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The best crime audiobooks of 2021

The Bone Code

A GRIPPING, EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT ADDITION TO THE NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING TEMPERANCE BRENNAN SERIES

'I await the next Kathy Reichs thriller with the same anticipation I have for the new Lee Child or Patricia Cornwell' JAMES PATTERSON

'Over the course of twenty books, Kathy Reichs and Tempe Brennan have thrilled readers with pacey, mazey tales . . . We readers are truly grateful' IAN RANKIN

A storm has hit South Carolina, dredging up crimes of the past.

En route to Isle of Palms, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan receives a call from the Charleston coroner. During the storm, a medical waste container has washed up on the beach. Inside are two decomposed bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting and bound with electrical wire. Chillingly, Tempe recognizes many details as identical to those of an unsolved case she handled in Quebec fifteen earlier. With a growing sense of foreboding, she flies to Montreal to gather evidence and convince her boss Pierre LaManch to reopen the cold case. She also seeks the advice—and comfort—of her longtime beau Andrew Ryan.

Meanwhile, a storm of a different type gathers force in South Carolina. The citizens of Charleston are struck by capnocytophaga, a bacterium that, at its worst, can eat human flesh. Thousands panic and test themselves for a rare genetic mutation that may have rendered them vulnerable.

Shockingly, Tempe eventually deduces not only that the victims in both grisly murder cases are related, but that the murders and the disease outbreak also have a common cause . . .

PRAISE FOR KATHY REICHS

'Kathy Reichs is expert at making science both scary and thrilling, and she's in top form in The Bone Code. The story moves at such a relentless pace I couldn't stop turning the pages' TESS GERRITSEN

'The Bone Code is a brilliant entry in a ground-breaking series and does Temperance Brennan proud . . . It’s smart, gripping, and builds to a heart-stopping crescendo' LOUISE PENNY

'A Conspiracy of Bones shows off Kathy Reichs’ dazzling new level of plotting mastery. A thrilling read from one of my favorite writers' KARIN SLAUGHTER

'One of the absolute best thrillers of the year . . . A great series has just gotten greater' JEFFERY DEAVER

The Heights

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Our House comes a nail-biting story about a mother's obsession with revenge

There is nothing as powerful as a mother’s love. But will Ellen’s put her whole family in danger?

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Other Passenger and Our House – now a major ITV series – comes a nail-biting story about a mother’s obsession with revenge.

‘I didn’t read The Heights, I inhaled it’ LISA JEWELL

Ellen Saint is just your average mum. Devoted to her family, she’s no different from any other mother who wants the best for her kids. But when her teenage son Lucas brings a new friend home, cracks start to appear in Ellen’s perfect family life.
Kieran Watts isn’t like Lucas. He’s rude, obnoxious and reckless, and Ellen can only watch in despair as her son falls deeper under his influence.
Then Ellen’s whole world implodes and she embarks on an obsessive need to get revenge.

There is nothing you won’t do for your children – even murder . . .

'Compelling, unexpected and beautifully written' JANE FALLON

‘Tense, provocative and devastatingly powerful’ TM LOGAN

'There’s nothing quite so chilling as the roar of mother tiger love. Louise Candlish had my heart in my throat. Dizzily dark. Dangerous. Deadly' JANE CORRY

'The Heights has everything you could possibly wish for – tragedy, obsession, revenge and, yes, love. Another finely-crafted masterpiece from Louise Candlish' BA PARIS

The Disappearing Act

The gripping new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Something in the Water

'Ingenious and intriguing' BA PARIS

'I devoured this Londoner in LA story in a day’ CAROLINE KEPNES

'I loved it' TM LOGAN

'Engaging and suspenseful' NEW YORK TIMES

‘Stylish, riveting, hugely atmospheric — I couldn’t put it down’ LUCY FOLEY

THE NEW GRIPPING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MR NOBODY AND SOMETHING IN THE WATER

*
A woman has gone missing
But did she ever really exist?

