All the Sinners Bleed
by SA Cosby (Headline)
Southern noir in which a black FBI agent-turned-local sheriff faces a Pandora’s box of secrets after a high school shooting. Fourth crime novel from Cosby soaks readers in the racial and political complexities of the American South.
Dark Ride
by Lou Berney (HarperCollins)
Fascinating, emotional thriller full of heartache and humanity with a rag-tag cast as an easygoing pot-smoking amusement park worker takes it upon himself to try to save two abused kids.
Dice
by Claire Baylis (Allen & Unwin)
Astute exploration into how sexual violence and consent are viewed and understood in our community via the perspective of 12 jurors in a court trial. Fascinating insights into the topics of consent and rape from multiple viewpoints.
Expectant
by Vanda Symon
Dunedin detective Sam Shephard is back, and faced with the horrendous murder of a heavily pregnant woman. Shephard, herself pregnant, is determined to catch the killer, in this well-plotted tale.
The Lock-Up
by John Banville (Faber)
In 1950s Dublin, the body of a young woman is found in a lock-up garage, and DI Strafford and pathologist Dr Quirke quickly suspect foul play. Mysteries ensue in a novel full of sharp social commentary, fully rounded characters and superior writing.
The Secret Hours
by Mick Herron (Hachette)
Peerless spy fiction from the Slough House thriller writer, full of plot, wit and suspense, excellent characters and dialogue, as two UK civil servants delve into a disastrous MI5 mission in Berlin during the Cold War.
The Running Grave
by Robert Galbraith (Hachette)
Overlong (900 pages) and strains credulity, yet Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) has crafted a ripping, almost unputdownable yarn about detective duo CB Strike and Robin Ellacott entering the dangerous world of a religious cult.
The Second Murderer
by Denise Mina (Vintage)
The versatile Glaswegian author takes on Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe and conjures a cracking mystery packed with quips, keen-eyed description and plotting that may be better than the original.
Small Mercies
by Dennis Lehane (Abacus)
Taut and powerful tale set during a 1974 Boston heatwave, canvassing tribalism, racism and violence, in which a single mother battles her blue-collar community and the Irish mob while searching for her missing daughter.
Strange Sally Diamond
by Liz Nugent (Penguin)
Dark and funny character study, full of empathy and optimism, of a neurodivergent woman who, after an isolated life with her late father, uncovers the horrors of her childhood as she connects with others.
Be in to win 10 books
For a chance to be the lucky winner of 10 books, email your name and address to listenergiveaways@aremedia.co.nz with ‘Best Books’ in the subject line by midday on December 1. We’ll be running The Year in Books throughout the next week so look out for hot picks for lovers of fiction and non-fiction stories alike.
The 100 Best Books was compiled with the invaluable assistance of Chris Baskett, Helena Brow, Catherine Chidgey, Sue Copsey, Kiran Dass, Nik Dirga, Greg Dixon, Elisabeth Easther, Brigid Feehan, Charlotte Grimshaw, Kirsty Gunn, Linda Herrick, David Hill, Stephanie Johnson, Anne Kennedy, Elizabeth Kerr, Rachael King, Graeme Lay, Eileen Merriman, Chris Moore, Kelly Ana Morey, Emma Neale, Jenny Nicholls, Jeremy Rees, Sue Reidy, Catherine Robertson, Anna Rogers, Josie Shapiro, Tina Shaw, Craig Sisterson, Elizabeth Smither, Gill South, Rebecca Styles, Fiona Sussman, Andrew Paul Wood and others.
