Category: Thriller

King’s Ransom by Matthew Reilly

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Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia (Trade Paperback – 29 September 2026)

Series: Sam Speedman – Book Two

Length: 496 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for one of the more insane and compelling thrillers of 2026, as Matthrew Reilly brings all the chaos he can in King’s Ransom, an incredible novel I had a ton of fun with.

Earlier this year I finally got the chance to read the 2025 novel from iconic Australian author Matthew Reilly, The Detective.  The first book in Reilly’s new Sam Speedman series, The Detective was a particularly addictive novel that saw an unusual private investigator, Sam Speedman, as he becomes involved in a shocking case going back over a century, involving missing persons, dead detectives and modern-day slavery.  Thanks to its excessive narrative, amazing humour and enjoyable main protagonist, I found The Detective to be a particularly addictive read that ended up getting a full five-star rating from me.  I really cannot emphasise how much I loved The Detective, and I was immediately keen to continue the series.  Luckily, I’d timed my reading of The Detective so that I only had a little bit to wait for the sequel Reilly released this year, King’s Ransom.  Bringing back Speedman for another complex case, King’s Ransom was an intriguing sequel with a suitable crazy plot.

Plot Synopsis:

Five innocent hostages. Five private investigators. A fiendish ransom game. Has Detective Sam Speedman met his match? A fast and deadly Matthew Reilly thriller.

A DARING ABDUCTION

The richest man in the world has been kidnapped. Along with four of his children.

THE DEADLY CHALLENGE

The kidnapper’s demand: the five best private detectives in America must come to the missing tech billionaire’s penthouse in New York City by noon and engage in a deadly series of riddles and ransoms to find and rescue them.

THE FIFTH DETECTIVE

Among the five investigators brought to New York is Sam Speedman.

Skinny, bespectacled and brilliant, Sam is different to most other detectives.

But as the situation escalates and the bodies mount, Sam is going to discover that appearances can be deceiving and that maybe some villains are best left alone…

Now this was an awesome sequel!  King’s Ransom was an extremely fun thriller as Matthew Reilly presents a layered and impressive story, loaded with over-the-top antagonists, crazy moments and multiple clever twists.  I ended up powering through this fantastic book in very short order, and I was immensely entertained the entire way through.  Due to how damn addictive this was, I have to give King’s Ransom a full five stars, and this was probably one of my favourite thriller releases of 2026.

I was uncertain how Reilly was going to top The Detective in this sequel, but the author did not disappoint as he produced another suitably outrageous story that drags you in with its big moments and intense reveals.  Set a year after the events of The Detective, King’s Ransom follows a now famous Sam Speedman, who is woken up at night by the FBI and urgently flown to New York City with his team.  A mysterious figure has kidnapped the world’s richest man, Aristotle King, and his five children from their luxury penthouse, and is now demanding the attendance of the five best private detectives in the country.  The author does a great job immediately setting the scene for this intriguing scenario while also provide a succinct and effective reintroduction to the protagonist and several other returning supporting characters.

Once everything is set up, Reilly dives right into the action as the kidnapper starts challenging the detectives with a series of riddles that reveal the location of the hostages, each of whom are in some sort of peril.  While the protagonists initially prove successful at solving the clues and saving the victims, things quickly get out of hand, with various traps, attacks and ploys stacking up the body count around the survivors.  This extended sequence of riddles and traps takes up most of the first half of King’s Ransom, and Reilly keeps raising the stakes and throwing in more carnage as the book continues.  There are also some excellent clues and hints throw into this first half of the book, which the author comes back to later, and I really appreciate these inclusions in hindsight.  This entire sequence leads up to a big confrontation, which appears to resolve the entire case suspiciously early, with the supposed masterminds caught or killed, while Speedman finds himself rocked by a personal tragedy.

While this first part of the book is extremely exciting and draws you in with its big moments, the second half of the book is where the truly impressive narrative work is contained.  Despite being distracted by personal issues, Speedman finds himself drawn back into the case, especially when he discovers various inconsistencies in the official narrative.  Resolving to investigate the full circumstances of the kidnapping, Speedman soon finds himself being opposed by the FBI (including his girlfriend’s ex-husband) and other people invested in the case.  Worse, he soon encounters an antagonist with an unparalleled mind for planning and evil.  This results in some fantastic discoveries, as well as an excellent cat-and-mouse storyline, as Speedman attempts to uncover the truth while being hunted by everyone.  The big twist about some of the responsible parties is clever, even though some of the revealed individuals are a little obvious, and the sheer range of insanity and action around this part of the story keeps you highly engaged as you eagerly wait to see what happens next.  Following a final excellent public reveal and confrontation Reilly ends the story on a fun note, with everyone getting what they deserve one way or another, with chilling hints at further insanity to come thrown in.  A wonderfully addictive story that lived up to all my expectations.

