Find your next great Aussie book to read among the latest mystery and crime novel releases from your favourite best-selling Australian crime and mystery authors and discover new and emerging authors.
Listed below are the new Australian crime fiction novels that were released in 2024 (latest releases listed first).
Wherever possible the exact release date is included with the publisher details. We have also included the synopsis that was supplied by the publisher and have included the sub-genre(s) we believe the book sits under.
April 2024
From Across the Sea by Annie Seaton
Publisher: Independently Published
Pub Date: 17 April 2024
Sub-Genre: Mystery
Series: 1st book in the Daughters of the Darling series
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Home again at Ceann Mara Station, where she spent a happy childhood with her four sisters on the banks of the Darling River, Caitriona O'Byrne feels safe. Scarred by a harrowing attack during her final year at university, she falls into the familiar, nursing both her body and her trust in all that she once believed in.
Desperate for a pursuit that will fill the days as she recovers, and eager to escape the shadows of her past, Caitriona stumbles upon a hidden family legacy. Her father's relentless research of their ancestors, the O'Byrne brothers—Thomas and Samuel—leads her on a journey through time and Caitriona begins to uncover family secrets.
In the nineteenth century, two siblings faced a life-altering choice: to abandon their ancestral farm in County Kerry or remain and endure the relentless struggle of famine. As Caitriona unearths the layers of history, a gripping family saga unfolds. Thomas’s pursuit of success along the Darling River stands in stark contrast to Samuel’s arduous battle to adapt to a foreign land. Hidden resentments festered, and Caitriona is surprised to uncover the existence of a third brother who did not emigrate with Thomas and Samuel.
For a century and a half, silence has shrouded their Irish kin, but Caitriona becomes captivated by the whispered betrayals of the past and Samuel's tenacious fight for survival. As she immerses herself in the stories of their forbears, she uncovers a multitude of secrets.
When her university friends arrive unannounced at the sheep station, Caitriona is confronted by a betrayal that threatens not only her newfound peace but her very survival.
In her confusion, where past and present collide, can Caitriona navigate their sad family history and learn who she can trust before it’s too late?
A riveting tale of resilience, secrets, and the unbreakable bonds of family, where betrayal and survival hang in the balance.
Shock Waves by Fleur McDonald
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Pub Date: 3 April 2024
Sub-Genre: Rural Police Procedural
Series: 10th book in the Detective Dave Burrows series
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Detective Dave Burrows has longed for the top job in the Stock Squad but never thought he'd be acting in that role while his partner and best mate, Detective Bob Holden, is treated for melanoma.
Bob is keen to get back on the road and Dave can't wait to go bush either, expecting the trip will be much the same as usual.
But the trip doesn't play out that way.
Multiple bomb blasts in the small country town of Kallygarn send shock waves through the state of Western Australia, and Dave and Bob are once again drawn into the criminal underworld.
Death Holds the Key by Alexander Thorpe
Publisher: Fremantle Press
Pub Date: 3 April 2024
Sub-Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: 2nd book in the Mendicant Monk series
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When loathed landholder Fred O’Donnell is found dead in a locked room with a bullet in his chest, rookie Detective Hartley must seek help from a mysterious wanderer to solve the case. And it’s one where everyone, including his family, has a motive and a secret to keep.
Featuring the mendicant monk from Thorpe’s previous novel, Death Leaves the Station, readers will be drawn into the world of small-town Western Australia in the late 1920s, delighting in the characters as they navigate the strained sensibilities and dark secrets of the past.
Full of twists and turns, this seemingly impossible murder mystery is cosy crime writing at its finest.
Killarney by Nikki Mottram
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Pub Date: 3 April 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: 2nd book in the Dana Gibson series
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Child protection worker Dana Gibson arrives in the sleepy rural town of Killarney with one goal in mind: locate the whereabouts of foster child Jayden Maloney and return him to care. What she isn’t anticipating is an unexpected attraction to her colleague’s younger brother, Sean, or to become embroiled in their simmering family feud. When criminal allegations surface against a member of the local parish and a police task force discovers an increase in drug trafficking across the border, Dana is forced to consider that Jayden’s disappearance is not simply a case of a teen on the run. To complicate matters further, torrential rain causes the Condamine River to break its banks, and the town gets cut off.
As Dana continues to ask questions, tensions peak with the rising flood waters and she soon realises that the tight-knit community is not all that it seems. Long-held secrets start to unravel and loyalties are questioned, forcing Dana to make a decision about who she can trust and how much she is willing to fight for what she believes in.
The Engraver's Secret by Lisa Medved
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: 3 April 2024
Sub-Genre: Suspense
Series: stand alone
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Spanish Netherlands, 1620s: raised by her father Lucas to know her mind, Antonia Vorsterman sees everything that goes on in her world - all the rivalries and jealousies that course through the artists' studios and workshops of Antwerp.
