Maggie O'Farrell: Land, Tinder Press, large paperback

"Land" is probably my favorite literary read of the year so far, what a magnificent novel. I read it in episodes, I had to take breaks a few times as I  literarly felt the weight and cruelty of life in 1865 Ireland and what it ment for Tomas and his family, after the great hunger, but still casting its shadow on everyone's existence.

O' Farrell's imagination is extraordinary, the story of Tomas and his wife Phina, Liam, their oldest boy who turns against his father, Enda, the willful, gifted eldest daughter, sweet Rose and Eugene, who cannot speak but has special abilities, it's such a vivid, at times magical tale as one follows their heartbreaking and difficult life path, it completely swallowed me while I was reading and is still in my head now.  It's a book about hardship, tragedy, bravery but mostly about love and resilience, absolutely loved it.

 Chris Hammer: Legacy, Wildfire, ebook available and other format

 Chris Hammer's thrillers are mostly set in  the Australien outback and I am a big fan, particulary of his Nell Buchanan series. 

Legacy  features journalist Martin Scarsden who is on the run after a bomb blew up at the launch of his Mafia critical book. Someone wants him dead. He is hiding in a very desolate town in the outback receiving help from the most unlikely characters and gets sucked into resolving some terrible events from the past. 457 pages of a thrilling plot, excellent writing, colorful characters and atmospheric descriptions of the land make Legacy a solid escape read. 

 Chris Chibnall: The Parkwood Murders, Penguin, ebook available, hardback

Chris Chibnall of Broadchurch fame, has started a series with detective Nicola Bridge as the main protagonist with a complicated private life plus several strong side characters. 

The first book "Death at the White Heart"  was excellent. It took me a while to warm up to "Parkwood Murders", the name of a resort where a former manager is found dead in the pool. Bridge and her team are sent to investigate while also trying not to unsettle the guest.  It's a  solid whodunnit which eventuelly grabed me and has great potential for more episodes of Bridge and her team.

 William Boyd: Cold Sunset, Viking, 9780241761106, large format paperback, pub date: September 3, 2026

For me, any new publication by William Boyd is a joy but I am particulary taken by his Gabriel Dax series, starting with Gabriel's Moon, just finished the proof of the third and latest, "Cold Sunset" which totally delivers. Boyd has such a wide spectrum in his work, I am always in awe. Gabriel Dax leads a double life as a travel writer and spy since he got sucked into that profession in Gabriel's Moon. Not only are the plots great, but the sixties setting and the Cold war makes Cold Sunset particularly attractive. Boyd is one of my favorite authors and I wholeheartedly urge you to read the Gabriel spy novels, they are clever, fun and hook you completely.

 A.E.Goldin: Death on the Pearl River, Pushkin Press, pubdate: September 2026,

I loved this historical crime novel, particularly the protagonist Ben Canaan, who comes from a East end Jewish family.  The story is set in London during the time of the opium trade and moves on to Hong Kong and China where Ben is sent by the foreign office to solve a string of murders. All victims are tied to prominent trading firms and the Pearl river. It is full of good old fashioned suspense, tightly plotted with many twists and turns. If you are looking for a Sherlock Holmes type of mystery in exotic settings,  this is a great choice. The second book in a series, to be continued, looking forward to it. I read the proof.

 Hannah Rothschild: The Baroness. The search for Nica, the rebellious Rothschild, Virago

If you love biographies about unusual women and jazz, this is it. Hannah Rothschild's biography about the black sheep in her family, her great-aunt Nica, who had it all, a handsome husband, children and a trust fund, only not to give a damn, running off to New York after hearing Thelonious Monk's revolutionary music. She became one of the most important supporters for jazz musicians and Thelonious especially until his death, known as the baroness in the NewYork jazz scene. I found the biography absolutely fascinating and entertaining, really well researched, including the history of the Rothschild family. An extraordinary life of a rebellious character, loved it! 

 Daniel Silva: Ransom, Harper Collins, available,

Vintage reliable Gabriel Allon material, practising his art resoration brilliance on old masters again,  only to be whisked away from his Cornwall estate by a pleading billionare whose wife has disappeared during a weekend away with her girlfriends. 

In true Allon fashion the search for her unravels a lot of questionable activities, intrigues and secrets,  no more details as it would spoil this perfect beach read. 

Jonathan Ames: The Past without Pictures, Pushkin Vertigo, pub date: October 2026,

Written in the tradition of a crime noir novel, the protagonist, a rookie homicide detective, Maria, kills a young teenager on her first assignment and learns that her father, a convicted fellon who killed a child during a drunk driving accident, has also been killed the same. day. She decides to look into her fathers murder when attending his funeral and all hell breaks loose. There are parts of the novel that are gripping and well plotted but all in all I felt there was something missing, maybe the plot could have been more developed.  A thrilling short novel I read on a long journey, thank you for the early proof Pushkin

 C.J. Box: The Crossroads, Head of Zeus/ Bloomsbury , ebook available

Big fan of the Joe Pickett series, always a great armchair trip to Wyoming but this novel almost sees the end of Joe Pickett when he is shot in an ambush receiving serious head injuries leaving him barely alive. 