This was another well-written and easy-to-read thriller from Reilly, who sets an impressive and crazy story around his unique protagonist.  Serving as an excellent sequel to The Detective, King’s Ransom features an effective move away from its original southern setting, and instead masterfully utilises New York City as an outstanding background.  King’s Ransom works well as a both a follow-up and a standalone read, especially as Reilly effectively recaps relevant moments from the first book.  The author again makes great use of the first-person perspective in this novel, allowing you to see the entire case through the entertaining eyes of his protagonist.  This allows you to get not only the benefit of the humorous observations of the protagonist but a great firsthand look at the unique case, including all its exciting twists and reveals.  It also works to build up tension, especially when things get particularly personal and the protagonist finds himself dropped into several desperate corners.

All this draws you into the very intense story, and I loved just how outrageous and over-the-top the story turned out to be.  While some moments are possibly a little too crazy, it all fits the tone of this series perfectly, and all thriller fans are guaranteed to have an outstanding time getting into it.  I also must highlight the various drawings that were featured in the novel, especially as they provide an interesting way at looking at the unique clues and scenarios of the book.  The diagrams showing how some of the book’s death traps were set up, as well as how Speedman attempted to counter them, were particularly awesome, and I loved how well they supplemented Reilly’s descriptive style and helped the reader envision the crazy situation even more.  The author did another amazing job of writing King’s Ransom, and I cannot emphasise how well Reilly’s writing style helped to showcase his latest outrageous plot.

The final thing I want to highlight about King’s Ransom was the outstanding and distinctive characters featured within it.  This includes Reilly’s unique new protagonist, Sam Speedman, a brilliant private investigator with a severe lack of normal social skills.  Reilly does an amazing job showcasing Speedman’s unique thoughts, which are usually both fun and insightful and make him a very well-written autistic character.  Despite the character’s established lack of social skills, he spends much of this book making unlikely connections, with many of his detective peers, and others, quickly realising his investigative prowess.  I appreciated how Reilly did a good job showcasing Speedman’s character growth since the first book, especially his new confidence after getting a girlfriend and making new friends, and Speedman remains a particularly entertaining and relatable protagonist to follow.

Without going into too much detail about the rest of the characters in this book, especially as it could result in some spoilers, I will say the supporting cast for King’s Ransom was particularly good.  Not only do you get some fantastic returns from The Detective but there are some great new characters introduced in this book.  For example, the four other detectives summoned to the scene alongside Speedman are a wonderful eclectic mixture, while the kidnapping victim, Aristotle King, provided a fun look at the dark lives of the uber wealthy.  All these characters, and more, added a lot to the plot, and I appreciated how well Reilly dove into their personalities and motivations of everyone involved in the case, especially as it provided hints about how involved they truly were.  I will say that the best new characters ended up being the eventually revealed main antagonist of the story, who Reilly builds up as a particularly diabolical supervillain.  Serving as a dark shadow to Speedman, this new antagonist really grabs your attention when they are showcased in their full evil glory.  I really appreciated that Reilly introduced a worthy nemesis for Speedman in this second book, and readers will appreciate the resulting battle of wits, which goes so damn crazy.

Matthew Reilly continues to wildly entertain with his latest brilliant thriller.  King’s Ransom was a deeply exciting and awesome read that I honestly couldn’t get enough of.  An outstanding second Sam Speedman book, King’s Ransom was a ton of fun, and I honestly couldn’t get away from its insanely inventive and captivating plot.  A highly recommended read, especially for those who love intense and over-the-top plots, I really enjoyed King’s Ransom, and I cannot wait to see what Reilly writes next.

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Hard Town by Adam Plantinga

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Throwback Thursday1 Comment

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Paperback – 8 April 2025)

Series: Kurt Argento – Book Two

Length: 307 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Rising thriller author Adam Plantinga follows up his excellent first novel with the intense and highly addictive sequel, Hard Town, and outstanding book I read so damn quickly.

Readers of this blog may remember that at the start of 2025 I had the great pleasure of reading a particularly epic thriller novel, The Ascent.  The debut novel from new author Adam Plantinga, The Ascent was a fantastic novel that followed a former cop, Kurt Argento, who finds himself stuck in the middle of a brutal prison riot, which forces him to fight through several levels of a deadly killers and criminals.  I had an amazing time with The Ascent (it was one of my favourite debuts of 2024), and I have been keen to read more from Plantinga for a while, especially as he intended to write more about his original protagonist.  After highlighting it as a cool upcoming novel early last year, I finally got a chance to read Hard Town and I’m glad I did.

Plot Synopsis:

When a plea for help sends retired Detroit cop Kurt Argento to the small desert town of Fenton, Arizona things immediately don’t appear to be as they seem, and he finds himself unravelling secrets that want to stay hidden and questioning his own moral compass.

After having survived a deadly prison break, ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento is ready for some quiet. Still working through his grief over the passing of his wife, Argento finds himself house-sitting for a friend with his loyal companion, Hudson, a Chow Chow-Shepard mix. It’s a simple life, picking up odd jobs here and there, but it’s one that Argento is content to live.

Then Kristin Reed shows up with her young son, Ethan, and begs Argento to help find her missing husband… and Argento tells her he’d just be in the way. He’s no investigator, not anymore. He’s a handyman who fixes fences. But he’s not one to ignore his gut feeling when something is wrong. After an attempt to talk with Kristin more in the next town over, just to find her and her son missing as well, Argento starts to notice that Fenton, Arizona is more than meets the eye.