Drawn into the lively household of the artist Peter Paul Rubens, whose work her father engraves for a living, Antonia begins to see a life of colour and possibility for herself - until Lucas entrusts her with a terrible secret that will alter the course of their family's future.
Belgium, present day: haunted by the recent loss of her mother, art historian Charlotte Hubert moves to Antwerp to research her hero, the Baroque master Rubens, and to seek answers about the father she's never met.
But a startling discovery hidden inside an ancient map folio turns Charlotte's quiet academic life into a dangerous hunt for long-lost treasures, missing for 400 years. In the shadowy cloisters of the university, where ambition, obsession and violence run deep, nothing is as it seems.
Charlotte is certain of one thing - no one can be trusted.
Centuries apart, Charlotte's and Antonia's lives intertwine as they unearth long-buried secrets about a master and his engraver where theft, betrayal and the fallout of family loyalty run rampant.
It Takes A Town by Aoife Clifford
Publisher: Ultimo Press
Pub Date: 3 April 2024
Sub-Genre: Mystery
Series: stand alone
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Everyone dies famous in a country town, but glamorous Vanessa Walton was a shining star. A celebrity since a television commercial when she was a child, Vanessa is back on the front page for all the wrong reasons; after a terrible storm she has been found dead at the bottom of her stairs.
At first her death seems to be a simple accident, but anonymous letters are discovered that suggest otherwise – and when 16-year-old Jasmine Landridge claims it is murder, she suddenly disappears. As the police begin to investigate, secrets are exposed and friendships unravel.
What happens to a community when murders and abductions sit alongside petty workmates, teenage tribulations and longstanding friendships? It will take a town to solve this crime, but what will be broken in the effort to piece together the truth?
Sanctuary by Garry Disher
Publisher: Text Publishing
Pub Date: 3 April 2024
Sub-Genre: Suspense
Series: stand alone
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Grace is a thief: a good one. She was taught by experts and she’s been practising since she was a kid. She specialises in small, high-value items—stamps, watches—and she knows her Jaeger-LeCoultres from her Patek Philippes. But it’s a solitary life, always watchful, always moving. It’s not the life she wants.
Lying low after a run-in with an old associate, Grace walks into Erin Mandel’s rural antiques shop and sees a chance for something different. A normal job. A place to call home.
But someone is looking for Erin. And someone’s looking for Grace, too.
And they are both, in their own ways, very dangerous men.
The Miller Women by Kelli Hawkins
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: 3 April 2024
Sub-Genre: Suspense
Series: stand alone
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When a teenage girl goes missing, Nicola Miller fears for her own daughter. Not for Abby's mental health or safety, but that she might have had something to do with it. She worries her daughter is a killer. Just like her.
Nicola has never told the truth about what happened with Abby's father. But now as the search for Cara continues, Nicola, her mother Joyce and her daughter Abby all risk their secrets coming to light.
A stunning, captivating and yet unnerving exploration of how the sins of the fathers - or in this case, the mothers - can echo down the generations.
The Cryptic Clue by Amanda Hampson
Publisher: Viking
Pub Date: 3 April 2024
Sub-Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: 2nd book in the Tea Ladies Mystery series
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In ZigZag Lane, in the heart of Sydney’s rag-trade district, tea ladies Hazel, Betty and Irene find themselves in hot water. Having already solved a murder, kidnapping and arson case, and outwitting an arch criminal, they have proved themselves a useful resource and earned the respect of a local police officer. Now he needs their help to solve a plot that threatens security.
As if that’s not enough, Irene gets a coded message directing her to the spoils of a bank robbery, which sends the tea ladies on a treasure hunt with an unexpected outcome.
There’s also trouble brewing within the walls of Empire Fashionwear, where an interloper threatens not just Hazel’s job but the very role of tea lady. It’s up to Hazel to convince her friends to abandon their trolleys and take action to save their livelihoods – before it’s too late.
March 2024
Her Covered Bones by Fiona Tarr
Publisher: Kindle
Pub Date: 29 March 2024
Sub-Genre: Police Procedural
Series: 6th book in the Opal Fields series
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When dark secrets come to light, a trail of murder and deceit will follow.
Constable Jenny Williams spent the last decade obsessed with finding her missing cousin. She became a cop, moved to a remote outback mining town and put her career on the line to track Melanie down. Now she’s been found, Jenny should be overjoyed…
But her cousin’s past is full of unanswered questions and dark secrets. Jenny is willing to ignore it all, until a woman’s body is uncovered at William Creek Station - the very same place Melanie disappeared from all those years ago.
As the investigation kicks into high gear, Jenny’s gut instincts scream there must be a connection between Melanie’s disappearance and the suspicious deaths at William Creek Station.
When she finds the connection, she won’t be the only one who wishes it never came to light.
