Forthcoming Books from Head of Zeus

 January 2027

Fever Island is by Martin Edwards. A cursed island. A macabre party. An impossible crime. Five years after film star Godiva Lee died under suspicious circumstances, Boris Unthank gathers everyone connected to her death for a ‘party’ on the isolated Fever Island. A reluctant Rachel Savernake is invited for one reason: Unthank believes she can solve the impossible crime. She only agrees to attend for another reason, however: he knows something that could ruin her. As storms rage and the island is cut off from the outside world, old scandals resurface as hidden identities are revealed.  With suspicion running rife, Rachel must unravel the deadly mystery or risk exposing an even greater secret: who she truly is...

Archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Special Agent Corrie Swanson team up against supernatural foes. On a construction site in the foothills of Santa Fe, New Mexico, workers have uncovered a row of ancient skeletons buried upside down. It is revealed that this was the work of the Spanish Inquisition, who in 1676 condemned six women as witches and executed them, burying them head downwards to speed their way to hell.  Nora Kelly soon makes a further shocking discovery – a fresh inverted burial in the same place… and only two months old. As more murders and bizarre burials start mounting up, Nora and FBI Special Agent Corrie Swanson find themselves in pursuit of a mass killer who possesses a terrifying, ancient power defying human understanding. Dead Man's Journey is by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child.

February 2027

You Reap is by Michael Wendroff. Kidnappings are terrifying a small town.There is no pattern: the missing children and their families appear to have nothing in common and police are baffled. As the number of victims grows, so does the fear that time is running out. With the police department stretched to its limits, bitter rivals Jill Jarred and Jack Ludlum are drawn into the investigation. For Jill, the case hits close to home, reopening the wounds of a family tragedy she’s never escaped. Searching for the children is only the beginning. The kidnapper has a deeper purpose than anyone realised and the closer Jill and Jack get to the truth, the more dangerous the hunt becomes.

Joe Pickett is back in the saddle as he investigates a case of missing children and a community full of secrets. After the attack that nearly took his life, Joe Pickett is back at work, despite lingering issues from the gunshot wounds he sustained.  Joe has been tasked with helping an FBI task force search for two missing children in western Wyoming's Star Valley. The siblings went missing while their wealthy father was out hunting and their socialite mother was staying in the local town. Star Valley is an insular community run by religious elders who keep inserting themselves into the case. With a whole cast of potential suspects but no obvious motive, Joe must use all his expertise to find the children before it's too late. Meanwhile, in Joe's absence, his daughter Sheridan investigates a poaching case that proves to be far more sinister than she imagined. The Missing is by C J Box.

March 2027

Shadow Game is by Nick Petrie. When military veteran Peter Ash steps in to save a fellow hiker on the Appalachian Trail, he ends up accused of murder and faces a fight for his life and his freedom. In the mountains of Tennessee, Marine Corps veteran Peter Ash is hiking the 2200-mile Appalachian Trail when he meets a mysterious older hiker being threatened by two men. Peter intervenes, but soon finds himself at the wrong end of the older man's pistol. Before the day is out, Peter will be wanted for murder, for he has unwittingly ended up in a decades-old story of espionage, betrayal, and homicide.  Along with his friend Lewis and a pair of retired spies, Peter must dodge killers and solve this mystery himself or spend the rest of his life in prison.  If he survives the day...

April 2027

Marcus Ulpius Bellator survived the brutality of war on the furthest frontiers of the Roman Empire. Now living in the Eternal City itself, things haven't worked out the way he’d envisaged. Civilian life is proving difficult and his drinking and gambling are taking a toll on his marriage to Tillia. Everything changes the night his home goes up in flames, when Bellator arrives to find that Tillia, trapped inside, has died in the fire. In order to prevent similar tragedies, Bellator becomes one of the Vigiles - the Watchmen of Rome. He soon discovers that the blaze that took Tillia’s life was no accident. A killer is on the loose, striking seemingly at random. With the victim count slowly increasing, piece by piece Bellator seeks a pattern in the madness as he hunts the murderer through the streets of Rome. Guardian of Rome:Incendium is by Matthew Harffy.