First there’s the large, overly equipped public safety team complete with specialized tactics and sophisticated weaponry. Then there’s the unusual financial boosting of failing small businesses by the U.S. government. And finally, there’s one man with no name who seems to have control over this town in an unprecedented way.

Argento finds himself unravelling not just the truth behind the disappearance of a family, but a conspiracy that’s taken a whole town to cover up. But Fenton, Arizona is going to push him further than he’s ever had to go. And along the way, he may just lose a part of himself as well. Because justice isn’t as black and white as Argento would like to believe.

Hard Town was a great second novel from Plantinga, who follows up his debut with a highly compelling sequel I had an outstanding time with.  Loaded with striking action, an excellent over-the-top story and a gritty protagonist, Hard Town was an amazing novel that is worth checking out.

Plantinga pulls together an excellent plot for Hard Town, which I felt served as an excellent continuation of the protagonist’s personal journey, while also working well as a standalone story with its own distinctive plot.  Reintroducing protagonist Kurt Argento as a battered survivor with some infamy behind him after the events of The Ascent, Hard Town sees him get dragged back into trouble when a desperate woman begs him to investigate the disappearance of her husband from the town of Fenton, Arizona.  Despite his misgivings, Argento eventually agrees to help, only to discover that the woman and her young son have gone missing.  Searching for answers in Fenton, he discovers a surprisingly well-equipped police force of former soldiers, while a mysterious genius is holding court in town.  Plantinga sets up this unusual scene extremely well in the first third of Hard Town, and you soon become quite engrossed in uncovering the full mystery, especially as things are just about to kick off in all the wrong ways.

It’s around this point that the entire tone of Hard Town changes dramatically, and Argento finds himself caught up in a deadly battle for survival.  After an intense extended sequence, you follow Argento as he attempts to uncover the true secrets of Fenton while also searching for his own brand of justice.  This involves an interesting investigation arc, followed up by a dangerous plan to gain allies and resources.  Plantinga perfectly paces out the second half of Hard Town, drawing you into Argento’s plans before hitting you with the big confrontation.  This final part of Hard Town is extremely brutal, with multiple deadly fights and encounters.  Plantinga throws in a couple of good twists here, as well as a lot of over-the-top deaths, and you will find yourself extremely hooked.  Everything wraps up in a satisfying, dark ending, with the protagonist resolving the story at a cost, and thriller fans will come away happy with how Hard Town turned out.  I personally loved this well-planned out and compelling narrative, and I ended up powering through the entirety of Hard Town in only a couple of days.

You can see that Plantinga has improved as an author since his first book, as he has done a good job moving the plot away from the prison setting of the first book into a sprawling adventure throughout Arizona.  Hard Town initially had a bit of a slower pace to it, which I felt helped to build tension and allowed for a stronger, more character-focused read.  The use of an underlying mystery to drive the initial plot and increase tension and interest was a great choice by Plantinga, and it allowed the author to take his time to set up the story.  Once things do kick off, Plantinga does not hold back, bringing in a series of intense confrontations and over-the-top moments to raise the stakes and sate the action fans.  Plantinga makes sure there is a gritty realism to all the action, as Plantinga provides detailed depictions of event, amping up the impact of events.  I also quite enjoyed the multiple realistic depictions of police techniques and procedure, as Plantinga pulls from his own extensive personal knowledge of law enforcement to enhance his story.  All this results in a powerful tone for Hard Town, which intensifies the action and the fantastic focus on the characters.

While there is a lot of carnage in this thriller, Hard Town isn’t all action, as Plantinga adds some nuance to the plot, especially around protagonist Kurt Agento’s motivations and the morality of the antagonists.  Argento, who the author expertly reintroduces in this sequel, continues to develop from the angry figure we were introduced to at the start of The Ascent.  Now somewhat calmer, Argento is forced back into the life of violence when pushed in the most dramatic of ways, although Plantinga continues to portray him as having a little more restraint, while also moralising a little more over his actions and desire for revenge.  The author works in some interesting flaws and personal concerns for the protagonist to deal with.  Despite certain moral quandaries Plantinga includes in the plot, there is not a moment that you aren’t on the side of the protagonist as he seeks justice, especially after a certain scene.  The clever and usually over-the-top ways that Argento attempted to resolve the situations he found himself in also draws the reader to his side, and there were some very memorable moments in this plot as Argento attempted to get justice.

While most of the book’s focus was on Argento as protagonist, Plantinga does include some interesting supporting characters, especially in the book’s antagonists.  These antagonists are a group of mysterious soldiers who have taken over policing in the small town of Fenton as part of a larger mission.  Employed to ruthlessly defend their objective and keep the town in order, these characters do some terrible things and there are some true monsters amongst them.  However, Plantinga includes a couple of conflicted figures in their midst, and their varied morality becomes an interesting plot point, especially when Argento seeks his revenge.  The objective of these soldiers and their government agent handler adds in some interesting moral conflicts to the plot, especially as they try to balance the need for dark actions with the overall objective of the mission they believe in.  I enjoyed how Plantinga balanced these morally grey characters by also including a completely irredeemable character as Hard Town’s main antagonist.  The sinister mastermind behind the whole operation in Fenton, this initially unnamed antagonist was delightfully over-the-top, and Plantinga had fun writing in his sense of superiority and evil nature.  If anything, the author made him too outrageously evil, as this character came across as a parody of an arrogant intellectual, but I still had fun seeing this antagonist in action, especially when confronted by the more serious Argento.  All these characters add a lot to Hard Town’s story, and I felt that Plantinga’s character work was a lot more impactful in this sequel.