Bone Lands by Pip Fioretti
Publisher: Affirm Press
Pub Date: 26 March 2024
Sub-Genre: Noir Thriller
Series: stand alone
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1911, on a winter's night in arid New South Wales wool country, mounted trooper Augustus Hawkins discovers the bodies of three young people. They are scions of the richest family in the district, savagely murdered on a road that Hawkins should have been patrolling, had he not been busy bedding the local schoolteacher.
Detectives arrive from Sydney and the disgraced Hawkins, a traumatised veteran of the Boer War, comes under fierce scrutiny. With his honour and sanity at stake, he becomes hell-bent on finding the murderer. But as ever darker secrets are revealed about the people he thinks of as friends, Hawkins is forced to confront an uncomfortable question: who is paying the price for the new nation's prosperity?
Pheasants Nest by Louise Milligan
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Pub Date: 26 March 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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Kate Delaney has made the biggest mistake of her life. She picked the wrong guy to humiliate on a girls' night out and now she is living every woman's worst nightmare. Kate finds herself brutalised, bound and gagged in the back of a car being driven god knows where by a man whose name she doesn't know, and she is petrified about what's in store for her.
As a journalist who is haunted by the crimes she's had to report over her career, Kate is terrifyingly familiar with the statistics about women who go missing—and the fear and trauma behind the headlines. She knows only too well how those stories usually end.
Kate can only hope the police will find her before it's too late, but she's aware a random crime is hardest to solve. As the clock ticks down, she tries to keep herself sane by thinking about her beloved boyfriend and friends, escaping into memories of love and happy times together. She knows she cannot give way to despair.
As the suspense escalates, Kate's boyfriend Liam is left behind, struggling with his shock, fear and desperation as the police establish a major investigation. The detectives face their own feelings of anguish and futility as they reflect on the cases they didn't solve in time and the victims they couldn't save. They know Kate's chances of survival diminish with every passing hour.
Devil's Kitchen by Candice Fox
Publisher: Random House Australia
Pub Date: 26 March 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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When a city’s heroes become its boldest criminals . . .
For years the firefighters of New York’s Engine 99 have rushed fearlessly into hot zones, saving countless lives and stopping devastating blazes in their tracks.
They’ve also stolen millions from banks, jewellery stores and art galleries. With their inside knowledge and specialist equipment, they’ve become the most successful heist crew on the East Coast.
Their newest member, Andrea ‘Andy’ Nearland, is not what she seems either. She’s an undercover operative, hunting the men of Engine 99 for a host of crimes – including the murder of an off-duty cop and the disappearance of a mother and child.
As the clock counts down to the gang’s most daring heist yet, loyalties begin to fray and mistrust boils over. Andy’s career is all smoke and mirrors, but infiltrating this crew of ‘heroes’ might prove to be her most dangerous job of all . . .
White Ash Ridge by S.R. White
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Pub Date: 12 March 2024
Sub-Genre: Police Procedural
Series: 4th book in the Det. Dana Russo series
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During a broiling heatwave, the inner circle of a high-profile charity attend a critical meeting at White Ash Ridge, a small hotel nestled in the Australian wilderness.
As the temperature rises, a body is found lying in the thick bush, bludgeoned to death.
One of the four remaining guests is a murderer - but who, and why, is a mystery.
Detective Dana Russo knows the national spotlight will be sharply focused on the case.
The charity was formed when the founders' teenage son was killed after intervening in a vicious assault - sparking public outrage and a damning verdict on the police investigation.
But under huge pressure and with few clues - plus suspects who instinctively distrust the police - how can Dana unravel the truth?
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill
Publisher: Ultimo Press
Pub Date: 6 March 2024
Sub-Genre: Mystery
Series: stand alone
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Theo has one dream—to become a bestselling author. Determined to make her mark in the literary world, she heads to the US on a whim to stay with her brother Gus and focus on her writing. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she befriends a famous author, Dan Murdoch, at a local bar—and then he turns up dead. Suddenly, Theo finds herself as the prime suspect.
As Theo grapples with the shocking turn of events, she realizes that Dan may not have been the person he seemed to be, and there is something sinister going on in the world of publishing. Desperate to clear her name and uncover the truth, Theo sets out on a quest to find out who killed Dan and why.
As she digs deeper, Theo uncovers a web of deceit, conspiracy, and hidden motives, with clues leading her to a shadowy organization with far-reaching power. With her own life in danger, Theo must unravel the mystery before she becomes the next victim.
The Accident by Fiona Lowe
Publisher: HQ Fiction
Pub Date: 6 March 2024
Sub-Genre: Mystery
Series: stand alone
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Freya thought she could relax when Ryan's best mate Jamie got engaged to her best friend Hannah. Two couples, four friends - what could be better than that? But a day before the wedding Freya's torn between keeping the peace or blowing it up.
Hannah's perfect wedding is hours away and she's daydreaming of a honeymoon in Tahiti and starting the family she longs for when she hears the first-responder sirens. Is it a grass fire? Worse? And why aren't Ryan or Jamie answering their phones?
