Recent Crime and Thriller Novels: A Comprehensive Review Roundup
This week's selection of crime and thriller novels offers a diverse range of stories, from nostalgic family dramas to chilling satires and espionage tales. Each book delves into themes of secrets, betrayal, and the complexities of human nature, providing readers with gripping narratives and rich character development.
The Barbecue at No 9 by Jennie Godfrey
Jennie Godfrey's second novel, The Barbecue at No 9, is set against the backdrop of the iconic Live Aid concert on July 13, 1985. The story unfolds at a barbecue hosted by the Gordon family in a new-build cul-de-sac in an unspecified English location. As neighbors gather and music fills the air, the novel gradually reveals the intricate backstories of its characters.
Key figures include teenage Hanna, who plans to escape her preoccupied father and socially ambitious mother, mysterious Rita from Australia seeking a fresh start, and ex-soldier Steve, whose paranoia is heightened by a shadowy observer. Like Godfrey's debut, The List of Suspicious Things, this is not a traditional whodunnit but a slow-burn exploration of friendship, community, and family secrets. It examines the choices and lies people make to protect themselves and others, enhanced by a nostalgic vibe and a terrific built-in soundtrack from the era.
A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage by MK Oliver
MK Oliver's debut novel, A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage, centers on Lalla Rook, a manipulative and empathy-lacking 'yummy mummy' living in Muswell Hill, London, with her banker husband and two children. Despite her privileged life, Lalla ambitiously aims for a larger house in Hampstead and a spot at an exclusive school for her daughter, who shows similar antisocial traits.
The plot thickens when Lalla murders an intruder just before her son's birthday party, only to discover he may have been investigating her murky past. With elements of murder, body disposal, and blackmail, Lalla stops at nothing to achieve her goals. Told with gusto, this satirical thriller features twisty plotting and lavish lifestyle details, making it a perfect antidote to winter blues and a sharp critique of social ambition.
A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford
Set in the late 1970s in Glasgow's Possilpark district, a area plagued by poverty, crime, and sectarianism, Frances Crawford's superb debut, A Bad, Bad Place, is narrated from two perspectives. Twelve-year-old Janey discovers a young woman's body while walking her dog, but fears telling the police everything she knows, becoming entangled in adult machinations.
Her grandmother Maggie, who has raised Janey since a gas explosion killed her immediate family, harbors her own secrets and strives to protect her granddaughter. However, poverty and limited choices make Maggie vulnerable, especially as the dead woman is linked to a notorious criminal family. This well-observed coming-of-age mystery blends trauma, grief, and magical thinking with flashes of humor and pathos, creating real suspense and emotional depth.
Holy Boy by Lee Heejoo
Translated by Joheun Lee, Holy Boy by Lee Heejoo is a timely novel exploring parasocial relationships, a concept highlighted as Cambridge Dictionary's 2025 word of the year. The story follows four women with obsessive connections to a K-pop idol, who band together to kidnap him and hold him captive in a Seoul mountain mansion.
As their backstories unfold, the reasons for their delusions of intimacy with the stranger become clear, leading to competition and complications when an unexpected visitor arrives. While the premise is terrific and Lee Heejoo builds unhinged, febrile tension, the translation is stilted and occasionally confusing, detracting from the overall impact of this psychological thriller.
A Stranger in Corfu by Alex Preston
Alex Preston's latest novel, A Stranger in Corfu, reimagines the Ionian island of Vidos as a 'spyland' akin to Mick Herron's Slough House, where compromised MI6 agents are neither detained nor free. In 1995, Nina Woolf, suffering from PTSD, is sent there after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
When shots are fired at her and an older agent, initially blamed on poachers, and another agent is found drowned, it seems the past is catching up. The narrative then rewinds 50 years to idealistic Oxford students dedicated to advancing communism within the British establishment. This tale of betrayal, disillusionment, and the cost of ideology is both compelling and humane, offering a sunlit yet purgatorial take on espionage.
These novels showcase the breadth of the crime and thriller genre, from family secrets and societal satire to historical espionage and psychological drama, each providing unique insights into human behavior and suspenseful storytelling.
