The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton (Raven, £20)
Turton’s third novel explores life, death and the point of existence itself. A dystopian race-against-time whodunnit, it is set 90 years after the world has been destroyed by a fatal fog. All that remains is a small Greek island and the half mile of sea that surrounds it, inhabited by three scientists – living to a great age thanks to advances made before the planet was engulfed – and 122 villagers. Abi, a mysterious AI voice who can read thoughts, ensures that life in the concrete ruins of the island’s old naval base is peaceful and that the villagers don’t – with the single exception of a curious woman, Emory – ask questions. When one of the scientists is killed, and the island’s defences are shut down, Emory has just 92 hours to solve the murder and save the last of humanity. This is an ambitious, compelling novel in which nothing is what it seems.
Moral Injuries by Christie Watson (W&N, £16.99)
The sins of the mothers are visited on the children in former nurse Watson’s superior medical thriller. Laura, an air ambulance doctor; Olivia, a heart surgeon at the same London hospital; and Anjali, a GP, met at medical school. They are well established in their careers, Laura and Olivia with teenage children and Anjali and her partner adopting a baby, when their shared past, in the form of a wild student party during which things went horribly wrong, threatens to overshadow the present. Old loyalties are challenged and the bonds of friendship morph into a pact of mutually assured destruction, where every choice comes with a terrible price. The three women pass the narrative baton, flipping between 1999 and the present day for a thoughtful, humane and complex examination of ambition, betrayal, moral obligation, and ethical grey areas personal and professional.
The Hunter by Tana French (Viking, £18.99)
The sequel to The Searcher finds American ex-cop Cal Hooper still ensconced in a remote west of Ireland village. Having helped clever, angry teenager Trey Reddy discover what happened to her missing brother Brendan, Cal has become the girl’s surrogate parent. When Trey’s charming but deadbeat biological father, Johnny, returns from England with a stranger who claims local roots, the pair’s proposed get-rich-quick scheme soon has the village in uproar. Cal’s doubts about Johnny and the stranger are proved right, and the ensuing game of cross and double-cross has fatal consequences. Trey, who can’t forgive either Johnny for abandoning his family or the village for Brendan’s fate, and is now pursuing her own agenda, finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Like its predecessor, The Hunter takes time to get going, but as with all French’s novels, it’s beautifully written – the interactions between the villagers and Johnny and the incomer are especially good, as each side tries to out-flannel the other – and an absorbing, immersive read.
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin (Quercus, £16.99)
The secretive village trope is deployed rather differently in Perrin’s debut. Summoned by her great-aunt Frances’s solicitors to discuss her inheritance, no sooner has Annie Adams arrived in Castle Knoll, Dorset, than she discovers her relative dead in suspicious circumstances. In 1965, the 17-year-old Frances had her murder foretold by a fortune teller, a cryptic prophecy that shaped her life. Annie learns that, in order to inherit the considerable fortune, she must build on Frances’s own detective work to solve the case, and there’s a time limit of one week. Appealing central figures and plenty of twists and red herrings compensate for thinly sketched secondary characters, overmuch exposition, and some fairly cloth-eared dialogue; this is entertaining enough for lovers of cosy crime to suspend disbelief and enjoy.
Every Move You Make by CL Taylor (Avon, £14.99)
Bad decisions, moral culpability, toxic relationships and dubious motives abound in Taylor’s latest psychological thriller. Alex, Lucy, River and Bridget are members of a support group for people who are being stalked. When the fifth member, Nat, is killed by her stalker, the four are handed a wreath at her funeral, with a note indicating that one of them will be killed in 10 days’ time. As the clock runs down, the terrified quartet decide that their only chance is to become stalkers themselves, keeping tabs on their tormentors’ every move. However, nothing goes to plan and soon the four begin to wonder if they can trust each other. Taylor ratchets up the tension and paranoia to great effect for a well-engineered, propulsive read.
