Ripper’ murdered three people, 17 years ago. A truck driver was charged and jailed, and the small town of Rainier and its inhabitants have been trying to get on with their lives ever since. Now the town is…

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My Husband by Maud Ventura & Emma Ramadan (trans.)

Reviewed by Lian Hingee

A few years ago every second domestic thriller came out with breathless marketing comparing it to Gillian Flynn’s bestselling blockbuster Gone Girl. But few (if any) managed to capture the same darkly sly humour; compelling, if abhorrent, narrators; or…

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Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

Meet Saffy: socialite, supermodel, philanthropist, and serial killer. Her favourite form of charity is killing murderers, rapists, paedophiles, and other bad men. Killing is easy, but getting a boyfriend is much harder. Saffy has a crush – the stalker-obsession kind…

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Dark Corners by Megan Goldin

Reviewed by Kate McIntosh

Aspiring crime writers, read this book. If anyone can show you how to grab ahold of a reader and not let go, it’s Megan Goldin. It only took me eight pages to realise I wasn’t going to get anything else…

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The Watchful Wife by Suzanne Leal

Reviewed by Elke Power

Ellen and her husband Gordon are high school English teachers. They met while working at the school where Ellen still teaches, but not long after they are married, Gordon moves to a new school for a promotion. Everything is going…

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The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters

Reviewed by Margaret Snowdon

I picked up this book looking forward to a crime novel set in a place I know very little about: Lagos, Nigeria. ‘The Nigerwives’ referenced in the title are a support group formed by all the women who have married…

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Lay Your Body Down by Amy Suiter Clarke

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

Lay Your Body Down is a powerful and alluring novel about mob mentality, indoctrination, and confronting one’s demons.

Delilah vowed never to return to her hometown in Minnesota and its cult-like church, but when her ex-boyfriend, Lars, dies, Del follows…

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The Shot by Naima Brown

Reviewed by Elke Power

If you are looking for a disturbing and absorbing story that is (hopefully only loosely) informed by real-life professional experience, and will make you fundamentally question the baseline ethical standards and direction of contemporary entertainment, look no further. The Shot

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