Gillian McAllister, Claire Douglas and more crime authors pick their best summer read

As we continue to enjoy sunny weekends and long warm evenings, we couldn’t think of a better time to spotlight some of the hottest reads to escape with this summer. This season in particular always brings about an insatiable desire for thrilling escapades, captivating mysteries, and intricate webs of suspense that keep us on the edge of our seats. Whether you’re looking for a novel for a lazy afternoon in the garden or an engrossing read for a beach getaway, we’ve asked some of our favourite crime authors to let us know what they are reading and recommending as the best crime novels to add to your reading list this summer.

Gillian McAllister, author of Wrong Place, Wrong Time 

“My recommendation for the hottest, most sizzling summer thriller is None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. Trust me when I say this is Lisa at her very best. Two women meet who have the same birthday – but what will happen when their worlds collide? Every few years, Lisa really ups her game, and this is her best yet.”

 

Sarah Pearse, author of The Retreat

“If you’re looking for a gripping summer read, The Whispers by Ashley Audrain should be at the top of your list. It is a chilling story and a beautifully observed exploration of motherhood and what it means to be a woman, highlighting the sacrifices involved and the often frightening choices that have to be made. The knowledge that something awful is looming lends the narrative a compelling sense of unease that builds to a thickening dread as Audrain ratchets up the tension. A quietly revelatory and unnerving novel that works on so many levels – I couldn’t put it down.”

 

 

Claire Douglas, author of The Girls Who Disappeared 

“The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish is the perfect summer read. Alex lives a quiet, unassuming life in a London suburb with his wife, Beth, but when she announces that a new nature trail is going to be built on a section of train track that hasn’t been used in decades, he can’t hide his dread. With flashbacks to a hedonistic summer in 1995 when he falls in love with an enigmatic young woman called Marina, the past and present converge to reveal shocking secrets long buried. The clever Hitchcockian plot turns everything you think you know on its head. Full of Louise Candlish’s trademark beautiful writing and smart observations, this is one of my favourite psychological thrillers.”

 

Ajay Chowdhury, author of The Detective 

“Lisa Jewell’s The Family Remains had me hooked by the end of chapter one when Rachel is woken up by a phone call from a detective in France to tell her that her husband has been murdered. She sighs, puts on her sleep mask, and goes back to sleep. So begins a wonderful, twisty, turny tale that moves across time and continents as family secrets, loves and hatreds are revealed. Brilliantly plotted, it gallops on to a highly satisfying denouement. You won’t find a better book to read this summer as you sip your mojito on your sun-lounger.”

Read a great crime novel perfect for the summer? Let us know your reading recommendations in the comments below!