Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight an incredible and unique upcoming murder mystery from one of my favourite Australian authors with Choppy Water by Jack Heath.
There are a lot of talented and entertaining Australian authors writing outstanding novels these days, but one of my favourites due to his consistently clever and entertaining reads is the wonderful Jack Heath. Hailing from my home city of Canberra, Heath has been entertaining Australian readers for years with his interesting combination of complex works. I am a massive fan of his amazing crime fiction novels, which includes his spectacularly over-the-top international Hangman series (including Hideout and Headcase).
Heath has also written some brilliant and twisted murder mysteries that make great use of an Australian setting. This includes the impactful and addictive, Kill Your Brother (one of my favourite Australian novels of 2021), the outrageous and memorable Kill Your Husbands (one of my favourite Australian books of 2023), and the very relatable Kill Your Boss (one of my favourite Australian novels of 2025). All these fantastic Australian novels from Heath are both clever and quite fun, and I really enjoy some the unique scenarios that the author comes up with. Due to this, I’m always keeping an eye out for Heath’s next intriguing read, and it looks like he will be delivering something special for crime fiction fans later this year.
This next book from Heath is the standalone novel, Choppy Water, which will take the readers on an entertaining ride, while also diving into the familiar chaos of the Covid period from a very different perspective. Set for release in November 2026, Choppy Water has a great plot behind it that is going to make for an outstanding read.
Plot Synopsis:
Death on the Nile meets Die Hard in this new ‘locked room’ mystery by the King of Twists, Jack Heath.
A woman’s body is found in a laundry cart aboard the Silver Lady cruise ship. Management says it was a freak accident and her death is quickly covered up, so as not to spoil the voyage for the passengers.
Cesar Cain doesn’t want to get involved. He boarded the Silver Lady to disappear. If the cops find him, he’s in a cell. If the Hell’s Hounds catch him, he’s in a grave.
But it’s March 2020, and the borders are slamming shut. Cesar soon discovers that the woman wasn’t the first victim – and with the ship suddenly quarantined and unable to dock anywhere, she won’t be the last …
I love this fun sounding plot for Choppy Water, which looks to combine Heath’s love of unique scenarios with some homages to classic whodunnit storytelling. A reluctant protagonist investigating a murder aboard a quarantined cruise ship has a lot of potential, and it’s going to be very interesting to see how this entire plot comes together. Based on my previous experiences with Jack Heath and his very entertaining reads, I foresee that Choppy Water will end up being one of the top Australian books of 2026 and I cannot wait to check it out.