The Best Crime Fiction For August
The Final Vow by M.W. Craven
Constable, £20
The Brief: Washington Poe is back and the stakes have never been higher.
The Suspects: DS Washington Poe, disillusioned and stuck patrolling fishing boats; Tilly Bradshaw, the brilliant but awkward analyst whose loyalty knows no bounds; DCI Stephanie Flynn, the leader determined to get her team back on track; a sniper whose killings appear random until a darker pattern emerges.
The Setup: With the special crimes unit dissolved, Poe’s life has slowed to a frustrating crawl. Then a sniper strikes again, pulling him back into the world of high‑stakes investigation. Reunited with Tilly and Flynn, Poe is thrust into a cat‑and‑mouse chase that tests both his skill and his resilience. But the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous – and personal – the game becomes.
The Judgement: The seventh outing in Craven’s acclaimed series proves he’s still at the top of his game. Taut, intelligent, and darkly addictive, The Final Vow delivers all the sharp character interplay and high‑octane plotting fans have come to expect with enough fresh menace to keep even long‑time readers on edge.
If You Liked This, Try:
Black Summer by M.W. Craven. A Poe and Bradshaw classic with chilling stakes
The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor. For atmospheric, unsettling thrills
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. For a lighter spin on crime‑solving camaraderie
Body Count by Julie Mae Cohen
Zaffre, £16.99
The Brief: Serial killers, sisters, and a darkly hilarious taste for revenge.
The Suspects: Saffy, the perfectly-coiffed murderess who’s just trying to enjoy her new boyfriend; Susie, her overly wholesome sister with suspiciously pointed Instagram memes; the police, still trying to solve a murder Saffy already got away with.
The Setup: Life is going brilliantly for Saffy Huntley-Oliver. She’s in love, her hairdresser’s out of jail, and her murder streak remains undetected. But it isn’t all going her way – velvet is now off-limits thanks to Jonathan’s shedding dog, and her sister’s terrible taste in men is getting hard to ignore. Worse still, someone might have finally connected the dots between Saffy’s ‘hobby’ and a certain dead Tory. The police won’t catch her, but someone else might.
The Judgement: Julie Mae Cohen returns with another riotous revenge comedy that’s as wickedly sharp as it is emotionally messy. If you adored Bad Men and Villanelle is your anti-heroine of choice, Body Count delivers your kind of chaos.
If You Liked This, Try:
Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse. For dark humour and deadly women
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. For blood ties and moral messiness
How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie. For snarky, stylish murder
Etiquette For Lovers And Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy
Fleet, £20
The Brief: Jell-O salads, Champagne secrets, and one murder too many in 1960s Maine.
The Suspects: Billie McCadie, an incurable romantic stuck in a town with too many rules and not enough mystery; Avery Webster, the yacht-club dreamboat who may or may not be lying through his perfect teeth; Gertrude, recently engaged, suddenly dead, and possibly not the only target.
The Setup: It’s 1964 in Eastport, and Billie is dying of boredom until a stranger’s love letter, a mysterious ring, and a corpse flip her life upside down. As strange men lurk and secrets multiply, Billie finds herself cast in the role she’s always dreamed of – the daring amateur sleuth. But everyone’s a suspect, and the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to tell whether she’s the heroine or bait.
The Judgement: Anna Fitzgerald Healy’s debut is a glittering murder mystery soaked in retro charm, razor wit, and coastal noir. Think a little Hitchcock, a little To Die For, and a whole lot of fun. A sparkling, stylish whodunnit with bite.
If You Liked This, Try:
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood For cosy crime and amateur sleuthing
A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys. For period mystery and simmering suspense at sea
The Haven by Amanda Jennings. For seductive outsiders and hidden darkness
Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks
HQ, £16.99
The Brief: A Christmas homecoming turns into a tangle of secrets, lies, and devastating revelations.
The Suspects: Connie, an empty nester longing for a perfect holiday with her daughters; Fran, the eldest, who arrives with a charming new boyfriend; and Zac, whose presence stirs up memories Connie has spent years trying to bury.
