The Best Crime Fiction of 2018

This excellent thriller reminded me of how much I had loved Natalie Portman in The Professional. Actually, eleven-year-old Polly is definitely one of my favorite child characters: “She had a teddy bear in her arms and murder in her eyes.” The novel begins with Nate being marked to be killed, along with his family, by the Aryan Brotherhood right before being released from prison. To keep his daughter safe, he picks up Polly and hits the road, but Polly doesn’t know her father. Will Nate be able to protect Polly and teach her how to defend herself in time?... You won’t be able to put this one down!

Kellye Garrett has created a wonderful amateur sleuth in this cozy mystery. Dayna Anderson isn’t actually planning on being a sleuth. Her plans had been to be a famous actress but after only mild fame with a commercial, she’s given that up. Problem is she needs money quickly to help her parents. Enter a hit-and-run she witnessed that has a reward. That reward is what she needs, so figuring out this murder is now what she’ll do. This is the most realistic sleuthing for me in that instead of actually being the Veronica Mars we all imagine ourselves to be, Dayna and her friends are way more just point-the-finger-at-everyone-until-something-sticks. It’s funny and fun and a great start to a great series.

Amy Hewitt is a barista in a coffee shop and looks forward to every morning when Cara comes in for her morning order. But then Cara stops showing up, and Amy has to find out what happened to Cara. It’s all fun and games playing sleuth until Amy lands herself in the crosshairs of MI5 and they try to arrest her. Now Amy and her friend are not only trying to find Cara but also trying to evade analyst Claudia McAllister. Read for a zany and funny adventure mystery!

I’ve become a bit obsessed with Australian crime novels the last few years, so any list that points me to more titles to read is always good. Especially, an award list. Set in a rural town, Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock takes the case of a former high school classmate who has been murdered. Time to unravel all the secrets! Why did Rosalind move back to her small-town? Why was she in a rundown apartment when her father is rich? And is this case going to be what drags Woodstock’s own secrets out into the light? Definitely time for a dun-dun-Dun!