His daughters April, Sheridan and Lucy start an investigation of their own into the last days and hours of their fathers activities, not trusting the new sheriff, hoping to find out who wants their father dead. This novel is one of the better Joe Pickett books, really enjoyed the narration which gives a refreshing emphasis to the women in Joe's life.

 Garry Disher: Under the Cold Bright Lights, c format paperback, Profile Books, 16. July pub date

Garry Disher is considered the king of the Australian noir crime novel. I am a big fan of his Paul Hirsch mysteries but his stand alone novels are all excellent. Under the Cold Bright Lights being his latest, has a very unusual twist I did not expect, first feeling ambivalent about it but decided it is actually a brilliant change in the plot, will not reveal more as it would ruin the reading. 

 The protagonist of the novel, Sergeant Alan Auhl, a retired homicide cop, decides retirement is too boring for him and has now joined the cold case unit. There are a lot of details with the cold cases and characters to keep tabs on as a reader but the major shift comes from Auhl himself and that's all I will say. Coming in July, a great holiday mystery with very likeable characters.

 Addie Citchens: Dominion, Europa Editions, 9781787706156, paperback

Shortlisted for the Womens Prize for fiction, recommended by publishing friends: this is one of the most powerful novels I have read in a while. Wow.

Brilliantly narrated by two very different women, Diamond and Priscilla, who both love the same man, Wonderboy/ Manny/Emmanuel, one the girlfriend, the other the mother, both rooted in the deep Southern US  church communities and its patriachial structure, I found myself immediately drawn in by this often funny, yet heartbreaking drama, and the masterful writing,  read the novel in two days. Go buy it, its an incredible read. 

 Matt Haig: The Midnight Train, Canongate, ebook available 

Midnight Library is a book I still buy as a gift or recommend, a wise fable with much food for thought. 

"Midnight train" continues with this train of thought: what happens if you were given a second chance and are on a train  stopping at important pathways of your life, this after you died and became a ghost, as happens to Wilbur, a bookseller who started a successful book chain but lost the love of his life, Maggie, during the process. 

For me I guess the surprise element was lacking with Midnight Train and although still filled with some insightful thoughts, didn't  quite do it for me this time.

 Jane Harper: Last one out, Pan Macmillian, C format paperback,  ebook available 

Jane Harper is the Queen of Australian noir crime and "Last one out" is a very slow burner of a novel that is less a mystery but a masterful psychological dissection of what happens to a town and its inhabitants when mining moves in and destroys the past, present and future. Sam Crowley visits his family in the dying town Carralon,  disappearing without much of a trace on the day of his 21th birthday. His family and particularly his mother Ro are still digging for answers to what happend to him 5 years later. 

You need to hold out until the last 100 pages before the actual crime sees some fresh insights and development. For me the  individual characters in the book and the narration of the catastrophic helplessness of a whole town up against powerful mining companies and the impact on everyone's life made the book. The ending fit perectly, a plausible answer to the actions of desperate humans,  very compelling read with a noir, melancholical undertone.

 Jo Murray: Dissection of a murder,  Pan Macmillian, ebook and other formats

Wow, this one hell of a legal murder mystery!!! Very unusual excellent plot that had me reading  way into the night as I could not stop. Definitely outside of the box of what I expected, I sure as hell did not see the ending coming. 

Set in the UK juidical system, with a husband and wife team battling each other on opposite sides, Leila Reynolds defence and her first murder case, her high calibar husband Julian  prosection. Their conflict alone is worth the read but it becomes totally  explosive when the man accused of killing, Jack Millman pleads not guilty despite overwhelming evidence giving his defence team no further insight. Excellent characters, one can tell the author used to be a barrister, best crime novel I read all year! 

Rory Clements: Invitation from a Dictator, pubdate: August 2026, Viking, ebook available, i read a proof

New historical thriller, featuring Detective Sebastian Wolff, book no 3 in the series, which I have really come to enjoy, all set during the rise of the Third Reich. Clements does a good job of portraying the conflict of those in government or juidical positions who did not want to play by the new rules the Nazis have installed.

 The upcoming visit of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and their protection plus a brutal murder put Seb Wolff in a tight spot, as demands by superiors and Nazi thugs collide heavily with his own beliefs.  The strength of the novel lies in portraying how the political developments played havoc with everyone's life, when trying to hide other political leanings or if family members did not fit the standards of the new German. 

 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.