Top Reads 2018

I read a lot of books this year – too many to count. I have two Top Reads 2018 and I’m thrilled that they are both the first books in what are bound to become classic crime series:

The Disappeared by Ali Harper
A breath of fresh air in a crowded genre. Title, cover and blurb don't do justice to this rollickingly good crime caper . Ciggies, booze, drugs, fights, deaths and a wise-cracking, kick-ass duo of twenty-something private investigators on the mean streets of Leeds. The start of a promising series, I'm sure, and bound to be on the TV before too long.

My Little Eye by Stephanie Marland
Great social media based mystery featuring two sleuths on a collision course. One is a troubled cop and the other is like Lisbeth Salander with a doctorate. (Published 2017.) Read my longer review here.

Other Top Reads 2018 worthy of honourable mentions are:

Losing Leah by Sue Welfare
A police procedural that concentrated on puzzle, plot and process. (Published 2017.)

The Fear by C.L. Taylor
Meet the mysterious Wendy with her own deliciously malicious part to play in this revenge story.

The Shrouded Path by Sarah Ward
The best DC Connie Child so far. The plot weaves together buried secrets and present-day murder with a dash of Derbyshire folklore and sumptuous helpings of rugged Derbyshire countryside.

Shadow Man by Margaret Kirk
Expertly delivered plot, a strong lead detective in Lukas Mahler with a fully realised backstory, interesting support cast (especially Fergie and his Audi) and set in vividly evoked Inverness and the Highlands.

We All Begin As Strangers by Harriet Cummings
Why is an intruder prowling through a home-counties village? A satisfying literary mystery set in the eighties. I’ll definitely read this author again. (Published 2017)