14 New British Crime Novels for Autumn 2024
In some cases, we earn commissions from affiliate links in our posts.
As the weather turns cool and crisp, we love nothing more than to curl up with a warm beverage and good crime novel – be it cosy, procedural, traditional, supernatural, or something else entirely. Luckily, publishers know a lot of people are like this, and they release a lot of the year's biggest titles during autumn and late summer. Here's a look at some of the best new British crime novels to enjoy as we head into the chilly months.
Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson
At Rook Hall, a sleepy Yorkshire town is about to become the scene of a real-life mystery. Ex-detective Jackson Brodie, bored and listless, takes on the seemingly mundane case of a stolen painting, only to uncover a series of art thefts that lead him to Burton Makepeace, a once-grand estate now hosting Murder Mystery weekends. As guests and aristocrats mix, Jackson navigates a maze of disguises and deceptions to uncover the truth.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre
When LAPD detective Johnny Hawke and sharp-minded amateur sleuth Penny Coyne are drawn together by a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation, their vastly different worlds collide in unexpected ways. As they dive deeper into a puzzling case, they find themselves in the middle of a mystery that defies the conventions of any crime novel they've known. It's basically a mash-up of an English village mystery and American noir.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Steve Wheeler, enjoying his quiet retired life with his pub quizzes and cozy routines, is suddenly thrust back into action when his daughter-in-law sends a desperate SOS. Amy, who thrives on adrenaline in her private security job, is guarding a bestselling author on a remote island when a murder and a bag of cash create all sorts of problems. Together, Steve and Amy embark on a high-stakes race across the globe, trying to stay one step ahead of a relentless killer.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves
When a staff member at a home for troubled teens is found dead outside Rosebank in the coastal village of Longwater, DI Vera Stanhope is called to investigate. With a missing fourteen-year-old resident, Chloe Spence, as her only lead, she's reluctant to believe a vulnerable teenager might be responsible. As Vera, Joe, and newcomer Rosie Bell work their way deeper into the case, a second body is discovered. To uncover the truth, Vera will have to find Chloe and figure out what the community is hiding.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
One of Us is Dead by Peter James
When James Taylor spots a familiar face at a funeral, he's shocked—it's Rufus Rorke, a man whose eulogy he delivered two years ago. Meanwhile, DS Roy Grace is dealing with a series of suspicious deaths he can't stop thinking about. As Taylor's unsettling discovery and Grace's investigation converge, a chilling question arises: is Rufus Rorke somehow connected to the recent spate of deaths?
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
The Drowned by John Banville
In 1950s rural Ireland, a loner stumbles upon an abandoned car in a field, leading him into a perplexing missing persons case where a husband fears his wife has drowned herself. DI Strafford is summoned from Dublin to investigate, and he enlists the aid of a familiar ally, the brilliant but troubled pathologist Quirke. As they dig deeper, buried secrets and unresolved events from the past emerge, putting everyone involved in danger.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Killing Time by MC BEaton with RW Green
Agatha Raisin's private detective agency faces a dual challenge as they investigate a number of deadly burglaries in their Cotswolds village while also managing a lavish event at Sir Charles Fraith's Barfield House. When Agatha receives death threats and narrowly escapes a kidnapping, she retreats to Mallorca with her new love interest, John Glass, to regroup. With time running out, Agatha must uncover the identity of her would-be assassin, solve the murder, and keep her budding romance alive.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Midnight & Blue by Ian Rankin
Former detective John Rebus, now a convict himself, finds his survival threatened when a fellow inmate is brutally murdered in Scotland's most notorious prison. With old enemies and uneasy allies lurking around every corner, Rebus must rely on his sharp instincts and cunning to unravel a deadly conspiracy within the prison walls. Surrounded by killers, Rebus faces his greatest challenge yet: finding a murderer in a place where everyone is guilty.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
This thriller by the author of The Girl on the Train takes us to the isolated Scottish island of Eris, reachable from the Scottish mainland only half the day. There, Grace lives a solitary life amidst the tides. Once home to Vanessa, a famous artist whose husband mysteriously vanished twenty years ago, Eris is a place shrouded in mystery. When a startling discovery in a London art gallery draws an unexpected visitor to the island, long-buried secrets begin to surface, threatening to unravel the hidden truths of Eris.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
A Killer of Influence by JD Kirk
When eight social media influencers mysteriously disappear after a convention in the Scottish Highlands, their followers and families are understandably shocked. Soon, a chilling livestream emerges, showing the influencers trapped in squalid underground cells, forced into a deadly game where their survival hinges on gaining the most likes. As the gruesome competition unfolds live on camera, DCI Jack Logan and his team race through the rugged Scottish terrain and the sinister depths of the internet to rescue the captives before it's too late.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
The Man in Black: And Other STories by Elly Griffiths
Elly Griffiths brings together a collection of short stories in which she explores different genres and voices, featuring beloved characters like Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur, and Max Mephisto outside their usual novel settings. From ghost stories and cozy mysteries to psychological suspense and touching tales of love and loss, each story offers a unique glimpse into these characters' lives – and the mind of the author herself. Highlights include Ruth Galloway's encounter with a mysterious man in a bookstore, Max Mephisto's search for a missing landlady in 1920s Leeds, and Harbinder Kaur's challenging first day on the job as a DS.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
The Camborne Killings by Sally Rigby
Detective Lauren Pengelly and her partner, Matt Price, are called to investigate the murder of a former police officer in Cornwall, a death with cryptic connections to an old nursery rhyme. As more victims emerge, each with a chilling connection to a decades-old case and the eerie rhyme counting down, Lauren will have to find the killer before she herself becomes a target.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
The Examiner by Janice Hallett
Professor Gela Nathaniel's new master's program in multimedia art at Royal Hastings University is on the line, hinging on the success of six students. As the year progresses, tensions rise among the group: a determined sculptor, a former gallery owner with limited skills, a paycheck-driven single mother, a tech-challenged people pleaser, a burnt-out marketing executive, and an overqualified artist. When a shocking event occurs at the end of the term, an examiner looks into the students' coursework and interactions to uncover a dark truth: one of them is either in grave danger or already dead. But who is it, and why?
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
A Hymn of Death by Alison Joseph
In a seedy London alley, tortured veteran Andy McFadden dies with a song on his lips. Sister Agnes, a shelter worker who knew him well, remains haunted by his death. When Andy's friend is accused of dealing the fatal blow during a drunken brawl, Agnes can't believe he's guilty, especially since his memories of that night are blurred. The only clear image he recalls is of a mysterious woman cradling Andy and singing a lullaby as he died. Was she real, or a figment of his imagination? Agnes is determined to find out.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
The Black Loch by Peter May
When the body of eighteen-year-old TV personality Caitlin is discovered on a remote beach on the Isle of Lewis, her death is puzzling. After learning his son, Fionnlagh, had a secret affair with Caitlin and is now a suspect in her murder, Fin Macleod returns to the island with his wife Marsaili. After a decade away, the investigation brings up as many painful memories as it does clues.
Get it: Amazon | Bookshop.org (supports independent bookshops)
Save it to Pinterest!
