Rob Rinder: The Defence, Cornerstone, pub date: June 2026, hardback, 9781529934779, ebook available,

I love this new series around young barrister Adam Greene with his battles in and outside of court, mostly with his colleagues in chambers. Always look forward to the next installment. The Defence was brilliantly entertaining. 

Adrian  Wells is an oily wellness-guru whose charisma provides the sales success for  herbal products all invented by his assistant Julie who remains in the background. During the very public launch of miracle bath salts,  Adrian dies an agonizing death as he lowers himself into the bathtube. The bath salts were poisoned.   His assistant Julie is immediately charged with murder as she was sueing her boss for co-ownership of their products.  I absolutely  loved  the plot and the backstabbing outside of court, great read.

 Viola Davis/ James Patterson: Judge Stone, Century, ebook available 

I am usually sceptical when co-authorships occur but "Judge Stone" clearly has Viola Davis voice and input. Reaĺly dug into this fine legal thriller, set in the black belt of the US south, Union Springs, Alabama . Here Judge Stone, a charismatic black woman and owner of a small farm, tries to deal out justice in her court without politics in mind. White racism is still in full bloom. 

When the local family doctor Bria Gaines  performs an abortion on pregnant Nova, a 13 year old girl brought in by the school nurse, she knows she is risking her career as abortions are illegal in Alabama. Dr. Gaines case is the setting for this explosive novel, I could not put it down and luckily read it in one go on a long flight home from the US literally feeling the steaming and dangerous atmosphere  Judge Stone faced daily.  An outstanding legal thriller that gripped me from start to finish. 

 Abir Mukherjee: The Pinnacle, Vintage, pub date: June 2026, ebook available

I am a big fan of Mukherjee's historical Wyndham & Banerjee mysteries but his upcoming stand alone mystery " The Pinnacle" won me over quickly with his tongue in cheek humour, excellent characters and tight plot. I read the proof, if you are in the mood for an action packed mystery set in current India, I can highly recommend The Pinnacle: 

Set in Mumbai, the secure luxury high rise The Pinnacle is home to a famous and rich clientel who want their peace and secrets hidden. George Abercombie, aging famous actor who has seen more successful days, and his Bollywood star wife Sweety Salota, with their assistants, maids and chauffeur also call The Pinnacle their home. When George wakes up on the couch after a drunken night to find his wife murdered in their bedroom, all hell breaks loose and this very entertaining mystery is set in motion. 

 Philippe Colin: The Barman of the Ritz, Doubleday, pub date: August 2026, 

9781529956399, available in German (Insel Verlag) already

" The Barman of the Ritz" by Philippe Colin drew me in from page one and held that fascination until the last page. The novel is based on real life characters taking fictional liberties, the author adds the biographies at the end.  Set at the famous bar at the Ritz in Paris with Franz Meier holding court as the legendary barman, the novel is set during the  years of Paris's Nazi occupation from 1940-1945. Its a chilling account, Fritz Meier was partially Jewish as was his son like assistant Luciano and Blanche, the general manager's wife and Meier's secret love. Meier managed to keep this hidden with the help of excellent fake papers throughout the occupation, with Nazi top brass holding court in his bar. With the help of the Swedish consulate he organized escapes for many Jews. The novel is a harrowing count of that part of Parisian history, human endurance and bravery till the bitter end. Excellent atmospheric historical read, highly recommend. Publishing August, I read the proof.

 Anne Hillerman: The way of the bear, Harper Collins, ebook available

I have been a lifelong fan of Tony Hillerman's thrillers set in New Mexico featuring Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn.

 His daughter Anne has continued the series after her father's passing, concentrating on detectives Chee and Manuelito who used to work with now retired Joe Leaphorn. In comparison to Tony Hillerman's work, I find her novels okay but lightweight. They make for easy reading, an armchair trip to New Mexico and never have my nerves on edge. Same goes for The way of the Bear. 

 However, the Netflix series Dark Winds is ace and really well done, all based on Tony's original writing but continued with a twist. 