Omega Authority is by Brad Taylor. When a new bioweapon is stolen by hostile forces, the Taskforce must prevent worldwide devastation. American AI company Romulus Solutions has created a biomedical AI model that can target bacteria: a potential game-changing healthcare solution. When a cyber-attack from North Korea obtains the model, nobody is too worried, because of the unbreakable encryption. That is, until a mole inside Romulus vanishes with the keys to break the encryption, and with them, the power to engineer a devastating bioweapon. Pike Logan and the Taskforce are ordered to recover the keys. Their mission will take them through Japan and into the shadow world where the Yakuza and North Korea converge. With an enemy determined not to surrender, Pike and the team must recover the keys at all costs… even if it risks war on the Korean Peninsula.

No good deed goes unpunished. Jan Hughes prides herself on being helpful. An ordinary woman with an ordinary life, she processes background checks for people who want to work with the vulnerable. It feels good to be useful, to smooth things along, to say yes. So when someone asks her for a small favour – a name, an address – Jan tells herself it’s nothing. She just wants to be helpful. Until a news report shows a family has been found dead in the very house she identified. Now Jan is an unwitting accomplice, and the person who drew her in hasn’t finished yet. They want another favour – and this time Jan knows exactly what her answer could cost. One Last Favour is by Charlie Gallagher.

The Baker is Tim Sullivan. Murder is both a science and an art. Brian Fothergill co-owns a thriving Bristol bakery with two close friends that was built on a shared dream: to use their success to give something back, offering opportunities to those most often overlooked. Brian has always believed in doing good, in giving people second chances. So how has he ended up head down and lifeless at the bottom of an industrial dough mixer? Even in a place built on kindness, pressure can build. But who turned up the heat? DS George Cross is back to find out.

Forthcoming Books from Orion Publishing

 January 2027

Lie for Your Life by Anna Sharpe. 'You're trying to play a game with me. So is someone else. But me? I'm not playing. I'm not saying nothing more.' The truth doesn't always set you free. Nicole is a rising star in the courtroom - sharp, ambitious, and determined to outrun the shadow of her criminal family. Her latest case could make her career: prosecuting the infamous serial killer known as The Tattooist. It's a tough challenge, but Nicole is confident she can secure a conviction. Everything changes when Nicole discovers evidence that suggests the defendant may have been set up. Then a body is found followed by a threatening message: unless she secures a conviction of the man on trial, the killer will strike again. And this time, it's her family on the line. Torn between her loyalty to her family and desire for justice, Nicole is left with no choice but to hunt down the killer before the jury reach a verdict. Taut, twisty, darkly witty, and razor-sharp, Lie For Your Life is a gripping exploration of true crime obsession, the lies we tell and what we're willing to sacrifice to protect the people we love.

On an island with no way out, even old friends become suspects . . . When Cassie Brogan and her friends are invited to a school reunion on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, their first instinct is to refuse. Ravenwood Academy is a chapter of their lives they'd rather forget - a place haunted by tragedy, secrets and betrayal. But the lure of a five-star stay at the secluded and luxurious Tech Duinn Manor soon proves impossible to resist. As the guests begin to arrive, tensions rise and old rivalries reignite. When a dead body turns up, it soon becomes clear that someone is out for revenge.  Trapped on an island with no escape, Cassie must uncover the truth about what really happened at Ravenwood Academy - before history repeats itself. The Island is by Cathy Cole. 

Wolf Point is by Lisa Howells. One missing girl. Three possibilities. No turning back. Wolf Point, Alaska. When police officer Terril Black is thrust into the role of sergeant under brutal circumstances, she expects a quiet first night in charge. Instead, a teenage girl vanishes from a remote motel - and for Terril, walking away is never an option. With a department that doesn't want a woman in charge, a hostile officer undermining her at every turn, and a rookie fresh from Miami as her only back-up, she is plunged into a desperate missing persons investigation, racing against time and the elements. Here, it isn't the first 48 hours that count - it's the first four to eight. After that, even something innocent can end badly. But as she digs deeper, unsettling clues point towards something dark festering beneath the surface of this isolated small town. And when a violent snowstorm cuts them off from the outside world, Terril isn't just fighting to save the girl - she's fighting to get out alive. Yet Wolf Point never surrenders its humanity. Terril Black, Eli Ash, Angela Stone―you'll remember these names long past The End.'