Adam Plantinga showcases his improvement as a writer in this excellent second novel, Hard Town.  An amazing and nuanced thriller novel that balances an emotionally charged plot with some outstanding action, Hard Town was a highly addictive read that I found near impossible to put down.  I really had an amazing time with this sequel, and I look forward to reading more from Plantinga going forward, especially as the third book in this series, Dark Country, just came out.

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Waiting on Wednesday – Dead Man’s Journey by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

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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.  For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight a particularly distinctive upcoming thriller with Dead Man’s Journey, the next entertaining release from the legendary duo of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

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In recent years I have been becoming a fan of two of the more outrageous thriller writers out there, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.  Well established authors who have written some fantastic and memorable novels on their own, such as Preston’s awesome novel Extinction, the two authors are probably best known for their collaborative work together.  Since their first book in 1995, Preston and Child have written an impressive number of unique crime fiction reads, often featuring supernatural or science fiction twists.  There work has so far featured several awesome standalone novels, as well as a few long-running series, including the Gideon Crews books, and their iconic, long-running Agent Pendergast series, and there are some gripping reads there.

However, the series I want to focus on in this post is Preston and Child’s Nora Kelly series.  The series follows archaeologist Nora Kelly, who was introduced in the 1999 standalone novel Thunderhead, before appearing in several Agent Pendergast books.  Nora later got her own series in 2019, which focuses on her assisting a local FBI agent, Corrie Swanson, in investigating various crimes with a historical or archaeological base to it.  I have so far had the pleasure of reading the 2025 entry in the series, Badlands, which saw the protagonists try to uncover dark secrets behind several unusual deaths associated with a lost Native American tribe.  Filled with twists, over-the-top moments, and a certain unexplained ending, Badlands was pretty damn fun, and I have been keen to read more in the Nora Kelly series ever since.

As such, I was quite excited when I saw that Preston and Child’s next novel was going to be another Nora Kelly novel, with Dead Man’s Journey.  Set for release in January 2027, Dead Man’s Journey will feature another compelling and creepy murder, when historical bodies related to witches and the Spanish Inquisition are uncovered, alongside a more recent murder victim.  I am already extremely intrigued by this cool mystery, and I have a feeling that this is going to be a particularly compelling and eventually insane read.  Dead Man’s Journey is definitely a book I will be checking out next year and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

Plot Synopsis:

Archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Special Agent Corrie Swanson team up against supernatural foes once more in this exciting thriller from New York Times bestselling authors Preston and Child.

On a construction site in the foothills of Santa Fe, New Mexico, workers have uncovered a row of ancient skeletons buried upside down. It is revealed that this was the work of the Spanish Inquisition, who in 1676 condemned six women as witches and executed them, burying them head downwards to speed their way to hell.

Nora Kelly soon makes a further shocking discovery – a fresh inverted burial in the same place… and only two months old. As more murders and bizarre burials start mounting up, Nora and FBI Special Agent Corrie Swanson find themselves in pursuit of a mass killer who possesses a terrifying, ancient power defying human understanding.

138 Main Street by Gavin Bell

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Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Hardcover– 2 June 2026)

Series: Standalone

Length: 401 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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In the mood for a particularly exciting thriller?  Then make sure to check out one of the most original crime fiction novels of 2026, with 138 Main Street by Gavin Bell.

I’m always on the lookout for unique and interesting thrillers, and no book better showcased this in 2026 than 138 Main Street.  Written by established author Gavin Bell, who has previously released books under the pseudonyms MJ Cross and Mason Cross (the latter of which he used to write his Carter Blake series), 138 Main Street is the first book that Bell has released under his own name, and it has been on my to-read list for a while due to its awesome and highly memorable plot.

Plot Synopsis:

AN ADDRESS TO DIE FOR…

There’s a killer on the loose. And he’s targeting one specific address—138 Main Street. The problem? There are over 7,000 Main Streets in the USA. And the police and FBI have no clue which one will be next.

For FBI Special Agent Ben Walker and his rookie colleague, Officer Zoe Hill, the pressure to solve the case is unimaginable. There aren’t enough police officers to cover every house, and vigilante residents are attacking anyone who rings their doorbell. Main Street might be one of America’s most popular addresses, but for those living at number 138, it comes down to fight or flight.

