Thriller & mystery roundup
Australian magical realism, Norwegian Noir, spies in the Cold War - our thriller and mystery roundup for November contains old favourites and new winners for lovers of the genre.
The Predicament by William Boyd
The Predicament is William Boyd's second Cold War espionage novel, continuing the story of Gabriel Dax, a travel writer struggling to reconcile his professional life with his role as a reluctant spy. Set in the tense political climate of 1963, the book finds Dax unwillingly back in the shadows, partly drawn by the dangerous allure of his MI6 handler, Faith Green. His latest mission takes him first to turbulent Guatemala, where he is meant to cover a tinderbox presidential election but instead uncovers a sinister plot involving the CIA and the Mafia. Escaping to West Berlin, where President John F. Kennedy is scheduled to deliver his famous speech, Dax uncovers a high-stakes conspiracy: a plot to assassinate the American President. Forced into a race against time, the accidental agent must navigate a web of international deceit to avert a global tragedy.
Five years ago, on his 21st birthday, Sam Crowley vanished without a trace from the rural community he grew up in. Every year on the anniversary of his death, his mother Ro returns to Carralon Ridge, to her ex-husband, to mark Sam's birthday. Now a dying town, Carralon Ridge is dominated by a coal mine that covers houses in dust and rumbles and whines 24/7. The mine has decimated the town, buying property and pitting neighbour against neighbour. Some have left, but a few hold outs remain. Griff, Ro's ex husband and the father to Sam and their daughter Della, has stayed. As Ro, Griff and Della mourn and remember Sam, the secrets that bubble beneath the surface of the small community seem as dark as ever with questions still hanging over Sam's disappearance, and the apparent suicide of Griff's cousin Warren. Could the towns people, who Ro and Griff have considered friends for decades know more than they're saying? Or did Sam, researching the town for a university project, ask the wrong people the wrong questions?
The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia
The unconventional partnership between former police officer Max Summerlin and his psychic partner, Jonah Kendrick, newly established as private investigators is immediately tested when a desperate man named Charlie walks into their office, seeking his missing girlfriend, Darcy. The catch: Charlie knows almost nothing about her, not even her last name, and refuses to involve the police. As Max and Jonah attempt to find a woman who seems to have erased her own history, the narrative alternates with Darcy’s own perspective, chronicling her cross-country flight from a dark and traumatic past. The investigation leads the duo from an 80s-inspired bakery to a horrifying house at the edge of the woods and asks the question, can you ever truly escape the horrors you are running from, or is the past always waiting in the shadows?
Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, an 81-year-old curmudgeon living a quiet life in suburban Melbourne, who harbours a deep secret: she is the infamous "Mad Mabel," who, as a teenager in the 1950s, became the youngest Australian convicted of murder. When an elderly neighbour is found dead, a new investigation is opened, and Elsie's past is uncovered, drawing the media and police. Told in dual timelines (Then and Now), the story follows Elsie as she navigates present-day suspicion and decides it's time to set the record straight about the crime that made her notorious. Hepworth is one of Australia's most popular thriller authors for good reason.
Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks
Connie is excited to have her three daughters home for the holidays, but her festive plans shatter when her eldest, Fran, arrives with a new boyfriend, Zac, who chillingly resembles a man from Connie's past—a mistake that nearly ruined her marriage. The shock deepens when Fran announces she's pregnant. Terrified that her long-buried secret will destroy her family, Connie frantically tries to manage the crisis, however, she soon realises she's not the only one hiding a devastating secret. Adele Parks' brand of domestic thriller will appeal to readers of Louise Candlish and Claire Douglas.
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
In this sequel to the hugely popular The Woman in Cabin 10, journalist Lo Blacklock attempts to restart her career by attending the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann. Answering a late-night summons from the billionaire and hoping for an interview, Lo is lead not to Marcus, but to a woman—allegedly Marcus's mistress—claiming to be in life-or-death jeopardy. Pulled into a dangerous situation, and seeing familiar faces from her past, Lo finds herself in a desperate, white-knuckled chase across Europe. She must decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to save the woman, as she's dragged into a darker game of secrets and suspicion.
A harsh winter necessitates draining the dam at Farris Lake for repairs but as the water recedes, the exposed lakebed yields horrifying secrets: the remains of a young man who vanished eight years prior, and the belongings of a girl who disappeared four years later. Convinced the two cold cases are connected, Detective William Wisting digs into the long-held secrets of the seemingly idyllic region. Jørn Lier Horst is renowned for building slow, compelling tension without relying on excessive gore or unrealistic heroics, creating a highly credible and engrossing Nordic Noir thriller.
Gravity Let Me Go Trent Dalton
A marriage story buried inside a murder story - Noah Cork is a freelance true-crime journalist in suburban Brisbane who believes he's achieved a career-defining scoop by publishing a book about a murder after the killer tips him off. However, his obsession with the story and communicating with the killer leads him to neglect his wife, Rita—who inexplicably takes a vow of silence—and his family and his life and sanity being to spiral.
Dalton, who calls this his most personal work, uses the narrative to explore the darkness beneath the "Great Australian Dream," the dangers of journalistic ambition, and the fragility of truth and love. Hear Dalton speak about his new book here.