February 2027

The Therapist's Secret is by Kingsley Pearson. Will he help her? Or hurt her? When therapist Aaron Pereira arrives on the Isle of Wight seeking a fresh start, the last thing he expects is to find himself caught in a tragedy. The police suspect that his predecessor, Dr Geoffrey Miller, is guilty of murdering a former patient. The problem? He's nowhere to be found. As long-buried secrets come to light, Aaron finds himself questioning everything the authorities claim and is drawn to investigate. After all, what would drive a respected and kindly therapist to harm a patient they're sworn to protect? And even worse - if a therapist like him could be a killer, what might Aaron himself be capable of?

March 2027

The Last Secret: Victor Rothschild and the Cambridge Spies by Roland Thomas. On a cold February day in 1944, a British intelligence officer knelt in a Northamptonshire field, staring into a crate of onions. Hidden inside: Nazi explosives, bound for British ships, planes and factories. He began to dismantle the bomb, dictating every move into a field telephone. One slip, and he would be blown to pieces. His name was Victor Rothschild, and he was one of the richest men in England. Darkly handsome, dazzlingly clever and unflinchingly brave, Rothschild was a rising star of British intelligence. He was also a Cambridge scientist, a first-class cricketer and heir to the legendary banking dynasty. He could have been anything he wanted. He chose to run MI5's counter-sabotage unit, disarming bombs and hunting Nazi agents. Yet the greatest danger he faced, and his greatest sacrifice, was personal. His friends from Cambridge, Anthony Blunt and Guy Burgess, had shared his flat, his table and his trust. He helped them into positions of national importance, at the heart of British intelligence. Both were Soviet spies, traitors to Britain. The Last Secret is a true story of loyalty and betrayal, courage and misjudgment. Drawing on newly released MI5 files and unheard testimony, it reveals for the first time the extraordinary scope of this decades-long cat-and-mouse game - Rothschild's obsessive struggle to clear his own name and bring his former friends to justice.

When Lee Black – once the golden child of the crime community, now miserly creative writing lecturer – opens his student’s work-in-progress, he is at first confused, then slightly disturbed, and then, finally, flattered. It’s fanfiction. But what the awkward, brilliant Bella has done with his most famous character – classic detective figure DCI Last – is something far bolder and more subversive than he would ever have dreamed of … Sensing an incredible opportunity, Lee sends the first few chapters off to his agent, pretending to have written them. She loves them – and so does his former publisher. This is truly Lee’s ‘Last’ chance. This could change everything, even save his failing marriage. But when Lee tries to complete the new idea himself, it’s soon obvious he’s not getting it. He just needs to persuade Bella to come on board. And if she doesn’t agree? Well, there’s always his brother-in-law’s secluded countryside lodge to go to – perfect for a writing retreat. Of sorts. Fanfiction is by Liam Brown.

April 2027

My Husband's Family is by Kristina Kamen. 'Sleek as a yacht cutting through the Med, My

Husband's Family reads like the seaworthy lovechild of The Perfect Couple and The Guest List. Fabulous, funny, and pure escapist pleasure' Jenny Jackson, bestselling author of Pineapple Street and The Shampoo Effect. The Amalfi Coast is a dazzling backdrop for the day Rebecca marries Preston, the heir to the ultra-rich Wexley family. But when their honeymoon - a romantic break on a superyacht - turns into a family affair, she soon realises she'll have her work cut out with her new in-laws:· The mother-in-law, who rules the family with an iron will· The ex, now an executive at the Wexley enterprise, plotting her own rise to the top Preston's attention-seeking brother, Brad, and his influencer girlfriend· The influencer, scrambling for attention alongside Preston's emotionally stunted brother· And then there's the bride - Rebecca, an outsider whose past threatens to unravel the moment an unexpected guest arrives... When a body goes overboard in the middle of the night, no one can leave until the killer is caught. Everyone on board has their secrets and selfish motivations, and with so much at stake, even family isn't safe..

June 2027

There are three truths: My truths, Your Truth, and the Truth. French Riviera, Spring 2023. Off the coast of Cannes, a yacht drifts between the Lérins Islands. On board lies Oriana Di Pietro, an Italian publisher and heiress to a famous Milanese family. Brutally attacked, she succumbs after ten days in a coma. Who killed Oriana? A man and three women offer their version of the story: Adrien, the victim's husband, a seductive and mysterious jazz pianist; the elusive Adèle, his young mistress; Justine, the local police officer in charge of the investigation; and finally, Oriana herself, through the harrowing account of the last weeks of her life. No one is lying. But no one agrees on the truth. Someone Else is by Guillaume Musso.

