Question 7. The best book I’ve read this year, by some distance. Impossible to categorise but it’s a complex, thought-provoking epic and as beautifully well-written as Flanagan’s others.

My second-favourite book of 2025 was The List of Suspicious Things. Such a warm book about such a terrible time. Wonderfully original. @jenniegauthor.bsky.social

Thinking about the best books I’ve read this year - and there have been lots. I’d put Shella by Andrew Vachss in third place. Ultimate noir, brutally violent but absolutely compelling.

Gripping story, elegantly written. I was hooked from the start. Great to see high quality crime fiction coming out of UEA.

Neatly plotted mystery novella by Edogawa Rampo - say it fast enough and it sounds like Edgar Allan Poe. Deliberately taken as a pen name. Dated but a charming read.

Line edits are done. On track for July 26 publication.

Cover reveal from Titan for The Makoto Murders. Not out until July 2026, but step-by-step, it feels like we’re getting there.

Graduation from the Crime Fiction MA.

We both won on the same night a year ago, but things have been working out better for me than for the Labour Party.

You can always rely on Daunt Books in Marylebone for a birthday present.

Excellent panels and great to meet up with so many from the UEA Crime Fiction MA.

Looking forward to Capital Crime tomorrow. Lots of interesting panels.

Always fun to be taken to a different time and place, with a few brutal murders thrown in. Really had a sense of New Orleans from 100 years ago.

Another from Sara Gran’s NYT noir thriller list. Bleak and compelling, complemented by terse prose that fits the main character.

Reading some of Sara Gran’s NYT list of classic noir thrillers. Loved Miami Purity - inversion of Cain’s Postman. Compellingly flawed protagonist.

Our new Substack is up, by me, on what's hot for crime and thriller. Writers querying in this area, you need to read this! Views from the amazing @mirandajewess.bsky.social of @viperbooks.bsky.social, Charlotte Brabbin of @harpercollins.bsky.social, and Emily Griffin of Century. #BookSky #amquerying

It’s always a delight to find another book in a series you love and to discover it’s just as good as all the others.

Character arc felt like a bit of a stretch but an enjoyable read nevertheless. Long flight- it got me about as far as Uzbekistan. @louberney.bsky.social

Interesting perspective, through the eyes of the victims, rather than them being secondary. I found it created distance from the brutality of the crime and gave a focus on those harmed by it. Long flight tomorrow… what’s next? @emmaflint.bsky.social

Persuaded to see Krapp’s Last Tape by the Guardian article. Still processing … not sure Beckett is for me.

There should be a word for the sensation when deciding what to read next. Combination of hope and excitement, tinged with fear of disappointment. Other Women it is. Emma Flint was great when she spoke at UEA last year. @emmaflint.bsky.social

I know there’s a cost-of-living crisis, but security tags on Red Leicester? Really? Maybe there’s a plot in there. The Great Cheese Heist of Paddington.

Exhausted the Lawrence Block books so I was pleased to find another hitman story - background for my current project.

Always a delight when you stumble across something you haven’t read from a classic author. Not as dark as most of Hammett’s stuff, but there’s a stunning amount of drinking.

Absolutely loved this. My UEA cohort has had some debate about whether it’s a crime novel - which seems strange when the Yorkshire Ripper is involved - but a great read either way. @jenniegauthor.bsky.social @elleblair.bsky.social @brianmeechan.bsky.social

Must admit I’d never heard of Peter Grainger until I read the recent FT piece. Unorthodox route to success and a well/crafted story.

Thanks Santa. Just what I wanted.

Not a lot of crime in this but a delightful read.

There are some books you never want to end (Stoner?) and others that are about 200 pages too long.

Patchy, but hilarious in parts. Crying with laughter in the final scene.

My wife is threatening divorce if I don’t like this one. Philip Gabriel translated, which seems like some sort of endorsement. Didn’t particularly enjoy Ando’s Aosawa Murders though.

The grades are in. Delighted to have wrapped up my Crime Fiction MA at the UEA. Plenty of feedback on The Makoto Murders to think about.

Not sure how I ended up with two copies of this. It was good, but I don’t need to read it twice.