 

Laurie Dove: Mask of the Deer Woman, Berkley/ Penguin Usa, read the ebook

Carrie Starr is an ex Chicago detective with an alcohol problem, a Native American heritage, and recently appointed as the new tribal marshall on the reservation where her father was raised.

 I immediately felt a connection with the narration and a protagonist who has a tragedy to overcome constantly ruffling feather with just about everyone.  Picking up on the real life facts of a rising number of native American women disappearing with very little resolve by the police to investigate the cases, the author created in Starr a complex character who makes it her mission to find a newly missing woman, Chenoa Cloud.

Dove does a fine job of weaving Native American mythology and current issues in tribal communities into an intriguing, unique thriller. I learned a sequel " Cry of the Rain crow" is scheduled for publication  later in the year, reaĺly looking forward to read more of what Carrie Starr is up to next. 

 Victor Ladato: Honey, Harper Perennial,  9780063309630, paperback

With Honey Fasinga, Victor Ladato has created one of the best octogenerian female characters I can think off, absoltuely fell in love with glamorous, inspiring, gutsy  Honey.  A literary novel with a rebellious heroine, the daughter of  a New Jersey mobster, she did the unthinkable in her Twenties and ran off to California to work as an art auctioneer in LA. Now in her eighties, she has returned home, confronted with the loss of her closest friends, her lover, her family's nephews and increasing signals of being in your eighties. Hilarious and sad at times,  I admired Honey' s guts particularly when she remembers the men in her life but also her adventurous spirit, allowing new people to join her world Female rage at it's best, loved this wonderful novel!

 Amity Gaige: Heartwood, Imprint: Fleet, paperback coming in May, ebook available,

I guess what drew me to this crime novel was the plot set around the disappearance of Valery Gillis, who goes missing hiking the tough, long Appalachian Trail.

 Leading the search party for her is Beverly, a Maine State Game warden, who is determined and confident to find her. Enter the second main protagonist, a strange elderly bird watcher, Lena, who is impaired living in a care facility and spends a lot of time online befriending some questionable contacts. Valeries diary entries during the search are the third narration in the plot, slowly shedding light to the puzzle of her disappearance.

For some reason I did not like the book as much as I thought I would, never really connected with the characters of Lena or Valerie.  Beverly I could identify the most with. It's a well written mystery but it never fully engaged me. 

 Ariel Lawhon: The wife, the maid and the mistress, Swift Press, ebook available, paperback Nov. 2026

If you are in the mood for read set in 1930ties New York of speakeasies and gangsters,  with three very strong female characters at the center of the book,  based on a real cold case around the disappearance of Judge Joe Carter, "The wife, the maid and the mistress" by Ariel Lawhon would be a perfect pick.

 I loved this atmospheric, mesmerizing mystery, told through the voices of the three women in corrupt Judge Joe Carter' s life: Stella Carter his tough, clever wife, Maria Simon, the maid who is married to detective Jude Simon who will be handling the case when Carter goes missing , and his mistress Ritzi, Sally Lou Ritz, a street-smart show girl. Great read, excellent writing , will not reveal more about the book. The author includes background information about the real characters at the end of the book. Thanks for the proof Swift Press. 

 Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney: Lake Effect, Harper Collins, 9780008799441, trade paperback

"Lake Effect" by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney is just as good as her previous bestseller " The Nest" which i adored. Set in 1977 , "The Joy of Sex" has just been published and has a lot to do with the trouble that is about to rock the foundation of two families in Rochester. 

When Nina Larkin falls in lust  and in love with Finn Finnegan, her next door neighbour,  the sexual revolution shakes up the lives of four adults and teenagers,  with the shock effect of that decision influencing everyone still years later, her daughter Clara the most. I absolutely devoured the book in 2 days, it is a great portrait of the time and the moral code then, funny, wise,  about love, desire and responsibilities towards your family and how to juggle that with your own needs.  A great read, loved Nina Larkin as a main character in particular, my heart really went out to her. Highly recommend if you like books about family dynamics. 