When a car veers off the road with devastating consequences, the small wheatbelt town of Garringarup is left reeling, but no one's worlds are more shattered than Hannah's and Freya's.
As disturbing details surrounding the accident emerge and questions pile up, ugly secrets rise to the surface.
Mystery, lies and scandal - it's soon obvious nothing is as it seems in this small town...
What Happened To Nina? by Dervla McTiernan
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Pub Date: 5 March 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family’s cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home.
WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?
Nobody knows. Simon’s explanation about what happened in their last hours together doesn’t add up. Nina’s parents push the police for answers, and Simon’s parents rush to protect him. They hire expensive lawyers and a PR firm that quickly ramps up a vicious, nothing-is-off-limits media campaign.
HOW FAR WILL HIS FAMILY GO TO KEEP HIM SAFE?
Soon, facts are lost in a swirl of accusation and counter-accusation. Everyone chooses a side, and the story goes viral, fueled by armchair investigators and wild conspiracy theories and illustrated with pretty pictures taken from Nina’s social media accounts. Journalists descend on their small Vermont town, followed by a few obsessive "fans."
HOW FAR WILL HER FAMILY GO TO GET TO THE TRUTH?
Nina’s family is under siege, but they never lose sight of the only thing that really matters — finding their daughter. Out-gunned by Simon’s wealthy, powerful family, Nina’s parents recognize that if playing by the rules won’t get them anywhere, it’s time to break them.
The School Run by Ali Lowe
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Pub Date: 5 March 2024
Sub-Genre: Suspense / Thriller
Series: stand alone
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Every year, the reputable Queensland institution of St. Ignatius, affectionately called Iggy, hosts a Gala Day. This battle of brains and brawn, where 11-year-olds vie for a spot inside those hallowed ivory walls, directly affects admissions and determines the path of each and every candidate.
But in the cutthroat environment of elite academia, three mothers will stop at nothing to see their boys succeed. As Gala Day draws near, one scholarly prospect is struck down in a hit-and-run, and as whispers escalate to accusations, scandals and lies unravel until the only question on everyone’s mind is: who will be left standing?
Exploring the dark side of motherhood and the fierce competition that destroys close-knit communities, this chilling descent into the dangers of suburbia will thrill fans of Lisa Jewell and Andrea Bartz.
February 2024
Joy Moody Is Out of Time by Kerryn Mayne
Publisher: Random House Australia
Pub Date: 27 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Mystery
Series: stand alone
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On her twin daughters’ twenty-first birthday, Joy Moody – proprietor of Bonbeach's premier laundromat – is found dead. Yet that is not the strangest thing happening behind the bright pink facade of Joyful Suds.
For much of their lives, Joy has been telling Cassie and Andie one big, fat lie: that they are from the future, and that when they turn twenty-one they will travel back to the year 2050.
What started as a colourful tale to explain how the girls came to live with her has now become a decade-long deception. Worse still, Joy has started to believe it herself.
The lie is certainly preferable to the truth she can’t face – about what happened to the girls’ real mother, and how far Joy's gone to keep them 'safe' . . .
With the twins’ twenty-first birthday fast approaching, and with Andie starting to have doubts, time is fast running out for Joy Moody. In more ways than one.
To the River by Vikki Wakefield
Publisher: Text Publishing
Pub Date: 27 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Psychological Thriller
Series: stand alone
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The Kelly family has always been trouble. When a fire in a remote caravan community kills nine people, including 17-year-old Sabine Kelly’s mother and sister, Sabine confesses to the murders. Shortly after, she escapes custody and disappears. Recently made redundant from marriage, motherhood and her career, journalist Rachel Weidermann has long suspected Sabine made her way back to the river—now, twelve years after the ‘Caravan Murders’, she has the time and the tenacity to corner a fugitive and land the story of the year.
Rachel’s ambition lights the fuse leading to a brutal chain of events, and the web Sabine weaves will force Rachel to question everything she believes.
Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald
Publisher: Affirm Press
Pub Date: 27 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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On her first shift at a halfway house for violent offenders in Edinburgh – the only job she could get – rebounding Australian expat Lou is taken hostage. For nine long hours, the only people who can help her are the residents. But who can Lou trust? The mum-and-dad-killer, the elderly legless rockstar paedophile, the stammering suicide chat room guy, or the Armani-suited conman?
Slick, darkly funny and nerve-janglingly tense, Halfway House is a breathtaking thriller and an unapologetic reminder: never corner a desperate woman.
Body Of Lies by Sarah Bailey
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Pub Date: 26 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: 4th book in the Gemma Woodstock series
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A car crash victim clings to life and is rushed to hospital but can't be saved. Hours later, her corpse is stolen from the morgue. No one knows who the dead woman was or why her body was taken.
Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is back in her hometown of Smithson on maternity leave when the bizarre incident occurs. She is intrigued by the case but reluctant to get involved, despite the urging of her journalist friend Candy Fyfe. But in the days after the body goes missing, the town is rocked by another shocking crime and Gemma can't resist joining the investigation.
Candy and Gemma follow the clues the dead woman left behind. As they attempt to discover the identity of the missing woman, Gemma uncovers devastating secrets about the people she thought she knew best. The closer Gemma gets to the truth, the more danger she is in. She desperately needs to confide in someone—but is there anyone she can trust?
Dark Hearts by D.K. Hood
Publisher: Bookouture
Pub Date: 26 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: 3rd book in the Special Agent Beth Katz
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When a robbery at a local store ends with multiple deaths and the abduction of sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Cassidy Wilder, FBI agent Beth Katz and her partner Dax Styles are called in. Visiting Cassidy’s family home just a couple of blocks away from the quiet little store where she went missing, Beth’s heart breaks as she talks to her grieving parents and promises to find their daughter.
Looking at CCTV footage, Beth is horrified to see how calm the killer is as he shoots everyone in the store before forcing the terrified Cassidy to follow him into his truck. Then Beth uncovers multiple robberies just like this one, where all witnesses are killed and a young girl is taken. All of the victims are taken at night and found dead the following morning, so Beth knows time is running out to save Cassidy.
When Cassidy’s lifeless body is discovered dumped on a busy highway near a patch of forest, Beth is devastated. And as more girls go missing, she fears the murderer is escalating. A breakthrough finally comes when she finds a name written in blood next to one of the bodies. Beth knows she’s close to catching the killer and is determined to stop any more lives from being taken—even if it means serving her own form of justice. Will she be able to resist the urge to take a life herself? Or will she become the killer’s next victim?
The Rip by Holly Craig
Publisher: Thomas Mercer
Pub Date: 20 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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Luxury villas on hot white sand, views for miles over turquoise water.
Flawless hostess Penny gathers guests to an island for her husband’s birthday celebrations. But she soon regrets inviting self-obsessed Eloise…When a child vanishes on the night of the party, their perfect island weekend is ripped apart.
Even paradise harbours murky secrets…
Has he been taken? Has he drowned? In the panic to find any trace, Penny casts about for someone to blame—even if that person is her own daughter, Rosie.
Even clear waters descend to pitch black…
But it’s not the first time Rosie’s been attacked by her mother. And it’s not the first time she’s turned to Eloise for support. As the sun beats down and dark secrets rise to the surface, can they find the missing child before it’s too late—or will this sudden disappearance endanger them all?
…and someone among them knows the whole shocking truth.
A High Tide Murder by Emily George
Publisher: Kensington
Pub Date: 20 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: 1st book in the Cannabis Cafe series
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What a long, strange trip it’s been for Chloe. After her dream of becoming a Parisian pastry chef—and a wife—crashed and burned, she returned home to the seaside town of Azalea Bay, California and opened a cannabis café. Despite some residents’ misgivings about how such a business may affect the community’s reputation, Baked by Chloe has become a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. Nothing mellows out people like sweet edibles and frothy drinks with a dash of CBD.
But when it comes to surfers, the only high they want to ride is on a wave. The annual summer Azalea Bay Pro Challenger Surf Competition is underway, and fan favorite Aaron Gill is treading water. Plagued by professional and personal pressures, he finds himself no longer a top contender, and everyone is saddened when he takes his own life.
But his best friend Ethan Wilson knows that despite Aaron’s difficulties, suicide was not on his mind, and he begs Chloe to investigate. Against her better judgment, Chloe dives in and discovers Aaron was surrounded by people motivated enough to help him wipe out—permanently . . .
The Hollow Dead by Darcy Coates
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Pub Date: 13 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Supernatural Thriller
Series: 4th book in the Gravekeeper series
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When Keira first woke alone in a strange forest, she remembered only two things: that she could speak with the dead, helping them move on from the mortal world, and that sinister mask-wearing men were hunting her. She had no idea what she'd done to earn their hatred or what dangerous secrets she may have uncovered.
Until now.
Peeling back layer upon layer of the mystery surrounding her origins, Keira has finally learned that the strange masked men work for Artec, an organization profiting off spectral energy produced by hundreds of chained, tormented souls. Their goal is to spread their macabre cemeteries across the world, using the agony of the dead to extend their power and reach—and only Keira and her loyal group of friends can stop them. But there are still mysteries to uncover in Keira's foggy memories, and as she prepares to fight for the souls of the tormented dead, what she doesn't know about her own past may come back to haunt her.
Gone by Glenna Thomson
Publisher: Random House Australia
Pub Date: 6 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Rural Crime
Series: stand alone
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A missing girl ... a cold case ... a sister who won’t give up …
'I was there on the day Rebecca disappeared. I watched her hurry away. If I close my eyes I can still see her...'
