When We Were Killers by C. F. Barrington

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CW: death, murder, injury, violence, blood, addiction, abandonment, classism

This was an intense and twisty story with dirt under its nails. It is a mind-boggling Dark Academia tale of obsession that thrives in its complex characterisation and clever plotting.

All The Colours of the Dark by Chris Whittaker

🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, serial killer, grief, torture, confinement,

This was sublime. It had that wonderful character-focused writing that I adore in a literary mystery hybrid. It had an incredibly dark story at its heart, but celebrated light, hope and love in all its forms.

Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall

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CW: death, murder, violence, infidelity, injury, gore, racism, xenophobia, transphobia

Throughout this reading period, I was craving good mysteries and thrillers. This delivered me an excellent one – gritty and raw, tied up in the messiness of humanity and our tangled relationships.

Full review here.

The Guest by Emma Cline

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CW: drug abuse, toxic relationship, emotional abuse, adult/minor relationship, car accident, addiction

This meandered for me unfortunately. It had a compellingly broken and desperate voice in its central protagonist, caught up in a dangerous cycle. However it felt stagnant and never addresses some aspects properly.

A Game of Scandal by Laura Wood

⭐️🏳️‍🌈

CW: death, murder, sexism, misogyny, gaslighting

I absolutely adore getting to spend time at The Aviary – it is such accessible historical romance with an empowering edge.  This raises the stakes all over again with a dastardly villain and a swoon-worthy romance.

Full review here.

Silver Elite by Dani Francis

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CW: torture, abuse, imprisonment, sexual assault, suicide, death, murder, violence, gore, injury, execution

This was a seeming, twisty story that really sits in morally ambiguous territory and makes complex decisions that actually have consequences. Dystopian is certainly back with a bang!

Full review here.

Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard

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CW: death, murder, fire, violence, injury, manipulation, abuse, sexual assault, rape

This cemented why I love Catherine Ryan Howard’s work. It was compulsively readable with excellent twists and turns. A fascinating look at grief, guilt and the true crime industry.

Full review here.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

⭐️🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, death of a child, incel culture, racism, sexism, gore, blood

This floored me. It was poignant and heart-breaking, looking at the individual tragedies caught up in this case and the way characters were drawn in by their own traumas to this investigation. It is a searing indictment of the true-crime industry and how internet sleuths can both help and hinder a case.

A Novel Murder by E. C. Nevin

CW: murder, death, violence

This made me cackle! It was such a witty takedown of the publishing industry with a wonderfully twisty plot. Nevin delivers a cosy crime love letter to murder mysteries, while also critiquing some of the hallmarks of the genre. Definitely not one to miss.

Full review to come.

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean

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CW: death, murder, violence, sexual assault, rape, PTSD

I really love the way Dean explores the impact of trauma in her work. This was no exception with a nuanced and emotionally fraught look at the continuing impact of a horrific crime on two people.

Full review here.

Fair Play by Louise Hegarty

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CW: death, grief, murder, suicidal ideation

This was a wonderfully inventive take on the locked-room mystery genre. It explores grief in an interesting and complex way, with a clever twist to proceedings. A very strong debut.

Baby Teeth by Celia Silvani

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CW: death, miscarriage, grief, infertility, manipulation

This  was a brilliant, bizarre and twisted look at an Internet cult with plenty to say about parenthood, the expectations placed on women and the imbalance of power throughout. 

Full review here.

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, blackmail, manipulation, trafficking, sexual abuse, physical abuse

I really loved being back with Vera. This sequel goes into some dark territory, facing the monstrosity of humanity, but keeps the same wonderful characterisation of the first. I would read so many more of Vera’s stories.

Full review here.

Murder on Line One by Jeremy Vine

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CW: death, murder, grief, death of a child

I really liked the depiction of grief, but unfortunately the rest of the book fell a bit short for me. The mystery meandered a little and the pacing was off for me. I also didn’t love the ending.

How to Survive a Slasher by Justine Pucella Williams

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, violence, gore, PTSD

This was Scream in a book. It was wonderfully meta with a wild ride through a slasher nightmare come back to life, but also had a great sense of characterisation and heart.

Full review here.