Mia Eliot has travelled from London to LA for pilot season. This is her big chance to make it as an actor in Hollywood, and she is ready to do whatever it takes. At an audition she meets Emily, and what starts as a simple favour takes a dark turn when Emily goes missing and Mia is the last person to see her.

Then a woman turns up, claiming to be Emily, but she is nothing like Mia remembers. Why would someone pretend to be Emily? Starting to question her own sanity, she goes on a desperate and dangerous search for answers, knowing something is very, very wrong.

In an industry where everything is about creating illusions, how do you know what is real? And how much would you risk to find out?

Praise for The Disappearing Act

‘Another screen-worthy thriller . . . Steadman's flair for storytelling makes this novel a welcome escape’ Washington Post
'Like Chekhov’s gun, the Hollywood sign is mentioned early, leading to a great, extended scene far above the city — and to a genuine Hollywood ending' New York Times
‘Engrossing and unputdownable . . . I devoured this Londoner in LA story in a day’ Caroline Kepnes
‘A fascinating glimpse of the darkness behind Hollywood’s glittering façade. I loved it’ TM Logan
'Another page-turning winner from Catherine Steadman. Ingenious and intriguing, with a fascinating insight into the acting world' BA Paris
'As tense as John Buchan and suspenseful as Patricia Highsmith' Emma Bamford
'Glamour, greed and gaslighting - the perfect summer read!' Harriet Walker

Praise for Catherine Steadman

‘A thriller for our times’ Louise Candlish
‘A proper page-turner’ New York Times
'Fans of The Silent Patient will love it' CJ Tudor
'Had me racing through the pages’ Sarah Vaughan
'An enjoyable, nail-biting ride' Observer
‘Original, ingenious and utterly gripping, with characters you’ll really care about as they race towards the brilliantly unexpected ending’ JP Delaney
'From the intriguing opening to the shocking ending, I loved it…' CJ Tudor
'Very clever, brilliantly compelling, another amazing read from Catherine Steadman' BA Paris
‘A highly imaginative tale tinged with Hitchcockian tension and kinetic pacing… Deliciously provocative… Delightfully compelling’ Washington Post
'Perfectly paced with an exciting race to the end, this is one clever novel' Woman’s Weekly

Nighthawking

The gripping follow-up to the bestselling Firewatching

THE RIVETING FOLLOW-UP TO THE BESTSELLING FIREWATCHING

'Hard-hitting' SUNDAY TIMES, CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH
'Comparable with the best of Michael Connelly’s Bosch books and James Lee Burke’s Robicheaux novels, and – naturally – Ian Rankin' AJ FINN
_____________________________

NO SECRET CAN STAY BURIED FOREVER​

Sheffield’s Botanical Gardens is an oasis of peace – until one morning when the body of a young woman is found there, buried in a quiet corner. Police determine that she’s been there for months and would have gone undiscovered for years – except someone returned in the dead of night to dig her up.

DS Adam Tyler and his team have many questions to answer – who is the victim? Who killed her and hid her body? And who dug her up?

Tyler’s investigation draws him into the secretive world of nighthawkers: treasure-hunters who operate under cover of darkness, seeking the lost and valuable . . . and willing to kill to keep what they find.

PRAISE FOR RUSS THOMAS

'I’ve got a new man in my life. His name is Adam Tyler. Yorkshireman. Enjoys cold drinks and colder cases. Hangs out in exceptional debut novels and exceptionaller sequels. Firewatching and Nighthawking are comparable with the best of Michael Connelly’s Bosch books and James Lee Burke’s Robicheaux novels, and – naturally – Ian Rankin; but there’s an elegiac quality here that reminds me of Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie titles and the Dublin Murder Squad novels by Tana French' AJ FINN

'I loved it! Nighthawking turns Sheffield into a dark and terrifying underworld, and the plot is wonderfully fresh and original' KATE RHODES