Then a manuscript is sent to The New York Times, purporting to be the manifesto of the “Main Street Killer” and demanding radical social change. As the effect of the terror campaign takes hold across the nation, Walker and Hill find themselves in a race against time to stop the killer. But with their target always several steps ahead, and almost 3,800,000 square miles of ground to cover, they’ll have to find him first…

138 Main Street proved to be a very awesome read from Bell, who backed up his brilliant plot idea of an address-focused serial killer with an outstanding story.  The author quickly sets the scene for this story by following FBI Special Agent Ben Walker after the FBI identifies the 138 Main Street pattern in a series of murders across state lines.  Recruiting rookie police officer Zoe Hill from the scene of the fourth murder to serve as a local consultant for the FBI, Walker and his team start investigating the case in force, attempting to uncover who is responsible as quickly as possible.  However, things quickly get out of hand once the murders become public and the country starts to panic, especially once the killer proves they are capable at striking at any of the thousands of occupied 138 Main Streets.  I was very impressed with how quickly Bell set up his story, and you really do get dragged into the unique investigation quite quickly.

The plot of 138 Main Street continues to accelerate from this point, with the entirety of the United States on edge.  Bell provides some interesting snapshots across the country, with short inclusions that show how various people living at assorted 138 Main Streets are coping with the impending threat and sudden police protection.  These examinations of various people, most of whom feel the impact of the killer in various ways, really adds to the impact of the story, as you wonder how you would react in a similar situation.  The author also throws in some interesting close calls as the book continues, which really amps up the stakes of the book.  After a big moment in the plot that seems to provide an early resolution, Bell enters the end game and introduces some compelling reveals.  While I figured out some of the twists in advance, including the killer’s connection to a seemingly unrelated plot perspective character, there were still a couple of moments that surprised me, and which ensured I was hooked all the way up to the resolution.  Readers will come away very satisfied from 138 Main Street’s cool story, which ended up being a brilliant standalone read with no loose ends.

I really enjoyed how 138 Main Street came together, as Bell produced an exciting thriller with some interesting social commentary thrown in.  Perfectly based around two central protagonists, a veteran agent and a young rookie cop out to prove herself, Bell did an excellent job of installing a swift pace to this book.  Featuring a great investigation arc following these central characters, you swiftly become engrossed for a killer who seemingly can strike at any of the thousands of common addresses across the United States.  I enjoyed the mixture of this focus on investigation with some interesting character development, especially around the younger cop Zoe Hill, who attempts to prove herself and escape the shackles of her small-town life.

Bell really dove into the complexity of this unique case in some interesting ways, and I personally loved the use of multiple alternate perspectives as you follow several separate side characters living at one of the US’s various 138 Main Streets in short segments as they deal with the potential horror of dealing with being a target.  Some of these segments are short lived for obvious reasons, but others are quite extensive and flow through the entire story, especially if they have a bigger impact on the main plot.  I felt that these short snapshots of these normal people impacted by the case provided a nice realistic human element to 138 Main Street, which also increased the urgency of the plot.  Throw in the inevitable outrage as the country is gripped by fear, as well as some fun comparisons between life in small town America and the larger cities, and there were a lot of interesting societal elements added in this book, which was quite fun to unpack.  Readers are guaranteed to speed through 138 Main Street in no time at all, and I really enjoyed how well Bell set out this compelling thriller.

Overall, I felt that 138 Main Street was a particularly strong and addictive thriller that made perfect use of its compelling story hook.  Gavin Bell did an amazing job turning this cool idea into an entertaining, fleshed-out story, and you really get hooked on finding the killer as a result.  As such, this book comes highly recommended, and fans of unique thrillers are going to have a kick with 138 Main Street.

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Waiting on Wednesday – The Guerrilla Republic by Richard Swan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Science Fiction, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday1 Comment

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.  For this Waiting on Wednesday, I check out one of the top sequels and science fiction novels coming out in 2027, with the epic sounding read The Guerrilla Republic by Richard Swan.

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I think that all fantasy and science fiction fans can agree that 2026 has been an amazing year for Australian author Richard Swan.  Not only has he continued some of his epic fantasy series this year to major acclaim, but he has also been writing some exceptional pieces of science fiction.  Indeed, I am currently in the middle of reading his very first Warhammer novel, with the dark and compelling Warhammer 40,000 entry Voice of Command.  However, with this post I want to focus on his epic Decurion Saga series, which I had the very great pleasure of starting this year with The Infinite State.

The Decurion Saga is an awesome new science fiction series set in a far future dominated by the fascist Decurion Empire and it’s ruling Pater Aeternus party.  The first book in this series, The Infinite State, introduced readers to this setting, and started following three intriguing perspective protagonists as they tried to survive and escape the evils of this empire.  These attempts to escape included one wealthy individual buying her own planet outside of the Empire’s influence to set up a new democracy, which the other characters eventually gravitated to.  A timely and intense read with some impressive twists and narrative ideas, The Infinite State was an incredible read that I already consider to be amongst the best novels, and audiobooks, of 2026.  I honestly cannot wait to see how Swan continues the story from the first book, which is why I have been keeping an eye out for a potential sequel the moment I finished off The Infinite State.

It really didn’t take long for Swan to announce this sequel, as the second book in the Decurion Saga is set for release in August 2027.  Titled The Guerrilla Republic, this awesome sounding sequel will continue the intrigue and threat from the first book, as the three protagonists fight to keep their new planet safe from the jealous and malicious grasp of Pater Aeternus.