The Setup: Connie can’t shake the unease she feels the moment she meets Zac. He reminds her of the biggest mistake of her life, a man who nearly destroyed her marriage. When Fran announces she’s pregnant, Connie scrambles to keep her family safe, but she isn’t the only one guarding dangerous secrets. Beneath the festive surface, betrayal and hidden truths simmer toward eruption.
The Judgement: Adele Parks delivers a dark, addictive thriller wrapped up as a compelling family drama. Twisty, emotionally charged, and impossible to put down, this one keeps you hooked until the final sentence.
If You Liked This, Try:
Playing Away by Adele Parks. The debut that introduced these unforgettable characters
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. For chilling domestic tension and high-stakes secrets
The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish. For secrets that refuse to stay buried
Blood Like Ours by Stuart Neville
Simon & Schuster, £16.99, out 28 August
The Brief: A feral girl. A mother’s desperate search. A special agent hunting for truth in the shadows.
The Suspects: Rebecca, a mother who sacrificed everything to protect her daughter; Moonflower, the missing girl whose trail is as wild as the dogs said to follow her; and Sarah McGrath, a special agent determined to uncover the truth and avenge her partner.
The Setup: Rebecca believed vanishing was the only way to keep her child safe. Now Moonflower has disappeared, leaving behind only whispers of a girl roaming with a pack of dogs. As Sarah McGrath pursues the case, haunted by her own loss, their paths collide in a hunt that will test the limits of survival, trust, and justice.
The Judgement: Stuart Neville follows Blood Like Mine with a chilling, heart‑stopping sequel. Blending the pace of a thriller with the menace of horror, this cat‑and‑mouse tale is a masterclass in tension and atmosphere.
If You Liked This, Try:
Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville. The terrifying, pulse-pounding novel that started it all
The Last House On Needless Street by Catriona Ward. For unsettling, gothic menace
The Silence Of The Lambs by Thomas Harris. The ultimate cat‑and‑mouse FBI thriller
The Peak by Sam Guthrie
HarperFiction, £20
The Brief: Espionage, betrayal, and the last 24 hours of the world as we know it.
The Suspects: Charlie, the loyal enforcer who’s always protected his best friend’s secrets; Sebastian, the charismatic politician whose three whispered words in Mandarin trigger global chaos; and the Secret Intelligence Service, demanding answers as planes fall from the sky and power grids collapse.
The Setup: Charlie has stood by Sebastian since schooldays, willing to get his hands dirty so his friend could rise. But when Sebastian sets off a geopolitical chain reaction, Charlie finds himself caught between loyalty and survival. With communication systems down and the world teetering on the brink, he must decide to protect his oldest friend – or stop him.
The Judgement: Sam Guthrie, a former Australian diplomat, debuts with a high‑octane thriller that blends personal betrayal with ruthless geopolitics. Gripping, timely, and terrifyingly plausible, The Peak cements Guthrie as a powerful new voice in international thrillers.
If You Liked This, Try:
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John le Carré. The ultimate betrayal‑driven spy novel
Clown Town by Mick Herron. Arguably the best spy series of today.
The Chase by Ava Glass. A female operative takes on the old boys’ club.
No Body No Crime by Tess Sharpe
Dead Ink Books, £10.99
The Brief: First loves, buried bodies, and a violent past that just won’t stay dead.
The Suspects: Mel Tillman, a rural PI with blood on her hands and unfinished business in her heart;
Chloe Harper, her teenage sweetheart and the girl she helped bury a body with six years ago; and the powerful family still hunting for what Toby Dunne stole and who took him out.
The Setup: Mel hasn’t seen Chloe since they murdered Toby Dunne on the night of Chloe’s sweet sixteen. But when Chloe’s family hires Mel to track her down, the case becomes personal. Mel finds Chloe living off-grid in a trap-rigged stretch of Canadian wilderness, hiding from more than just her past. Now, with killers closing in and long-buried secrets resurfacing, the two women must face the truth about what they did, what they lost, and what they still might save.