Careful What You Wish For is by Kirsty Lockwood. The perfect home or your worst nightmare? After breaking up with her long term boyfriend, Freya is in a rut. Working a dead end job with debts mounting up she longs to escape. So when she hears about The Wishing Well, an app where wealthy donors grant wishes for deserving strangers, she decides she has nothing to lose. Within days, a donor known only as Anon grants her wish for 'escape' and Freya is gifted a stay in an isolated country cottage, rent free. The cottage is perfect and Freya finally has the freedom to focus on her dreams. However, not everything is as it seems, a young woman has gone missing in the nearby hills and Freya finds herself entangled in the investigation into her disappearance. As Anon bombards Freya with messages and gifts, it becomes clear that they believe they are owed for their generosity and will go to extreme lengths to get what they want . .

When Marianne Capaletti's mobester hsuband goes missing , she finds both the FBI and the Patriarca crime family at her door. As it becomes clear that her life and er son's are in grave danger, there is only one place she can flee to for safety. - the lawless frozen wasteland of Northern Quebec, and the home she swore she would never return to. When The Devil Knows Your Name is by R J Ellory.

One morning, a phone call from a real estate agent changes the life of Lumiere, a broke architect in Paris. He is invited to view a historic mansion on the Ile de la Cité, a location far beyond his wildest dreams. If approved, he'll be able to call it home.The only catch? He must visit the ailing owner at a sanatorium in Switzerland and help him uncover the family secrets embedded in the mansion's walls.. Where the Light Leads is by Heesung Baek.

Set over one eventful New Year's Eve in a luxury Dubai hotel – when the festivitoes are held up by armed mercenaries, ex-SAS fighter Sam and his daughter Megan must defy all odds to reunite. Freefall is by M J Arlidge

The London Silver Vaults – the largest collection of silver for sale in the world, with more locks than the Bank of England and more cameras than a celebrity punchup. Not somewhere you can murder someone without a trace- Only that's what happened. The disappearing act, the reports of a blinding flash of light, and memory loss amongst the witnesses make this a case for Detective Constable Peter Grant and the Special Assessment Unit. But Peter's about to encounter something – and somebody – that nobody expects. In High Places is by Ben Aaronovitch.

Anthony Award Winners

Anthony Award Winners were announced at Bouchercon 2026 in Calgary, October 24, 2026.  The list of all the nominations can be found here.

Winners

Best Hardcover Novel

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny 

Best First Novel

Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove 

Best paperback/eBook/Audiobook 

 Edge by Tracy Clark 

Best Children's YA

Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala 

Best Critical/Non-Fiction

Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide to New England by Dawn M. Barclay 

Best Anthology/Collection

On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology edited by Curtis Ippolito Hollywood Kills edited by Adam Meyer & Alan Orloff 

Best Short Story

"AITA for Using My Husband's Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson" by Mindy Carlson 

Congratulations to all!

Forthcoming Books from Bitter Lemon Press

 January 2027

Strippers Always Need Legal Advice is by Iain Levison. A thousand dollars an hour. Hard to say no when you're a public defender spending your days — Sundays included — on the depressing files of small-time crooks. Then negotiating sentences with a prosecutor who's more powerful than you and considerably less competent. So Justin Sykes, worn down by the grind, accepts: one evening a week advising the dancers at a gentlemen's club, and a night across the street at the motel. Without asking too many questions Because everyone knows — strippers always need legal advice.

May 2027

In late 1989, as the Eastern Bloc collapses and money begins moving across borders as never before, a young Geneva banker and a small-time hustler fall in love in the most discreet city in the world — and decide that love alone is not enough. Svetlana is a brilliant, ambitious analyst at a private bank. Aldo is a tennis coach whose real trade is best left unexamined. Attraction becomes partnership, then appetite: for money, power, and the recognition money is supposed to buy. Inspired by a real Geneva embezzlement case and a real 1990 bank heist, Consumed, A Story of Greed and Desire follows two lovers who help themselves to the fortunes flowing through the city's banks — a “Genevan Bonnie and Clyde,” as one French critic called them. Prize-winning and internationally acclaimed, Joseph Incardona channels the savage wit of Martin Amis's Money and the cool dread of DeLillo's White Noise into a modern tragedy about a world where everything, and everyone, has a price. 