Plot Synopsis:

With The Guerrilla Republic, International bestselling author Richard Swan weaves an epic tale of galaxy-spanning intrigue. Following the events of The Infinite State, the rebels have succeeded and independence has been won—but the fight for true freedom has only just begun.

TYRANNY IS AN ABERRATION

Katherine may have escaped the Decurion Empire, but her problems are only just beginning. As Gabriel gears up for its first democratic elections, she is nearly killed by an orbital mining laser. A freak industrial accident? Or something more sinister?

PATER AETERNUS IS EVIL

Cyprian is struggling to adapt to his new life in the Republic. His children are recovering from their re-education, whilst his department is being overwhelmed with reports of sabotage and corruption. Life in Kada Gamar wasn’t better, but it was certainly simpler.

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY

Julian has a promise to keep to Kamilla Makar. The only problem is, she’s in the Labyrinth, a vast subterranean prison complex in the very heart of the Empire. A daring rescue operation may be the only answer—but can Gabriel afford to poke the slumbering Decurion giant?

Now this sounds like an extremely epic sequel.  I honestly was planning to read The Guerrilla Republic no matter what next year, but the above plot synopsis sounds so damn cool and has got me very excited.  It looks like Swan will once again centre his story around the three main protagonists, including the President of the newly formed republic of Gabriel, Katherine Fuller, who bought the planet and made it’s independence possible, former Decurion Empire cop Cyprian Reis, who has taken up the role of Gabriel’s head of security, and famed hypersled pilot Julian Yashego, who has fled to Gabriel after experiencing the horrors of Pater Aeternus’ hated.  Based on the above synopsis, Swan is hoping to get a good mixture of storylines going, with Katherine having to deal with the politics of running a new planet, Cyprian sorting out a mystery and encountering potential threats on the ground, and Julian potentially getting involved in espionage back in the Decurion Empire.

These potential storylines all sound extremely compelling, and I am very curious to see how they unfold.  I have no doubt that Swan will wrap them together into a cohesive and intense overlapping narrative in The Guerilla Republic, all centred around the potential interference of the Decurion Empire on Gabriel, while the protagonists attempt to fight back against an unbeatable enemy.  I’m looking forward to seeing how each of these complex and highly damaged characters will continue to develop in this sequel, especially now they are nominally free of the oppressive control of Pater Aeternus.  I’m also sure that we’ll see more from the dangerous antagonists who were so effectively featured in The Infinite State, and the resulting confrontations and battles across the arenas of politics, espionage, intrigue and war, are going to be amazing.

Look, after how damn good The Infinite State was last year, there is no chance at all that I won’t be grabbing The Guerrilla Republic in 2027, and I honestly think it’s going to be one of the absolute best science fiction reads of next year.  As such, I am planning to read The Guerrilla Republic as soon as I can, probably on its epic audiobook version.  If you haven’t had the chance to read The Infinite State yet, make sure you do, especially before The Guerrilla Republic comes out next year.

The Infinite State by Richard Swan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Australian, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller2 Comments

Publisher: Gollancz (Audiobook – 28 July 2026)

Series: The Decurion Saga – Book One

Length: 15 hours and 19 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of Australia’s most prominent science fiction and fantasy authors, Richard Swan, starts a bold new series with the powerful and deeply compelling novel The Infinite State, an outstanding science fiction read with some relevant messaging.

Few fantasy authors have been as successful in recent years as Australian Richard Swan.  A talented author with some unique stories under his belt, Swan has gained a lot of attention in recent years thanks to his Empire of the Wolf series, which started in 2022 with The Justice of Kings.  A complex series that examined law and order in a crumbling fantasy empire, the Empire of the Wolf books proved to be very popular, enough so that Swan is currently following up the original trilogy with his The Great Silence sequel series, which examines a whole new era for his established world.

While I am more familiar with his fantasy fiction work, Swan also has a bit of experience with science fiction, which includes his latest release The Infinite State. The first book in Swan’s new Decurion Saga, The Infinite State follows several protagonists as they attempt to escape a fascist space government.  I have been looking forward to reading The Infinite State since I first heard about it, and made sure to listen to it on audiobook as soon as I could.

Plot Synopsis:

WHO GIVES YOU LIFE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Katherine Fuller’s husband is dead. As an esteemed member of Pater Aeternus—governing party of the fascist, galaxy-spanning Decurion Empire—he has left behind an estate of immeasurable wealth. And Katherine is going to inherit it.

WHO GIVES YOU PURPOSE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Life under the Eternal Father is rigidly stratified, surveilled, and controlled—each new day to be endured, not lived. But with Katherine’s newfound fortune, she is presented with a rare and dangerous opportunity: purchase a virgin world, and create a better, fairer society.

WHO GIVES YOU JOY?
PATER AETERNUS.

But the Empire cannot allow its wayward daughter to succeed. And as Katherine works in secret, recruiting allies she’s not even sure she can trust, she will discover exactly how far Pater Aeternus is willing to go to stop her. Because Katherine is going to create something nobody has seen for many years.

A democracy.