When Rebecca Bundy fails to return home after the last day of school in 1984 her father reports her missing. But the teenager has run away before and recently she’s been bragging about going to Queensland, so the police tell the family to wait it out.
Days pass. Rumours swirl. A man seen loitering near the bus stop might have followed her. Was there something going on between Rebecca and a male teacher? What about the sheep farmer on Glen Lochan Road where she babysat? And why is her boyfriend, the rough cattle guy Bull Tennant, so sure something sinister has happened?
Then a shocking murder-suicide at a local farm diverts police attention and Rebecca’s disappearance all too quickly becomes a cold case.
But her younger sister Eliza has never forgotten, and for almost forty years she’s been looking for answers.
Once she kept Rebecca’s secrets. Now she’s ready to share her story . . .
The Young Widows by S.J. Short
Publisher: Avon
Pub Date: 1 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Psychological Thriller
Series: stand alone
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Meet the young widows. Together, they’ve shared their grief and emotional healing in the wake of losing their husbands. But whilst these meetings are the only places, they feel they can open up, all is not as it seems . . .
The hot mess
Kylie is done with commitment. Her trust in men died with her husband. Now she trawls bars looking for fun – no strings, no promises, no second night. That is until she meets a man who seems to want more, but is it a mistake to trust again?
The new member
Hannah’s grief is fresh and reminds the other widows how raw their pain once was, do they want to let that back into their lives?
The wallflower
Isabel is used to hiding in the shadows, her past still haunts her. Only her late husband knew what happened the night that ruined her life. Will she be able to keep her secrets buried?
The fiancée
Adriana is moving on. But as her wedding draws closer, she’s starting to question how well she truly knows her fiancé. Then she receives an anonymous note that reads: Get out while you still can.
Each woman is hiding something, but one is not who she says she is. In fact, she’s never even been married . . .
17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Pub Date: 1 February 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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The violent slaughter of the wealthy Primrose family while they slept shocked the nation of New Zealand and scarred the small idyllic rural town of Cambridge forever.
All of the evidence pointed to their young live-in chef, Bill Ruatara, who was swiftly charged with murder and brought to justice. The brutal crime is now infamous, and Bill a figure of contempt who deserves to rot in jail for life.
Seventeen years later, prison psychologist TK Phillips is fighting for an appeal. He is convinced Bill did not receive a fair trial. When celebrity true-crime podcaster Sloane Abbott takes a sudden interest, it's not long before she uncovers new evidence that could set fire to the prosecution's case.
As TK and Sloane dig deeper into the past, they become tangled in a complex web of danger and deceit. With Bill's innocence far from assured and their own lives at stake, will they risk everything to unearth the truth, or leave it buried for good?
January 2024
Tipping Point by Dinuka McKenzie
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: 31 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Police Procedural
Series: 3rd book in the Kate Miles series
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Weeks from Christmas in the sweltering heat of summer, Detective Kate Miles' estranged brother, Luke Grayling, returns home to Esserton to farewell a childhood friend - Ant Reed, dead by suicide. Within days of the funeral, another young man, Marcus Rowntree, is found shot dead in the back paddock of his property.
Almost twenty years ago, Luke, Ant and Marcus were best mates in high school and now two of the three friends are dead. A tragic coincidence? Or is there something more sinister connecting the three men?
When Luke is identified as a person of interest in Marcus's death, Kate once again finds herself in the middle of a media storm, sidelined from the case and battling accusations of conflict of interest. As press attention deepens, and uncomfortable truths about Luke's personal life and past events come to light, Kate is forced to contend between loyalty to the police force, and the bonds of friendship and blood.
The Eleventh Floor by Kylie Orr
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: 31 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Suspense
Series: stand alone
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Sleep deprived, struggling and at breaking point, first-time mum Gracie Michaels books one night - alone - at The Maxwell Hotel. A king-size bed all to herself. No demands. With time to recharge she'll be able to return to her family more like the unflappable mother she pretends to be.
Instead, she wakes in a room she doesn't recognise after an encounter with a man who is not her husband. Then she sees something she wishes she hadn't.
Being drawn into a crime was not something Gracie had planned for her hotel stay but when a distraught family appeals for information and a police investigation heats up she is trapped in a maze of lies.
To speak out jeopardises her marriage, but her silence threatens her son, her sanity and her safety. Will Gracie destroy her own family by telling the truth or devastate someone else's by keeping her secrets?
The Concierge by Abby Corson
Publisher: Affirm Press
Pub Date: 31 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Cosy Mystery
Series: stand alone
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The peaceful setting of Cavengreen Hotel has been shattered by a shocking murder. Hector Harrow, the hotel's concierge, has been accused and is determined to clear his name.
Hector enlists the aid of Helen, a retired publisher, to document the shocking crime that has unfolded, with the intention of publishing a truthful account.
Amid interruptions from a nosy journalist and the egotistical antics of the hotel's new owner, American Dave, Helen works tirelessly to keep Hector focused on finishing his book.