June 2027

Dead Man in the Square is by Ben Pastor. As Rome falls and the Wehrmacht retreats into the mountains — the same week the Allies storm Normandy — a German colonel investigates a murder he has no right to solve, using the one man he has orders to execute. Abruzzo, June 1944. Lieutenant Colonel Martin Bora is diverted into the wild country below the Gran Sasso on a mission he cannot refuse: destroy a cache of explosive diplomatic correspondence, then silence the socialist lawyer who holds it. He has barely arrived in the remote village of Faracruci when, unaware that the Allies have just landed in Normandy, an American soldier is found stabbed in the square. Bora can neither report the death nor investigate it officially — so he enlists the very man he is meant to execute. Together they uncover a second, older crime, and a truth that implicates the village's most respected citizen. Ben Pastor's ninth Martin Bora novel is the most purely enjoyable in the series: a classic village mystery, a wartime thriller, and a study of a man who believes in justice while being ordered to violate it.

The Private Eye Writers Of America Announce The 2026 Shamus Award Winners

(PWA Logo by Terry Beatty (Copyright2005))

The winners have just been announced at the 2026 Bouchercon‘s Opening Ceremonies in Calgary, Alberta.

The 2026 Shamus Awards Winners are in bold italics.

Best PI Hardcover

The Big Empty by Robert Crais (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Photograph by Brian Freeman (Blackstone Publishing)

Hatchet Girls by Joe R. Lansdale (Little, Brown and Company)

Gray Dawn by Walter Mosley (Little, Brown and Company)

Mirage City by Lev AC Rosen (Minotaur Books)

Best First P.I Novel

Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski (Datura Books)

Chase Harlem by Elise Burke Brown (Rising Action Publishing)

Miles in Time by Lee Mathew Goldberg (Wise Wolf Books)

Shadow of the Eternal Watcher by Josh Mendoza (Inkshares)

The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan (Minotaur Books)

Best Original Paperback P.I. Novel

Midnight Streets by Phil Lecomber (Titan Books)

The Hook and the Eye by Raymond Benson (Ian Fleming Publications)

Sunday or the Highway by Cindy Fazzi (Thomas & Mercer)

City Lights by Claire M. Johnson (Level Best Books)

Catch Me on a Blue Day by M.E. Proctor (Shotgun Honey Books)

Best P.I. Short Story

"The Roosevelt Affair” by Adam Meyer (Crimeucopia: Not So Frail Detective Agency, Murderous Ink Press)

“The One Cry” by F.H. Batacan (Accidents Happen, Soho Crime)

“Dr. Bones” by Libby Cudmore (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May/June)

“Hours on the Phone” by Gregory Fallis (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July/August)

“The Shadows” by Charles John Harper (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May/June)

2026 Barry Award Winners: Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine

 

Congratulations to all. The winners of the 2026 Barry Awards were announced at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon (Calgary, Canada) last night. Congratulations to all!

Best Mystery
King of Ashes by Cosby (Flatiron Books)

Best First Mystery
The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin (Berkley)

Best Paperback Original Mystery
The Dentist by Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime)

Best Thriller
Midnight Black by Mark Greaney (Berkley)

Deadly

Deadly 

Deadly 

An Post Irish Book Awards announced

The shortlist for the 2026 An Post Irish Book Awards has been unveiled, featuring a diverse and exciting mix of exceptional writing from both new and established writers and illustrators across 19 categories.

Winners will be announced at awards ceremony in the Convention Centre Dublin on Tuesday, 1st December and a TV programme announcing the overall ‘An Post Irish Book of the Year’ winner will be broadcast on RTÉ One on 10th December 2026.

The Crime Fiction shortlist -

The Book Centre Crime Fiction Book of the Year in association with The Irish Independent 

The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent (Sandycove)

Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Casey (Hemlock Press)

One of Us Is Guilty by Steve Cavanagh (Headline)

Such a Nice Girl by Andrea Mara (Bantam)

In Glass Houses by Edel Coffey (Sphere)

The Keeper by Tana French (Viking)

Never to be Found by Jo Spain (Zaffre)

If These Walls Could Talk by Michelle McDonagh (Hachette Books Ireland)

 

 

Winner of the Petrona Award 2026 announced

The winner of the Petrona Award 2026 for the Best Scandinavian Crime

Novel of the Year is:

Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson translated from the Norwegian by Ian Giles and published by Orenda Books.