'Superb. Every part of Nighthawking is so well woven together . . . the end dragged me around and spat me out a broken man. Highly recommended' JAMES DELARGY

'In the clever and compulsive Firewatching, DS Adam Tyler navigates a complex cast of villains and victims in a cold case that suddenly turns very, very hot' LOUISE CANDLISH

'A pitch-perfect blend of the best of the old and the best of the new . . . I loved it' LEE CHILD

Devoured in three days. A cracking read with a terrific new detective lead. Red hot debut for 2020’ SARAH HILARY

'A great read. Totally absorbed me’ CASS GREEN

'Intelligent, pacy and compelling, it's everything you could want from a crime novel' SARAH WARD, author of the DC Childs mysteries

My Best Friend's Murder

The new addictive and twisty psychological thriller that will hold you in a 'vice-like grip' (Sophie Hannah)

‘Friendships don’t get much more toxic than this – a compelling tale of jealousy, rivalry and the things we do to those closest to us’
T.M. LOGAN, author of The Holiday and The Catch

‘From the intriguing and hooky first chapter to the final page, it held me in a vice-like grip'
SOPHIE HANNAH, author of Haven’t They Grown

'A perfectly-paced page-turner that cleverly explores the "frenemy" relationship'
PHILIPPA EAST, author of Little White Lies


There are so many ways to kill a friendship . . .

You’re lying, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, legs bent, arms wide.
And while this could be a tragic accident, if anyone’s got a motive to hurt you, it’s me.

Bec and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. They have been through a lot together – from the death of Bec’s mother to the birth of Izzy’s daughter. But there’s a darker side to their friendship, and once it has been exposed, there is no turning back.

So when Izzy’s body is found, Bec knows that if the police decide to look for a killer, she will be the prime suspect. Because those closest to you are the ones who can hurt you the most . . .

The Rumour meets The Holiday in this compulsive thriller with a toxic friendship at its heart that keeps you in the dark until the final breathless pages.

Why you will love My Best Friend's Murder . . .

‘A highly addictive read . . . twists until the last page. Once you start Polly Phillips's debut, I guarantee you won't put it down until you're left questioning who's truly innocent... and who's not’ GINA LaMANNA, author of Three Single Wives

‘I devoured this taut and thrilling tale of murder and toxic friendship, reading between my fingers as the tension cranked up and unable to put it aside until I’d read the final shocking twist’ VICTORIA SELMAN, author of Snakes and Ladders

‘A page-turner to be reckoned with. The toxic friendship between Bec and Izzy is so well-crafted; the women’s journey like a steam train about to derail. I raced through the book at record-speed, and couldn’t wait to find out who would finally crack, who would die, and who would ultimately be responsible’ JESSICA JARLVI, author of What Did I Do?

Game On

Tempting Twenty-Eight (Stephanie Plum Book #28)

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

Stephanie Plum returns to hunt down a master cyber-criminal operating out of Trenton in the 28th book in the wildly popular series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

When Stephanie Plum is woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of footsteps in her apartment, she wishes she didn’t keep her gun in the cookie jar in her kitchen. And when she finds out the intruder is fellow apprehension agent Diesel, six feet of hard muscle and bad attitude whom she hasn’t seen in more than two years, she still thinks the gun might come in handy.

Turns out Diesel and Stephanie are on the trail of the same fugitive: Oswald Wednesday, an international computer hacker as brilliant as he is ruthless. Stephanie may not be the most technologically savvy sleuth, but she more than makes up for that with her dogged determination, her understanding of human nature, and her willingness to do just about anything to bring a fugitive to justice. Unsure if Diesel is her partner or her competition in this case, she’ll need to watch her back every step of the way as she sets the stage to draw Wednesday out from behind his computer and into the real world.

Winter Counts

WINNER OF THE ANTHONY, BARRY, THRILLER, LEFTY AND MACAVITY AWARDS FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

‘Harrowing and heartfelt, assured and highly accomplished. One of the standout thrillers of the year' CHRIS WHITAKER

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, there’s one person you can turn to.

Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Native American Reservation in South Dakota. When justice is denied by the American legal system or the tribal council, Virgil is hired to deliver his own punishment, the kind that’s hard to forget. But when heroin makes its way onto the reservation and finds Virgil’s nephew, his vigilantism becomes personal. Enlisting the help of his ex-girlfriend, he sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and how to make them stop.

Following a lead to Denver, they find that drug cartels are rapidly expanding and forming new and terrifying alliances. And back on the reservation, a new tribal council initiative raises uncomfortable questions about money and power. As Virgil starts to link the pieces together, he must face his own demons and reclaim his Native identity - but being a Native American in the twenty-first century comes at an incredible cost.

Winter Counts is a tour-de-force of crime fiction, a bracingly honest look at a long-ignored part of American life, and a twisting, turning story that’s as deeply rendered as it is thrilling.

'An incredible novel . . . where hope and heartbreak are found in equal measure' S. A. COSBY


'A terrific debut – tight and tense, hard-eyed and big-hearted' LOU BERNEY

'I've been waiting most of my life for this book . . . a knowing, authentic, closely observed novel about modern-day Lakotas that rings absolutely true . . . It's a hell of a debut' C. J. BOX

'A blistering and powerful read, a thriller with real heart’ DOUG JOHNSTONE

'Eye-opening, enlightening and entertaining, it's one hell of a good read!' AMER ANWAR

'A powerful, brutal and moving novel . . . A superb read!' ROD REYNOLDS

Falling

the most thrilling blockbuster read of the summer

PRE-ORDER THE PAPERBACK EDITION OF DROWNING, THE THRILLING NEW BLOCKBUSTER BY T. J. NEWMAN. OUT JUNE 2024.

‘Amazing . . . Intense suspense, shocks and scares plus chilling insider authenticity make this one very special’ LEE CHILD
'FALLING is the best kind of thriller (for me as a reader anyway). Characters you care deeply about. Nonstop, totally authentic suspense' JAMES PATTERSON

‘Attention, please: T. J. Newman has written the perfect thriller! GILLIAN FLYNN, #1 bestselling author of Gone Girl

You just boarded a flight to New York.

There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.

What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.

For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.

The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.

Enjoy the flight.

***Praise for Falling***


‘Think Speed on a passenger jet - with the cockpit dials turned up to supersonic’ Ian Rankin

‘Stunning and relentless. This is Jaws at 35,000 feet’ Don Winslow

‘The best thriller I’ve read in years. Buckle up’ Adrian McKinty

‘Attention, please: T. J. Newman has written the perfect thriller! ... Terrific and terrifying, a true page-turner.. A must-read for summer vacation' Gillian Flynn, #1 bestselling author of Gone Girl

‘A jet-propelled thriller that will have you in its grip from first page to last. A truly astonishing debut and an incredible work of pure suspense’ Steve Cavanagh

'Newman keeps up an extreme pace from the first page—a near-impossible task, considering that the hero is locked in a cockpit, unable to take action himself. This novel is like the films Die Hard and Speed on steroids, creating one of the year’s best thrillers' Library Journal

‘With characters you’ll root for and a plot that dips and bounces like a plane hitting turbulence, this thrill ride is impossible to put down’ Daily Mail

‘A scorching thriller’ Evening Standard

'Newman’s [flight attendant] background means Falling brings a freshness and depth to the genre' The Guardian

'A superlative debut . . . This tense, convincing thriller marks the arrival of an assured new talent' Publishers Weekly

' ...full of the kind of authentic detail that comes from personal experience' Literary Review

‘Gripping from the first sentence, this thriller is like no other’ OK! Magazine

'A remarkable debut' The Sunday Times

'... a tense and claustrophobic read, the fast-paced action zipping along at an astonishing rate' Refinery29