Best summer books of 2023: Crime
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The Last Dance by Mark Billingham (Sphere/Atlantic Monthly Press)
Clearly Billingham was restless for change after 20 years of his excellent Tom Thorne police procedurals; the new direction is propitious. This first outing for Detective Declan Miller, while not sidelining the dangers of police work, has a more sardonic edge, with Miller investigating the murder of a drag queen.
After That Night by Karin Slaughter (HarperCollins/William Morrow)
Slaughter has always been adroit at supplying a steady accretion of menacing detail in her Will Trent/Sara Linton series. Sara, herself damaged after a brutal attack, is entangled in a civil rape case involving the doctors who trained her as a medical examiner. An acquaintance with the series will enhance enjoyment but is not essential.
The Invisible Web by Oliver Bottini, translated by Jamie Bulloch (MacLehose Press)
Bottini’s Black Forest Investigations are emblematic of the European crime scene, with the striking Kirchzarten region of south-west Germany the backdrop to cruel malfeasance. Chief Inspector Louise Bonì, investigating an attack on a secret service informer, finds herself up against both vicious criminals and hostile intelligence services.
Tell us what you think
What are your favourites from this list — and what books have we missed? Tell us in the comments below
The Last Passenger by Will Dean (Hodder & Stoughton)
If you think the notion of the “high concept” thriller has been fully exsanguinated, think again. In Dean’s new novel, a luxury liner adrift without a crew in the mid-Atlantic has one passenger, Caz Ripley, left on board, dealing with a Mary Celeste-like mystery. Irresistibly compelling fare.
You Can’t See Me by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, translated by Victoria Cribb (Orenda)
The members of a rich Icelandic family find their lives thrown into turmoil when a corpse is discovered on the lava fields near the hotel where they are having a reunion. As storms rage, people fall prey to a sinister figure. A canny synthesis of modern Nordic noir and Golden Age mystery.
Summer Books 2023
All this week, FT writers and critics share their favourites. Some highlights are:
Monday: Environment by Pilita Clark
Tuesday: Economics by Martin Wolf
Wednesday: Fiction by Laura Battle
Thursday: Politics by Gideon Rachman
Friday: Critics’ picks
Saturday: History by Tony Barber
Join our online book group on Facebook at FT Books Café
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