Both Ørjan Karlsson and Ian Giles will receive a trophy.

The judges would like to highly commend Broken, the dark and compulsive police procedural by Jón Atli Jónasson, which is translated by Quentin Bates and published by Corylus Books.

The judges’ statement regarding Into Thin Air:

Ørjan Karlsson puts a spotlight on the stunning beauty of the Lofoten Islands in the Norwegian Arctic Circle while discovering devastating secrets hidden beneath the calm surface. With empathy and deep understanding he introduces a fascinating investigative duo dealing with personal challenges and explores relationships within the tight-knit community.

Told from several perspectives Into Thin Air has a contemporary feel and nuanced narration. This taut and tense thriller has a strong sense of location and utterly engaging characters, with nature as one of them. Perfect pacing and atmospheric storytelling add to the compelling story which moves seamlessly between recent European political history and dramatic local events from the past, all of them having impact on everyone in the area.

Statements from the winning author, translator and publisher: Ørjan Karlsson:

I am both delighted and honoured to be the recipient of this award. The fact that many of this year’s nominees are my own go-to authors for Scandinavian and Nordic crime makes this recognition extra special. A huge thank you to the jury and the organisers of the Petrona Award for championing Nordic crime fiction in this way; it is truly appreciated.

Publishing your novels in a foreign language is a collaborative effort. I would like to thank my agency at Gyldendal in Norway for their tireless work in opening the world of Jakob Weber to readers in other languages. I am also deeply grateful to my publisher, Karen Sullivan, and the entire ‘Team Orenda’ for believing in the series and making all of this happen.

Translating a book into another language often means reading between the lines and adapting parts of the text to ensure it stays true to the spirit of the original. I couldn't ask for a better team to achieve that than Orenda’s excellent editorial director, West Camel, and my brilliant translator, Ian Giles. Thank you.

 Ian Giles:

I knew from the moment I first read Into Thin Air in Norwegian that Ørjan had nailed the intersection in the Venn diagram of setting, characters, and great writing. Fortunately, Orenda Books grasped this too and took a chance on an author who was previously untested in English translation. While I like to think that I have the right voice to share Jakob, Noora and the rest of the gang with anglophone readers, Orenda also had the good sense to pair us with our indefatigable editor, West Camel. I’m chuffed that the Petrona judges recognise what our little trinity worked so hard to achieve with this book.

 Karen Sullivan (Orenda Books):

We are absolutely thrilled to see Ørjan Karlsson’s English debut, Into Thin Air, honoured with this prestigious award. I was transfixed by the premise of the book (and series) from the moment I heard about it. The sheer scale of Chief Investigator Jakob Webber’s job – policing Nordland, Norway’s untamed north, a landscape surrounded by glaciers, forests and lakes, with its endless, rugged coastline and thousands of islands – is utterly compelling, bringing dangers and challenges, but

the immensely believable characters (of which the landscape is definitely one), and Ørjan’s exceptional writing makes this stand-out Nordic Noir in every way. In fact, this is the quintessential modern example of Nordic Noir, ticking all the classic boxes of the genre while bringing a fresh, highly authentic energy to the traditional police

procedural. At its heart are the social issues, moral ambiguity and flawed (but never clichéd) detectives with a superb dynamic – everything we would expect from the best Nordic crime fiction. We are grateful to the judges for choosing Into Thin Air, the first in what we hope will be a long-running series.

 

 

The Reading Agency launches largest-ever UK prison book-gifting programme

Nearly half a million Quick Reads to reach prisons across the UK, with a collection shaped with people in prison and prison staff and championed by Prison Reading Laureate Lee Child

Nearly half a million Quick Reads books will be distributed across prisons in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland this autumn as part of the UK’s largest-ever prison book-gifting programme.

Delivered by The Reading Agency as part of the National Year of Reading 2026, the programme brings together 11 Quick Reads selected with input from people in prison and prison staff.

Crime and thriller writing is strongly represented in the collection, led by internationally bestselling author and the UK’s first Prison Reading Laureate Lee Child, alongside a broader selection spanning memoir, wellbeing, contemporary fiction and creative writing.

The collection includes books by A. A. Dhand, Dreda Say Mitchell, Fiona Cummins, Leye Adenle and Alex Wheatle, alongside memoir and wellbeing titles by Andy McNab, Lemn Sissay, Dr Alex George and Cathy Rentzenbrink.