As suspicions fall on different guests and one makes a shocking confession, Hector must navigate a web of secrets to uncover the truth.
The Good Dog by Simon Rowell
Publisher: Text Publishing
Pub Date: 30 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Police Procedural
Series: 3rd book in the DS Zoe Mayer series
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After gunshots echo through the summer night on Mount Macedon, Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer and her loyal service dog Harry race to the summit at first light. What they find looks like a grisly murder-suicide: an alleged fraudster named Piers Johnson, and his lawyer Antony Peterson, both dead from bullet wounds, a gun lying nearby.
Something about the scene doesn’t stack up. There are plenty of suspects, but no one seems to be telling the truth. Zoe’s instincts are ignited, as the pressure to find and charge the culprit becomes intense. And that’s when Peterson’s teenage daughter Sarah is snatched off the street.The Good Dog is Zoe’s toughest assignment yet, a murderous conspiracy of greed, deceit and violence. She knows that Harry may be her only chance to crack the case.
Glenrock by Lee Christine
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Pub Date: 30 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Police Procedural
Series: stand alone
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A murdered judge. Two missing lawyers. A thrilling tale of mystery and suspense from the bestselling author of Charlotte Pass and Dead Horse Gap.
After Justice Maurice Tempest dies violently in the Glenrock State Conservation Area in Newcastle, local detective Senior Sergeant Callan O'Connor is urgently called to the scene.
Days later a second body is found in the same location, turning what had looked like a revenge killing into so much more.
Former political journalist Angela Avery has been spending a lot of time at the Hunter Valley prison interviewing a soon-to-be-released forger, and when O'Connor's investigation reveals an interest in him Angela is determined to protect both her source and her fledgling relationship with O'Connor.
Meanwhile, two young female lawyers from a law firm in Sydney have disappeared.
Are the missing lawyers linked to the dead judge? Can O'Connor unravel the connections before the body count rises further? And how much does Angela Avery really know?
The Beacon by P.A. Thomas
Publisher: Bonnier Echo
Pub Date: 30 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Murder Mystery
Series: stand alone
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Jack Harris, the disgraced son of Australia's most powerful business tycoon, has just been exiled to Byron Bay as a junior journalist at his father's smallest regional newspaper, The Beacon. His arrival coincides with the disappearance of the newspaper's editor, Patrick O'Shaughnessy, while out on his morning surf. When Patrick's body is discovered in the ocean, with a severed leg, it appears certain that he's fallen victim to a shark attack.
But when rumours emerge that Patrick was about to publish an explosive article – its subject unknown – Jack begins to suspect his death is not what it seems.
Although police aren't buying his murder theory, Jack joins forces with Patrick's daughter and investigates anyway, taking a sometimes less than lawful dive into the newspaperman's past. Together they discover plenty of Byron locals with a motive to kill, including a bioholistic dentist with a secret, a naturist with an undisguised grudge, and even the mayor of Northern Rivers Shire. But has Jack bitten off more than he can chew?
Darkness Runs Deep by Claire McNeel
Publisher: Macmillan Australia
Pub Date: 30 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Rural Crime
Series: stand alone (debut)
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In the darkest hour, a blood-soaked teenager flees the rural Gerandaroo football oval.
Eight months later, Bess, a young teacher, returns home to Gerandaroo. A childhood game of dare with her former best friend forces Bess to form a women's footy team to play against Denby, a rival town. Bess reluctantly recruits players, but the team has to contend with hostile locals - including Bess's own father. Will this help the small community to come back together - or will it be the final thing that blows everything apart?
As tensions in the town boil over, so too do resentments and secrets and violence that have been previously held tight and close.
Fiercely told and breathlessly compelling, Darkness Runs Deep is a striking new Australian crime novel about the best and worst of who we are.
Radiant Heat by Sarah-Jane Collins
Publisher: Berkley
Pub Date: 23 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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When a catastrophic wildfire suddenly rips through a woman’s hometown, she thinks she is lucky to have survived . . . until she finds a dead woman in her driveway, clutching a piece of paper with her name on it. . . .
The blaze came out of nowhere one summer afternoon, a wall of fire fed by blustering wind. Yet, somehow, Alison is alive. She rode out the fire on the damp tiles of her bathroom, her entire body swaddled in a wet woolen blanket. As flames crackled around her, the bitter char of eucalyptus settled in the back of her throat, each breath more desperate than the last.
The wildfire that devastated the Victoria countryside Alison calls home sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to obliterate the carefully constructed life she is living. When Alison emerges from her sheltering place, she spots a soot-covered cherry red car in her driveway, and in it, a dead woman. Alison has never met Simone Arnold in her life . . . or so she thinks. So what is she doing here?
As Alison searches for answers across Australia’s scorched bushlands, she soon learns that the fire isn’t the only threat she’s facing. . . .