 Ann Patchett: Whistler, Bloomsbury, 9781037206498, large format paperback, pub date: 2. June 2026

Thank you Bloomsbury for my early proof of the upcoming Ann Patchett: Whistler, a great read and very much a feel good book. 

 Elizabeth Strout and Ann Patchett are both brilliant at dissecting families and their complicated dynamics. In "Whistler" Ann Patchett portraits that a seemingly family disaster years ago can, many years later through a fateful encounter,  turn into the most comforting, important relationship of a whole family.    As happens to Daphne Fuller, when during a visit to the Metropolitan Museum in NY, she runs into her beloved former stepfather Eddie, who disappeared from her life when her mother divorced him, never understanding what really happend . The novel unravels exactly that. 

We all need an Eddie in our lives was the overriding feeling the novel left me with. Loved the story, characters and the mood the novel left me with. 

 Garry Disher: Mischance Creek, 9781805226017, Viper, paperback

I am always excited about a new Garry Disher mystery, particularly the Paul Hirschhausen (Hirsch) series;  Mischance creek was definitely worth the wait. 

Typically in Disher's narration, not much happens until one is half way into the book. He is a master at describing seemingly ordinary encounters and landscapes effected by the worst draught outback. The consequence it has on the people in the community in Hirsch's turf, sets the mood for the novel.

When Annika Nordrum shows up to look into the 5 year old cold case of her missing mother along Mischance Creek, it ignites the proverbial spark that sets a whole chain of fateful events into motion. I plowed through the 400 page in record speed as i had to find out what was happening next to Hirsch. Already looking forward to the next one. Noir outback at its best.

 George Saunders: Vigil, Bloomsbury Publishing, c format paperback, 9781526624314, 

George Saunders "Vigil" is one of the most clever, wittiest and amazing stories I have read recently, had the best reading experience. 

Jill "Doll"  Blaine plummets from her afterlife down to earth to accompany badass oil tycoon K.J Boone during his last days on earth. 

In the beginning I found the book a little demanding, had to get used to Jill's shape shifting, her  Texan charge, the people important to her and also in Boone's life plus some fellow otherwordly characters interacting with her during her "job".  Once I got used to the quirkiness and the brilliant imagination of the story, I absolutely fell in love with the novel, particularly with Jill.   What a crazy, wise, clever book, how Saunders imagines afterlife is  an absolute masterpiece.  Must read!

 Arundhati Roy: Mother Mary comes to me, Hamish Hamilton, 9780241761724, large format paperback, 

( deutsche Ausgabe: Meine Zuflucht und mein Sturm)

Arundhati Roy's memoir is one of the best and most intense I have ever read. 

What an incredible life she has lived, dominated by a formidable mother whose feelings, cruelty and reactions towards her blew between hot and cold at any given moment throughout her entire life, shaping the person she became. It is such an intimate, disturbing, often funny portrait of a life, her success as a writer, her relationships, her education and family life in India, her mother's death and her political involvements which put her into some dangerous situations.  I was blown away by the account of her complicated, rich life,  an astonishing, extraordinary piece of writing. On my shelf of favorite books, a modern classic.

 Elizabeth Strout: The things we never say, Penguin Random House,

 9780241814307, hardcover, coming May 7, 2026

Elizabeth Strout has written a new, standalone novel whose protagonist Artie Dam would fit right into the characters around Olive Kitteridge. Except that Artie Dam is profoundly good, teacher of the year,  someone who has a lot to say but doesn't always say it. Which in turn has consequences.

How does Elizabeth Strout do it? I was sucked in from sentence go and sad when finishing the last page because, spoiler alarm, the book does not end on a bouncy note. Typical Strout, there is a melancholie flowing through Artie's and it seems everyone's life particularly when something profoundly happens in the middle of the book. Strout also weaves the current political development in the US into the book. 

In my view she is one of the best writers  writing about everyday life in all its cruelties with her unmissable style.  There are several sentences in the book that are so true and poignant that I had to mark them. Coming in May, thank you Penguin for the early netgalley. It was a treat.

