Seven main thriller, crime and spy writers writers share a few of their favorite reads of 2025 with Matt Nixson
Neil Lancaster, writer of the bestselling Max Craigie collection, ideas G D Wright’s Into The Hearth (Picture: Courtesy Neil Lancaster)
‘Not simply our foremost espionage writer however considered one of our most interesting humourists’ … ‘A brilliantly drawn protagonist and all-too-real dangerous guys’
John & Paul ‘will make you suppose once more’ in regards to the Beatles’ most important songwriters’ relationship (Picture: Faber)
No Mercy by Max Connor is a ‘basic heist story with a twist, and a flat-out motion thriller’ (Picture: HarperCollins)
Vaseem Khan ideas Alan Parks’ Gunner; Blood Caste by Shylashri Shankar; and The Raven Scholar (Picture: Courtesy Vaseem Khan)
‘Brings Second World Battle noir to the imply streets of Glasgow’ … Epic fantasy at its finest’
Historic fiction star Vaseem Khan, whose thrilling new James Bond spin-off Q, that includes MI6 armourer Main Boothroyd, is out now, says: “Gunner by Alan Parks (Baskerville) brings Second World Battle noir to the imply streets of Glasgow. Following a former-detective and soldier returned wounded from the entrance in 1941, it tracks his travails as he turns into embroiled in a homicide case partly impressed by historical past. Blood Caste (Canelo) by Shylashri Shankar is an unique tackle the Ripper legend, vividly bringing to life town of Hyderabad on the flip of the nineteenth century. Whereas The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson (Hodderscape) showcases large world-building, a forged of rigorously drawn characters, and an enticing plot with a nod to the writer’s thriller fiction heritage. The Raven Scholar is epic fantasy at its most interesting.”
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb within the TV adaptation of Mick Herron’s genius Sluggish Horses (Picture: Apple TV )
The Spy In The Archive by Gordon Corera is ‘a belter. A captivating, gripping journalistic account’ (Picture: HarperCollins)
‘A rollicking, ingenious, madcap journey’ … ‘An absolute riot from begin to end’
US thriller king David Baldacci, whose Nash Falls (Macmillan) is out now, says: “In Katabasis by R F Kuang (HarperCollins), two Oxford magical college students should enterprise to hell with a purpose to rescue considered one of their professors who they could have by accident murdered. A rollicking, ingenious, madcap journey with legions of erudite discussions protecting just about any topic you need. A tour-de-force fantasy that delivers. The Land of Candy Without end by Harper Lee (Cornerstoner) is a set of tales and essays by the Mockingbird writer. Lee’s ability is so seamless and easy that it appears straightforward to duplicate. Till you attempt to take action. She brings coronary heart and readability and conviction with every phrase, paragraph and character sketch. If that is the final we see of this dearly departed author’s work, it was a poignant finale.”
Ajay Chowdhury, whose newest Kamil Rahman thriller, The Shadow (Classic), is printed in paperback in January, says: “If Anybody Builds, It Everybody Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares (Classic) argues that we’re wholly unprepared for machines that outthink us. Perhaps the aliens who will finally wipe us out are usually not ones from outer area however machines we’re creating ourselves. Though sometimes stretching credulity, it’s a provocative warning that one hopes will not be too late to heed. For reduction from dystopic futures Clown City (John Murray), the most recent in Mick Herron’s Slough Home collection, is an absolute riot from begin to end. As Lamb (who plumbs ever-increasing depths of disgustingness) and Taverner careen in direction of their inevitable, scrumptious confrontation, Herron’s present for dryly hilarious dialogue and skill to veer seamlessly from laughter to chills stays unmatched.”
Neil Lancaster, whose newest Max Craigie e-book thriller, When Shadows Fall (HQ), is out now, says: “Into The Hearth by GD Wright (Avon) is a tour-de-force of tempo, nerve shredding pressure and emotional heft. Is the protagonist a hero, or a suspect? Superbly written, emotionally taut, and filled with compassion. G D Wright is unquestionably one to observe. I’m a sucker for Chilly Battle spy tales and The Spy in The Archive: How One Man Tried To Kill The KGB, by Gordon Corera (HarperCollins), is a belter. A captivating, gripping journalistic account of how a gray KGB archivist, and British asset, Vasili Mitrokhin actually stole the Kremlin’s secrets and techniques from underneath their noses and handed then to MI6. The final word gray man whose affect remains to be felt at this time. Gripping.”
M J Arlidge, whose new e-book can also be referred to as Into The Hearth (Orion), says: “We Dwell Right here Now by Sarah Pinborough (Orion) is a stunning reinvention of the haunted home thriller for a contemporary viewers. Whereas no-one does claustrophobic, real-time thrillers like C M Ewan and Strangers within the Automobile (Macmillan) is not any exception. Driving residence early from a failed vacation in Cornwall, younger couple Abi and Ben pull over to rescue a mom and child whose automobile has damaged down on foggy nation roads. It’s an act of charity and one they quickly come to remorse, as their journey descends right into a terrifying abyss of blackmail, homicide and terror. No-one does claustrophobic, real-time thrillers like C M Ewan!
Into the Hearth by G D Wright is a ‘tour-de-force of tempo, nerve shredding pressure and emotional heft’ (Picture: HarperCollins)
Creator M J Aldridge ideas C Me Ewan’s Strangers In The Automobile and We Dwell Right here Now by Sarah Pinborough (Picture: Courtesy M J Arlidge)
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