The Judgement: Tess Sharpe delivers a pulse-pounding, love-soaked thriller packed with buried trauma, backwoods tension, and chemistry that burns through every page. No Body No Crime is messy, romantic, and relentlessly sharp.
If You Liked This, Try:
The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe. For criminal girls and high stakes
Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine. For female rage and powerful secrets
Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier. For past sins and hidden identities
The Snares by Rav Grewal-Kök
No Exit Press, £9.99
The Brief: Drone strikes, moral collapse, and power in post-9/11 America.
The Suspects: Neel Chima, a Sikh-American father recruited into a new federal agency with a deadly mandate; his colleagues, who trade in bloodless logic and targeted killings; and the shadowy forces who see Neel’s conscience as leverage.
The Setup: In the feverish aftermath of 9/11, Neel Chima joins a clandestine U.S. intelligence program and quickly rises, selecting targets for drone assassination. But when a grave error makes him vulnerable, he’s drawn deeper into a labyrinth of moral compromise and covert manipulation. As pressure mounts, Neel must decide who he is and what he’s willing to destroy to stay in control.
The Judgement: Taut, haunting, and psychologically fearless, The Snares is a devastating debut that fuses espionage tension with emotional and ethical weight. Rav Grewal-Kök writes with surgical clarity, challenging what it means to be a patriot, a parent, and a survivor.
If You Liked This, Try:
American War by Omar El Akkad. For political dystopia and moral ambiguity
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. For dual identity and devastating compromise
Missionaries by Phil Klay. For modern warfare and the machinery of justification
The Youngster by Bibi Berki
Deixis Press, £17.99
The Brief: A daughter, a mother, and the younger man who comes between them.
The Suspects: Georgie, fiercely devoted to her mother and losing control of their bond; Cherry, in the early stages of dementia and newly vulnerable to manipulation; and ‘the youngster’ who’s charming, watchful, and quietly dangerous.
The Setup: Georgie and her mother Cherry have survived life’s ups and downs side by side. But when Cherry begins to slip into dementia, Georgie’s world narrows until a younger man inserts himself into their fragile lives. At first, he seems to be helping. Then he starts to change things. To move in. To whisper. What follows is a psychological tug-of-war between love, control, and a grief that hasn’t even happened yet.
The Judgement: Bibi Berki delivers a tense and emotionally lacerating thriller about family, fragility, and obsession. The Youngster is a haunting portrait of maternal love, blurred boundaries, and the danger of letting anyone, no matter how sweet, too close.
If You Liked This, Try:
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. For psychological control and blurred power dynamics
The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers. For intimacy, isolation, and the slow creep of obsession
The Lamb by Lucy Rose. For menacing family bonds and the interloper who fractures them
Isolation Ward by Martine Bailey
Allison & Busby, £9.99
The Brief: One asylum, one murder, and a woman sent to fix the unfixable.
The Suspects: Lorraine Quick, a psychometric expert-turned-reluctant investigator, caught between trauma and duty; DS Diaz, her almost-old flame with his own reasons for digging into the past; and Windwell Asylum, a decaying fortress of secrets, silence, and unseen violence.
The Setup: Yorkshire, 1983. As Thatcher’s NHS teeters on the edge and synthpop plays on the radio, Lorraine Quick is pulled from her music dreams to help ‘modernise’ a top-security psychiatric unit on the moors. But when a murder is discovered inside the supposedly impenetrable asylum walls, her assignment becomes a descent into buried trauma, institutional rot, and creeping dread. The deeper she digs, the more the walls seem to close in and the more dangerous the truth becomes.
The Judgement: Martine Bailey delivers another taut, unflinching thriller laced with psychological insight and atmospheric menace. Isolation Ward is for readers who like their crime fiction smart, twisted, and chillingly plausible, where the institution is just as dangerous as the killer.
If You Liked This, Try:
Ward D by Freida McFadden. For medical horror behind locked doors
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. For the ultimate institutional twist
A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay. For tense medical thrills with a side of dark humour