 Salman Rushdie: The Eleventh Hour, Jonathan Cape, 9781787336056, trade paperback ( Deutsch:Die elfte Stunde, Penguin Verlag)

I working at Penguin when the "Satanic Verses" were published and we experienced the mayhem of the fatwa. Naturally i had to read "Knife" his book about the late attempt on his life that nearly killed him.

And now his latest book, " The Eleventh Hour", so very different, 5 short stories, some fairytale like, all full of imagination, moving between India, America and England, starting with two old quarrelsome men, who live next to each other in Chennai and ending with an old man whose life consists of just sitting on a piazza until he is catapulted into fame. "Oklahoma" was the most demanding  for me but so cleverly constructed, my favorites however were "Late", with a humorous ghost theme, and The Musician of Kahani. Ageing, death, love, identity and ghosts are the red thread running through all five stories.  It was such a treat and joy to submerge myself into Rushdie's masterfull storytelling.   

 Victor Suthammanont: Hollow Spaces, Counterpoint, ebook available now

"Hollow Spaces" was a NY Times Book Editors choice which prompted me to read this portrait of a flawed lawyer, the only Asian partner in a law firm, accused of having murdered his mistress, also a lawyer in his firm. 

His children Brennan and Hunter reunite years later, trying to make sense of what really happend;  their father was aquitted but never regained his life and their lives5 still overshadowed by the past, Brennan believing him to be innocent, her brother not.  The terminal illness of their mother prompts them to set out to uncover the truth. In part of course a whose done it, told in dual time lines with John Lo's and his children's voice, the narration is a finely drawn portrait of the catastrophic consequences their father's love for another woman had on their family. It is at times a heartbreaking story about discrimination, false expectations,  estrangement and does not have a glossy ending. I thought the book dragged on at times but all in all a fine psychological portrait of a tragic fall of a man and an excellent plot.

 Claire Douglas: The family friend, Michael Joseph, March 2026, hardbach and ebook

Claire Douglas is a new mystery author for me and thanks to a proof of The Family Frien, i snuggled up with this very well written mystery during a cold spell. Domestic violence is the overriding theme of this novel and the shadow it casts way beyond years when it happend. Switching between time lines and various characters,  the true story comescto light. 

Imogen, a journalist on leave, unexpectedly inherits a country house  from the artist Dorothea Roe, a woman who granted her, her mother and sister  refuge during a summer from her violent father. When they return, her mother is killed, her father accused of murder. Imogen decides to move into Dorothea's house in Bath with her boyfriend Josh where she discovers a box addressed to her igniting the investigative journalist. I will not reveal more, the book has many twist and turns,  a solid plot and i really had great fun reading The family friend.

 Eduardo Halfon: Tarantula, Penguin UK/ Hamish Hamilton,  9781405986762, paperbach, pub date March 2026

This is an extraordinary novel and I am still thinking about it, having ambivalent feelings.  Only 112 pages long it is a powerful story about what it means to be Jewish, present and past tense. Eduardo Halfon creates a masterful story, switching between a teenage and adult Eduardo, confronting his previous tormentor Salomon Blum who ran a youth camp in  Guatemala in 1984 where his US immegrated parents sent Eduardo and his brother.  At first a very normal youth camp, the tables are turned on day four where trusted Salomon Blum turns into a Nazi version as a concentration camp head. 

This disturbed me greatly when reading how the children are traumatized systematically. Eduardo's and Samuel's conversation years later about what happend and why,  steeling themselves to be Jewish in today's complex world, is thought provoking to say the least.  

 CJ Box: Battle Mountain, Penguin USa, 9780593851081, paperback, 

Started reading " Battle Mountain" before the 2025 endee and finished first day 2026. 

Picking up where the previous novel finished,  leaving Joe Pickett's neighbour Nate Romanoski's world in shreds due to the assault of their mutual enemy Axel Soledad, Battle Mountain sees Nate teaming up with another falconer Geronimo, to avenge his wife's death with Joe unaware of what is going on. True to form Joe Pickett novel, lots of action, a western of sorts but not too violent, escape reading where wrongs are rectified by a bunch of good guys. . If it were only that easy.