Nearly 500,000 Quick Reads books will be distributed across prisons in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, helping make engaging, accessible books available to people in custody across the UK. 

The landmark programme marks the 20th anniversary of Quick Reads and has been made possible with funding from The Henry Smith Foundation, with additional support from The Balcombe Trust and Clays.

©Sigrid Estrada

Prison Reading Laureate Lee Child said: “Reading matters in prison. Short, compelling stories can spark a renewed interest in books — and that spark can lead anywhere. Making sure that every prisoner has access to engaging, well-written books during the National Year of Reading is not just symbolic. It’s practical, purposeful and potentially life-changing.”

The need to make reading accessible within prisons remains significant. Ministry of Justice statistics for 2024–25 show that 65% of English initial-assessment results across public prisons in England were at Entry Levels 1–3, while 11% were at Level 2 or above.

Quick Reads are specifically designed to remove some of the barriers that can prevent adults from reading for pleasure. Short, compelling and accessible without being simplistic, they offer an entry point both for established readers and people who may not have picked up a book for years.

The Reading Agency is working with HM Prison and Probation Service, the Ministry of Justice, Scottish Prison Service and Northern Ireland Prison Service to support delivery across the prison estate.

Karen Napier MBE, CEO of The Reading Agency, said: “When we put a book directly into someone’s hands, we are offering more than words on a page. Reading can offer escape, connection and space for reflection, while supporting wellbeing, confidence and learning.

“At the heart of this programme is choice. We have listened to people in prison about what they want to read and are bringing together books spanning crime and thrillers, memoir, wellbeing and creative writing. We want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to find a book that grabs them and discover where reading might take them.”

The 11 books were selected with input from people in prison and prison staff, helping ensure the collection reflects a range of interests and reading experiences.

Crime and thriller writing emerged as a particularly strong thread.

High Heat by Lee Child takes a teenage Jack Reacher into New York during the 1977 blackout; Cell One by Leye Adenle is a fast-moving Lagos-set kidnap thriller; and Darkness Rising by A. A. Dhand features Bradford detective Harry Virdee.

One False Move by Dreda Say Mitchell is a tense 24-hour story about a woman newly released from prison trying to go straight, while Fiona Cummins’ A Boy Called Saul brings together a troubled teenager and former detective with a dark shared past.

But the collection deliberately offers a range of other ways into reading.

Former SAS soldier Andy McNab’s Today Everything Changes tells how learning to read and the Army’s education system changed the course of his life after a childhood marked by poverty and petty crime. At 17, McNab had the reading age of a nine-year-old.

He said: “Reading is so important, not just for education but to escape the confines of life.

“As someone who, at seventeen, had the reading age of a nine-year-old, becoming a reader changed my life. Reading not only provided me with an education and the ability to compete in the world but also sparked my imagination and that gave me a positive outlook for my future.”

Poet and author Lemn Sissay’s My Name Is Why explores his experience growing up in the care system and his fight to understand his identity, while The Mind Manual by Dr Alex George offers an accessible guide to looking after mental health and wellbeing.

Cathy Rentzenbrink’s Write It All Down encourages readers to tell their own stories, while Dead Simple brings together eight short stories by bestselling writers for readers looking for something they can dip into and enjoy. Alex Wheatle’s Witness follows a young man facing an impossible choice between truth and loyalty.

Dr Alex George said: “Reading can be a moment of stillness and a chance for your mind to escape into another world. Seeing The Mind Manual adapted as a Quick Read means more people can access support when they need it most. I’m honoured it’s part of the prison collection — reading can be a lifeline in tough moments.”

A. A. Dhand, whose Darkness Rising is among the selected books, said: “Books should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances or their previous relationship with reading.

“In prison, reading can provide far more than temporary escape. It can build confidence, create empathy and give people the opportunity to see the world and themselves differently. If the right book reaches the right person at the right moment, it can open a door that may otherwise have remained closed.”

Alongside the distribution of books, Quick Reads in Prisons will be supported by a national engagement programme designed to make reading visible, accessible and enjoyable throughout the prison estate and connect writers directly with readers.

Activities include author-led workshops and creative writing activity, dedicated National Prison Radio content around the Quick Reads titles, and practical resources and activities to help prison libraries, education teams, peer supporters and staff bring the books to life.