Wow, now that was a truly impressive read.  Richard Swan was firing on all cylinders with The Infinite State, producing a powerful and highly addictive character-driven book that I had an amazing time getting through.  Captivating, insightful and perfectly introducing an exciting and dark futuristic universe, The Infinite State was so damn good, and I have to give it a full five-star read, especially in its audiobook format.

Swan produces a highly impressive narrative for The Infinite State that follows three compelling protagonists as they attempt to overcome and escape the evils of the Decurion Empire.  This includes Katherine Fuller, the widow of a high-ranking party official, who finds herself inheriting a vast fortune upon her husband’s death.  Already disillusioned with the Empire, Katherine embarks on the radical plan of buying her own planet and setting it up as a democracy.  The book also follows Julian Yashego, a famous hypersled pilot born on an independent planet outside the Decurion Empire.  Having been recruited to race for the premier team in the Decurion hypersled circuit, Julian is forced to contend with the unforgiving politics and propaganda machine of the empire as an outsider, especially when his personal secrets are discovered.  The third storyline follows Cyprian Reis, a weary inspector charged with investigating murders in the empire’s capital, Kada Gamar.  However, his latest case, a mutilated body fished out of the river, sees him caught between two competing factions of the Pater Aeternus party, while also trying to reign in his ambitious and unhinged young partner.

There is a great mixture of elements in this first part of the book, as Swan successfully develops three complex character-focused storylines that initially exist independent of each other.  This includes a moving personal journey to independence in Katherine’s POV with a lot of key universe-building, a look at the true dark side of the regime in Julian’s storyline that also has a compelling science fiction sports element to it, and an exciting noir crime story in Cyprian’s chapters, all told in the shadow of Pater Aeternus influence.  This was honestly one of those rare multi-POV novels where I enjoyed each of the storylines equally, and I deeply enjoyed the separate narrative threads.  While these storylines are kept separate for most of The Infinite State, they produce an impressive overarching narrative, with some overlapping ideas and supporting characters.  You also become highly invested in each protagonist’s specific journeys, as well as their attempts to survive the party’s attention.  Swan eventually brings the three storylines together in the final third of The Infinite State, which has an interesting change of setting to Katherine’s newly established world.  The author does a good job of bringing these characters together naturally, and none of the storylines are negatively impacted by the suddenly joined narrative.  All of this results in an exciting and captivating conclusion that brings some excellent action to the book and introduces some great reveals.  Swan wraps everything up quite nicely with some big climatic moments that allow each of the protagonists to shine in their own unique ways.  At the same, Swan leaves several storylines open for the sequel, ensuring that readers will need to come back and check out the rest of the books in the series.

I was really impressed with how The Infinite State turned out, as Swan produced a gripping science fiction story centred around some great characters intent on escaping an overbearing fascist government.  As I mentioned above, Swan does an excellent job showcasing the story through three separate perspectives, and you really get a fantastic mixture of storylines as a result.  The resulting blend of elements that emerged throughout The Infinite State, including political discourse, espionage, mystery, space colonisation, proxy propaganda battles and more, was so damn good, and Swan did an outstanding job bringing all this together.  I was particularly impressed with the cool background setting surrounding this narrative, as Swan envisions and portrays a chaotic universe dominated by the Decurion Empire and the controlling Pater Aeternus party.  The idea of a vast fascist empire is familiar in the modern context, but Swan makes it his own, showcasing how such an empire could spread throughout the stars, and how other planets would react to it.  The evils and weaknesses of such an empire is on full display, and I appreciated how well Swan showcased the machinations and rivalries of the party’s power players, and how they manipulate the inherent fear, despair and anger of the normal inhabitants.  All this was quite inventive, if worryingly familiar, and the dose of reality in amongst the science fiction added to the emotional impact of the overall story.

I must once again highlight the outstanding main protagonists of The Infinite State, each of whom had unique and emotionally charged personal stories.  These great character arcs worked perfectly as the centre for the main storylines of The Infinite State, and Swan took many of these characters to their extremes as part of the plot.  This includes central character Katherine Fuller, the wife of a high-level party member, who, after several personal loses, decides to finally rebel against the system that has held her down her entire life.  Much of Katherine’s storyline involves her attempting to gain a confidence that has been quashed by Pater Aeternus’s patriarchal system and embark on her own journey.  It was great seeing her start to become a leader in this book, and it will be interesting to see how she continues to develop as the series continues.  Another key protagonist is the dour Cyprian Reis, a senior police inspector who finds himself on the wrong side of a political skirmish between two of Pater Aeternus’s ministers.  Already broken and suicidal at the start of the book, Cyprian finds his long-buried desire for justice clashing with the dark realities of the monsters above him.  Swan perfectly captures the impotent anger of Cyprian as he is manipulated and threatened by everyone, and while there are periods of rage, you can see that deep down Cyprian is a good man who has been wrecked by the system.  Of all the characters, Cyprian has the best redemption arc in the novel, and it was wonderful to see him start to find himself after the dark first half of the book.

