Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this week involved Bookish Goals for 2024 which, while interesting, isn’t something I plan to contribute to.  Instead, I am going to be continuing listing some of my favourite books of 2023 (make sure to check out my previous lists that highlight my favourite sequels, audiobooks, pre-2023 novels, new-to-me authors in 2023, and favourite books of 2023), by examining my favourite debuts released in 2023.

2023 was an awesome year for debuts as there were an excellent array of new authors releasing some impressive and entertaining first novels which I was lucky enough to receive.  I always love checking out new authors when they produce their first book or dive into a whole new genre, and I was blown away with some of the debut talent on display this year.  As such, I am glad that I can highlight some of the absolute best of these releases in this Top Ten list.

To be eligible for this list, the book had to be a 2023 release that was either the author’s first novel ever, or a novel that was different from an author’s previous work (their debut in the genre).  I didn’t end up reading as many debuts in 2023 as I did in previous years, but I was still able to pull together a full list of 10 books.  I am pretty happy with the results, and I feel captures my favourite debuts of the year and highlights them accordingly.  So, let us see what made the cut.

Top Ten List:

The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer

The Warhammer 40,000 franchise had a strong year when it came to fiction, and I was very happy to see that the franchise gave several impressive new authors the opportunity to write their first novel ever.  I read several of these intriguing debuts last year and the first one I’m going to highlight here is The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer, Beer’s first full-length novel.  A compelling, entertaining and amazing novel in the Warhammer Crime sub-series, The King of the Spoil showcases the fallout following the assassination of a major gang lord in a massive, crime ridden city.  An extremely epic and very fun debut that comes highly recommended.

Amazon

 

Headland by John Byrnes

A great Australian crime fiction debut that sees three cops trapped in a flooding town, while a killer hunts them.

Amazon

 

How to Kill a Client by Joanna Jenkins

An impressive legal thriller from new Australian author Joanna Jenkins.  How to Kill a Client followed several members of a prestigious Australian law firm after one of their most important, and unpleasant, clients, is murdered and the lawyers become potential suspects.  Witty, gripping, and extremely addictive.

Amazon

 

Ashes of Cadia by Jude Reid

After writing several Warhammer 40,000 short stories and novellas, Jude Reid released her first full-length novel in 2023 with Ashes of Cadia.  Forcing a complex protagonist to return to the desolate ruins of her home planets, years after her legendary father lost it in battle, Ashes of Cadia was a moving and dark novel that had me hooked from the very beginning.

Amazon

 

Deadly Game by Michael Caine

Legendary actor Michael Caine begins his writing career in his 90s with this fun and over-the-top thriller about a maverick London police officer hunting for stolen nuclear material.

Amazon

 

Judgement Day by Mali Waugh

A gripping Australian murder mystery that saw a damaged detective attempt to solve the sinister murder of a family court judge who was killed in her own chambers.  One of the best pieces of Australian fiction all year and a top debut that comes very highly recommended.

Amazon

 

Longshot by Rob Young

The last Warhammer 40,000 novel I am going to feature on this list is Longshot.  The debut novel of impressive new author Rob Young, Longshot follows a veteran sniper as she attempts to overwhelm an advanced alien force while also dealing with the prejudices of her own comrades.

Amazon

 

Echo Lake by Joan Sauers

A fun and entertaining cozy crime fiction read that makes good use of the local Australian scenery.  A favourite debut of mine in 2023, especially as Sauers expertly featured several nearby towns I am very familiar with.

Amazon

 

The Interpreter by Brooke Robinson

A unique and intriguing debut from Australian author Brooke Robinson that followed a court interpreter in London who begins to twist her translations to put people she thinks are guilty away.  However, when someone catches on to what she is doing, she finds her entire life spiralling around her.  An excellent and compelling debut from a great new author.

Amazon

 

The Girl from London by Olivia Spooner

The final debut on this list is The Girl from London by Olivia Spooner, a fantastic and intense historical drama.  While Spooner has written a couple of books before, The Girl from London was her first historical novel, and I enjoyed her unique World War II story that cleverly retold the story of a civilian ship destroyed by the Nazis off the coast of New Zealand.  An outstanding book, I hope Spooner writes more historical books in the future.

Amazon

 

 

Well, that is the end of this list.  As you can, there were some incredible debut novels that came out this year and I had a blast getting through all of them.  Each of the above debuts are really worth checking out, and I had an amazing time exploring these talented authors’ first forays into fiction.  I am really excited to see what these authors produce next, and I have a feeling that quite a few are going to become major names in their genres.  I am also excited to see what amazing debuts come out in 2024, and I have already enjoyed my first debut from this year with Argylle by Elly Conway.  Make sure to check back this time next year to see what debuts from 2024 are the best from this year.