12 crime novels that offer more than a body count
Planning your summer reading? Authors Kia Abdullah (Those People Next Door and Next of Kin) and Nadine Matheson (The Jigsaw Man and The Binding Room) have joined forces to recommend 12 crime novels and thrillers that expose the dark heart of society... but are also rather brilliant for reading by the pool.
"It's no secret that crime novelists take their readers to dark places. Grisly killings and creepy villains are par for the course, but there's a different shade of darkness that we find particularly interesting. It exists in the bleakest chambers of society, hiding underfed children, beleaguered women and men with broken spirits. Crime novels that explore these dark chambers offer more than a body count. They make us think, and feel, and consider our place in the order of things. Below, we pick our favourite novels that expose the dark heart of society." Kia Abdullah & Nadine Matheson
Kia
The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
"I killed a little boy today" is how our eight-year-old narrator begins this novel, but what sounds like a pulpy premise – a child killer grows up to have a child of her own – evolves into a powerful portrait of poverty, neglect and redemption, interspersed with moments of unbearable poignancy. Like all the best crime fiction, it tackles heavy themes but is never less than gripping.
All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien
When journalist Ky Tran's brother is murdered, she returns to the deprived Sydney suburb of her youth. Denny was killed in a busy restaurant, but each diner claims that they saw nothing. Who are they protecting and why? All That's Left Unsaid weaves a gripping mystery with a complex portrayal of displacement, trauma and the crippling cost of assimilation.
After the Lights Go Out by John Vercher
Xavier Wallace is an ageing MMA fighter who’s losing his battle with pugilistic dementia. Faced with a last-ditch chance to break into the big leagues, Xavier must throw his big fight or suffer deadly consequences. A riveting portrait of masculinity, vulnerability and alienation, it couples propulsive action with an aching tenderness.
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Ani FaNelli has it all: a glamorous job, a designer wardrobe and a handsome fiancé from an Old Money family – but behind her meticulously crafted facade lies the darkest of pasts. A cutting look at class, privilege and gender inequality, Luckiest Girl Alive is almost as good as Gone Girl.
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
This is the story of Ted who lives with his young daughter, Lauren, and his cat, Olivia, in an ordinary house on Needless Street. Behind closed doors, however, lies an unspeakable secret that binds them together. Dark, clever and audacious, it’s one of the best debuts we've read.
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Winter Counts tackles drugs and violence on a Native American Reservation in South Dakota. It follows Virgil Wounded Horse, a local enforcer who doles out justice when it’s denied by the American legal system. Haunting, lyrical and deeply atmospheric, it marks the arrival of a blistering new voice in fiction.
Nadine
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
The body of a teenage girl is found in the snow on the island of Shetland. The small community immediately blame Magnus Tait who is a recluse and has learning difficulties. Inspector Perez, who despite being born on Shetland is still considered an outsider, investigates the murder. Raven Black is atmospheric, claustrophobic, and tense. The unravelling of a small knit community as they rush to judgement and the exposure of their deep-rooted prejudices is riveting.
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
When they were children, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus, and Dave Boyle were friends until the day one of the boys gets into a strange car and something terrible happens that ends their friendship. 25 years later Jimmy’s daughter is murdered and Sean who is now a detective investigates the murder. Mystic River takes into every dark corner of the characters minds as it explores the effect of childhood trauma as it ripples through their lives.
The Dry by Jane Harper
Kiewarra is suffering from the worst drought in a century when three members of the Hadler family are murdered. Federal Police investigator Aaron Falk reluctantly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his childhood friend and is forced to probe deeper into murders. The Dry is complex, taut, and riveting. It’s fascinating to see the simmering anger of their inhabitants as their dark secrets are brought to the light.
I Know What You've Done by Dorothy Koomson
What if all your neighbours' secrets landed in a diary on your doorstep? What if the woman who gave it to you was murdered by one of the people in the diary? What if the police asked if you knew anything? Would you hand over the book of secrets? So many 'What If's in this dark and clever domestic noir that is full of twists and will have you wondering what’s going on in your neighbour’s house and what do they really think of you.
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Prepare to be taken on a journey that is dark, layered and at times terrifying Titus Crowne is an ex-FBI agent, the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County and he is in pursuit of a serial killer. We are taken on a journey that exposes deep rooted prejudices, the effects of trauma and how morality and justice can be interpreted so differently.
The Truth about the Henry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker
In 1975, Nola Kellergen disappears at the age of 15. 33 years later, novelist Marcus Goldman is suffering from writer’s block and visits his mentor Harry Quebert who is one of America’s most respected novelists. During the visit, Harry is arrested for the murder of Nola Kellergen. Marcus now has a new goal to investigate the truth about the Henry Quebert affair. Nothing is what it seems. Loyalty, obsession, secrets, deception are the themes of this novel that forces us to look carefully at the characters and their own dark behaviour.
About Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah
WELCOME TO YOUR DREAM HOME…
Salma Khatun is extremely hopeful about Blenheim, the safe suburban development to which she, her husband and their son have just moved. Their family is in desperate need of a fresh start, and Blenheim feels like the place to make that happen.
MEET YOUR NEW NEIGHBOURS…
Not long after they move in, Salma spots her neighbour, Tom Hutton, ripping out the anti-racist banner her son put in their front garden. She chooses not to confront Tom because she wants to fit in. It’s a small thing, really. No need to make a fuss. So Salma takes the banner inside and puts it in her window instead. But the next morning she wakes up to find her window smeared with paint.
AND PREPARE FOR THE NIGHTMARE TO BEGIN…
This time she does confront Tom, and the battle lines between the two families are drawn. As things begin to escalate and the stakes become higher, it’s clear that a reckoning is coming… And someone is going to get hurt.
A gripping thriller about nightmare neighbours, Those People Next Door explores the loss of innocence and how far we’re prepared to go to defend ourselves and the people we love.
About The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson (DI Henley #2)
In this room, no one can hear you scream…
The Serial Crimes Unit are called in to investigate when a local pastor is found stabbed to death. As DI Henley assesses the crime scene, she discovers a hidden door that conceals a room set up for torture – and bound to the bed in the middle of the room is the body of a man.
When another body is found, also tied down, Henley realises there’s someone out there torturing innocent people and leaving them for dead. But why?
There's nothing that connects the victims. They didn’t know each other. Their paths never crossed. But someone has targeted them, and it’s up to Henley and the SCU to stop them before they find another binding room…