The programme will encourage prisons to make Quick Reads available at different places and moments throughout someone’s time in custody – from libraries, wings and education to workplaces and other shared spaces – helping create more opportunities to encounter and enjoy a book.

The project is one of the most ambitious reading-engagement programmes delivered across the UK prison estate and forms part of the National Year of Reading 2026.

THE 11 QUICK READS PRISON COLLECTION TITLES

Leye Adenle – Cell One (Simon & Schuster)

Fiona Cummins – A Boy Called Saul (Pan Macmillan)

AA Dhand – Darkness Rising (Penguin Random House)

Lee Child – High Heat (Penguin Random House)

Dr Alex George – The Mind Manual (Octopus)

Lemn Sissay – My Name Is Why (Canongate)

Dreda Say Mitchell – One False Move (Hodder)

Andy McNab – Today Everything Changes (Penguin Random House)

Alex Wheatle – Witness (Profile Books)

Cathy Rentzenbrink – Write It All Down (Pan Macmillan)

Various authors – Dead Simple (Orion)

Crime Fiction at the London St Andrews Book Festival

Val McDermid, Louise Welsh, and Chris Brookmyre 

among crime writers to appear at London St Andrew’s Book Festival

Fiction fans will have their pick of genres, with talks and panel events from well-loved novelists, including: acclaimed crime writer Val McDermid who will join Geographer Royal for Scotland Jo Sharp to discuss This Door of Seas, their contribution to the acclaimed ‘Darkland Tales’ series; former sports writer Gordon Simpson, who will chat to Clark McGinn about his gripping new golf thriller Four Deadly Swings; award-winning Scottish novelist Jenni Fagan on her darkly imaginative new novel The Delusions; Traitors star and bestselling author Harriet Tyce, whose new thriller Witch Trial explores a sensational Edinburgh murder case; and award-winning crime writer Louise Welsh, discussing The Cut Up, to name a few.

The official website can be found here. You can also find the complete programme here.

The Festival is taking place between the 16th and 22nd November 2926.

Macavity Award Winners

 

The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International, subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal, and friends of MRI. Congratulations to all!

The Macavity Award is named after Macavity: The Mystery Cat, in T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats!

Macavity Winners 2026 (for works published in 2025)

Best Mystery Novel

Winner

Crooks by Lou Berney (William Morrow)

Also nominated:

King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)

Clown Town by Mick Herron (Soho Crime)

River of Lies by James L'Etoile (Oceanview Publishing)

The White Crow by Michael Robotham (Scribner)

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Minotaur Books)

Best First Mystery 

Winner

History Lessons by Zoe B. Wallbrook (Soho Press)

Also nominated:

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Minotaur Books)

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Bantam Books)

Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg (Level Best Books)

Stillwater by Tanya Scott (Grove Atlantic)

Best Mystery Nonfiction

Winner

Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide to New England by Dawn M. Barclay (Level Best Books)

Also nominated:

Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation by Michael Cannell (Minotaur Books)

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Press)

V Is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death by Kathryn Harkup (Bloomsbury Sigma)

Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley (University of Virginia Press)

Cooler than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins (Mariner Books)

Best Mystery Short Story

Winner

Six-Armed Robbery by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier (in Donna Andrews Presents Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Humorous, edited by John Betancourt, Carla Coupe, and Michael Bracken, Wildside Press)

Also nominated:

“Hollywood Prometheus” by Christa Faust (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West, Bywater Books)

“Finding Jimmy Baldwin” by Cheryl Head (in Crime Ink: Iconic: An Anthology of Crime Fiction Inspired by Queer Icons, edited by John Copenhaver and Salem West, Bywater Books)

“The Devil Himself” by Vaseem Khan (in Double Crossing Van Dine, edited by Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor, Crippen & Landru Publishers)

“The Skies Are Red” by Richie Narvaez (in On Fire and Under Water: A Climate Change Crime Fiction Anthology, edited by Curtis Ippolito, Rock and a Hard Place Press)

“Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush” by Dave Zeltserman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Sept/Oct 2025)

Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery

Winner

Bye Bye Blackbird by Elizabeth Crowens (Level Best Books)

Also nominated:

A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Kensington Books)

City Lights by Claire M. Johnson (Level Best Books)

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver (Boldwood Books)

The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler (Kensington Books)

No. 10 Doyers Street by Radha Vatsal (Level Best Books)