Lies Within Me by by Vanessa Garbin
Publisher: The Book Folks
Pub Date: 21 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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Your assailant is murdered. Did you do it?
When her friends drag Alice out to a speed-dating night, she has no inkling just how bad it will turn out to be.
The next day, Alice wakes up in a stranger’s house with no memory of the night’s events, just a terrible feeling.
After returning home, she finds a bloodied knife in her room. And hears the news that the man who must have drugged and assaulted her has been found dead.
Alice falls under suspicion. Not least from herself. But was she really capable of such an act?
And if she didn’t commit the crime, who did?
Foul Play by Fiona McIntosh
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Pub Date: 9 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Police Procedural
Series: 5th book in the DCI Jack Hawksworth series
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Superstar footballer Luca Bruni is being blackmailed for a night of lust he swears he didn’t participate in...except the ransom photo denies that. A media darling on and off the field, he has powerful charisma, a perfect home life he’ll do anything to protect, and more money than he knows what to do with. He’s determined to defy the extortion racket.
When Detective Superintendent Jack Hawksworth learns that the cunning mastermind behind this crime has already swindled a dozen of the world’s most highly prized male athletes, he is instructed to keep the situation from escalating and prevent a media frenzy.
Intrigued by the creativity of the crime and the shockwaves it is creating through the global sporting fraternity, Jack begins a journey into a case that has tentacles far more wide-reaching that he ever imagined – and far more deadly.
The Dinner Party by Rebecca Heath
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pub Date: 4 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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Four Couples.
It's Summer 1979 in the idyllic suburban neighbourhood of Ridgefield, during a scorching heat wave four couples gather for their weekly dinner party.
An ordinary evening.
It's a chance for friends to catch-up, to show off their perfect marriages, to have a break from the kids... but secrets hide behind the lit-up picture windows and carefully curated lawns.
The beginning of a nightmare.
When Frank Callaghan checks on the sleeping children, he finds an empty crib where his 4-month old daughter Megan should be sleeping. The party-goers swear they didn't see anything. No one left the dinner table.
Forty years later, Megan's sister Amanda is still searching for answers when a stranger knocks at her door claiming to be Megan. The family are sceptical until they see what she is holding – Megan's blanket, taken the night she disappeared.
This shock appearance unearths many questions: Where has Megan been all of this time? Who knows what happened that night? And how well do you really know your neighbours?
A Dance With Murder by Elizabeth Coleman
Publisher: Pantera Press
Pub Date: 3 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Private Investigator
Series: 2nd book in the Edwina 'Ted' Bristol series
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A twist
PI Edwina ‘Ted’ Bristol’s latest case is proving complicated. Ballerina Giselle Tereiti is the target of a stalker, but she’s also the ex-wife of Ted’s new flame homicide detective Spike. While the case is a win for Ted’s agency, it means she’s forced to distance herself from Spike.
A turn
As Ted goes undercover via the dating apps in pursuit of suspects, the stalker ups the ante with a disturbing break-in at Giselle’s home.
Meanwhile, talented crafter Cicely Bunting is desperate to locate her husband, Duncan, who disappeared while surfing a year ago. Cicely refuses to believe that he’s dead, and she’s counting on Ted to find him.
A dance with murder …
As Ted closes in on the stalking culprit and her relationship with Spike hits rock-bottom, Cicely’s case takes a bizarre twist – and then a murder turns everything upside down.
The Strip by Iain Ryan
Publisher: Ultimo Press
Pub Date: 3 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Thriller
Series: stand alone
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When a local doctor is brutally murdered, Detective Constable Lana Cohen joins Strike Force Diablo on the notorious Gold Coast, where she finds herself navigating a world of chaos and corruption.
As she delves deeper into the case, Lana reluctantly pairs up with Henry Loch, a detective with a tarnished reputation who sees an opportunity to redeem himself amidst the mayhem.
But as Lana and Henry unravel the threads of violence and deceit, they uncover a dark side to the Gold Coast that shocks them to the core. With six unsolved murders already haunting them, will they be able to untangle the web of lies before it's too late?
A Shadow At the Door by Jo Dixon
Publisher: HQ Fiction
Pub Date: 3 January 2024
Sub-Genre: Suspense
Series: stand alone
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After a brutal attack and the breakdown of her marriage, life has taught former TV star Remi Lucan that it's safer to not rely on anyone. Instead, she's buried herself in Hobart, transforming her dilapidated sandstone house back to its former splendour, and it has been her proudest achievement. Better than her short-lived acting career. Definitely better than being a smile-on-command trophy wife. But when she runs out of money, her wealthy ex-husband tries to force the sale of the property and Remi realises her only option is to lower her defences and take in tenants.
At first her biggest problem is adjusting to the intrusion of two unlikely housemates, but when a series of 'accidents' turns ugly, it becomes clear these incidents are more than pranks. Someone is out to get Remi, and they won't stop until they destroy her...