The best new crime and thriller books to read in August 2026

Whether you are stuck in a book rut, are looking for a great holiday read, or simply love a good bit of crime fiction, then you are in luck. A fresh batch of thrillers have been released, and they will easily keep you up all night turning the pages. From the return of Bella Mackie and Irvine Welsh to a great new lexicographical mystery from Susie Dent and a gripping new psychological drama from Adele Parks, here is our pick of the best… Claws Out by Bella Mackie The new novel from the multimillion-selling author of How to Kill Your Family introduces Diana, a determined social climber with a wealthy widower in her sights. Unfortunately for her, his daughter Cat has started investigating the graves of Diana’s previous husbands. Borough Press, £20 Can Nothing Save Us? by Irvine Welsh Money proves somewhat divisive in the latest from the author of Trainspotting, which follows the fallout of one Las Vegas family after the grandparents name their college-dropout grandson as heir to their millions. Their furious daughter wants revenge, while a sinister newcomer brings further tensions. Jonathan Cape, £20 The Best of Enemies by Julie Mae Cohen Gwen’s list of enemies is meant to be harmless: a private record of bullies, nuisances and people she despises. Then, one by one, they begin dying in bizarre circumstances. Another blackly comic read from the author of the bestselling novel Bad Men. Zaffre, £20 Eyes on You by Adele Parks After a childhood defined by her father’s notorious crime, Amy believes Oliver understands her as nobody else can – he too has a past he would rather forget. Parks steadily twists that intense connection into something unsettling in this layered thriller about deceit and obsession. HQ, £16.99 Death Writ Large by Susie Dent When strange symbols appear around Oxford and beside a lecturer’s body, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises the alphabet and joins the investigation into vengeance and a long-buried tragedy. Dent’s second linguistic mystery is every bit as clever and gripping as the last. Zaffre, £20 The British Agent by Simon Conway Stolen missiles, a terrorist plot against Washington and an American spymaster’s elaborate scheme converge in this globe-trotting espionage thriller. At its centre is a lone British agent working undercover, with little room for error and catastrophe closing in. Michael Joseph, £16.99 Brain Damage by Freida McFadden Shot in the head and stripped of speech, movement and memory, Charly must reconstruct the night somebody tried to kill her. The hit author of The Housemaid – named TIME100 Most Influential People of 2026 – builds a claustrophobic thriller around unreliable memory and the terror of misplaced trust. Poisoned Pen Press, £9.99 Before She Vanishes by Rachel Louise Adams Two decades after her friend vanished at a New Year’s Eve party, Laura wakes up in her teenage body on the morning it happened. Given one chance to revisit the past, she must somehow find her without destroying the future she left behind. Headline, £12.99 Children of Wolves by Lawrence Osborne Three young idealists abandon their old lives and gather on the Turkish Riviera, shadowed by a private investigator. Osborne’s thriller moves through Istanbul and Cairo with a cool, ominous sense of danger as political conviction turns into action. Chatto & Windus, £18.99 Ghost Notes by Doug Johnstone In the seventh book in the Skelfs series, the female funeral directors-turned-private investigators are pulled into the world of grief tech, a blackmail case causes chaos, and Indy’s ex turns up to arrange his own funeral. Orenda, £9.99 We Tell Lies by K. L. Slater Former con artists Emily and Oliver plan to get straight in their immaculate new neighbourhood. But unnerving messages, suspicious neighbours and Oliver’s increasingly strange behaviour suggest their past has followed them to their otherwise perfect new world. Michael Joseph, £16.99 The One Who Walked Away by Karen Rose A bounty hunter pursuing a fugitive through northern California becomes entangled in a local murder investigation. Layering the dangerous assignment with the protagonist’s own past secrets, this is a pacey new standalone thriller from the bestselling suspense author. Headline, £22 They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough Two girls were murdered in Harper’s Creek, exactly three years apart. As the next anniversary approaches, Anna becomes convinced the killer is watching – and that her grandmother, whose dementia is worsening, understands more about the town’s secrets than anyone realises. Orion, £22 Killer Twist by Jo Furniss Two crime writers fantasise about murdering the celebrity novelist who has helped himself to their ideas. It is only professional venting – until he dies at a literary festival and their carefully imagined plot leaves them looking distinctly guilty. Zaffre, £9.99