The final protagonist is Julian Yashego, who honestly has one of the most complex, if traumatising, character narratives in the entire novel.  A champion racer considered to be the best hypersled driver in the galaxy, Julian is introduced in The Infinite State as a naïve foreigner who doesn’t understand the true dangers of the Decurion Empire.  However, after some early scenes, Julian soon finds his survival tied into his success as a racer, as he gets caught up in certain political machinations.  Things get quite dark for Julian, especially when his personal secrets are uncovered, and you really get drawn into his continuous downward spiral.  Not only does Julian’s storyline have some impressive emotional depth, but I enjoyed how the character’s hypersled background referenced the political battles fought around foreign race-car drivers and the Olympics in Nazi Germany.  Swan’s portrayal of Julian’s trauma was so well written, and he ends up being the protagonist you most relate to as a result.

While most of the focus is understandably on the three perspective protagonists, I do need to mention the great supporting cast featured within The Infinite State, who add some interesting elements to each of the main storylines.  Swan does a great job of introducing these various characters through the eyes of the main protagonists, and there are some fascinating relationships that emerge as a result.  Highlights include Jaroslav Droor, the Decurion Empire’s propaganda minister, who appears to be manipulating many of the key plot points from the shadow.  A malevolent force in both Cyprian’s and Julian’s early storylines, Swan sets Droor up as a sinister Machiavellian figure with a hidden agenda, and it was so fun to see his dark machinations.  Another excellent supporting character is Cyprian’s young partner, Lang, an ambitious investigator with a romanticised view of Pater Aeternus and life in the Decurion Empire.  Thanks to his naivety and near-brainwashed personality, Lang soon becomes a problem for Cyprian, and his worse traits are only enhanced as the story continues.  These great supporting characters, and more, perfectly populate the crazy universe of The Infinite State, and it was fascinating to see their storylines unfold alongside the perspective protagonists.

As I mentioned above, I ended up checking out the audiobook version of The Infinite State, which proved to be an incredible way to enjoy this epic book, as it allowed listeners to really absorb the compelling details of the setting.  Thanks to its use of multiple narrators, The Infinite State audiobook perfectly tells Swan’s complex narrative, while also cleverly giving life to the three protagonists, as well as the compelling supporting cast.  The audiobook does a great job of splitting itself between its three narrators, with each of them taking over the chapters told from the perspective of one of the main protagonists. These narrators include Helen Keeley, who provides a powerful performance in the chapters told from the perspective of Katherine Fuller.  Not only does Keeley provide a refined voice to Fuller, capturing her grief, frustration and determination every step of the way, but she also provides some impressive voices for the various characters that Fuller interacts with, including multiple senior party members.  Another great performance was Chris Rowe, who voices the chapters from the perspective of Julian Yashego, the famous hypersled driver who experiences the dark side of the empire.  This requires Rowe to provide a lot of range, as his initial portrayals of a cocky and naïve athlete are soon tinged with despair.  Rowe does a great job of capturing the changing emotions of his main character, while also providing some terrifying and harsh voices to the dark people he encounters, especially Droor, who comes off as his most sinister here.

The final narrator I need to highlight is Nathaniel Priestley, who fans of Swan might recognise from his work with the author’s fantasy books, and who has another great performance providing the narration of the POV of Cyprian Reis.  Priestley unsurprisingly does an amazing job in The Infinite State, and I loved his take on the weary investigator and the dangerous people he encounters.  This includes a striking accent for Cyprian that fits the character perfectly and helps to enhance the rage and impatience in his voice as he is manipulated and threatened.  All three of these narrators are incredible in The Infinite State, and I enjoyed how their performances were spaced out through the audiobook.  This includes in some of the later chapters, where the quickfire change in perspectives from the three protagonists also includes changes in narrator.  It was also fun to hear the different narrators try to emulate the established character voices of their colleagues, such as when they try to match the accent Priestley gives to Cyprian with varying results.  Overall, I think these narrators brought out the best of The Infinite State and this was one of the more exceptional audiobooks of 2026, that I cannot recommend enough.

Richard Swan continues to showcase his ability to tell an incredible and addictive story, this time diving back into science fiction with The Infinite State.  A brilliant and incredible start to a compelling new series, The Infinite State had me hooked very early on, and I loved seeing the powerful journeys each of Swan’s complex characters took.  I cannot wait to get my hands on the next entry in this series, and I will be very keen to read the sequel in 2027.  In the meantime, I need to get my hands on Swan’s recently released Warhammer 40,000 novel, Voice of Command, which also sounds extremely cool.

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The Detective Matthew Reilly

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery, Thriller, Throwback Thursday2 Comments

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia (Trade Paperback – 21 October 2025)

Series: Sam Speedman – Book One

Length: 383 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for one of the most over-the-top and highly impressive thrillers of recent years, with the brilliant and utterly addictive The Detective by Matthew Reilly.

Those who follow my blog will know that I tend to read a lot of Australian fiction, not only because I like to support local authors but because there are some cracking and captivating reads from my talented countryfolk.  Of the current crop of awesome Australian authors out there, few are more well known internationally than Matthew Reilly, a thriller writer with a raft of distinctive novels in his bibliography.  Known for books like his Shane Schofield and Jack West Jr series, as well as some of his outrageous standalone novels, Reilly has been a consistently entertaining author since the 1990s.  Despite this, I’ve only had the chance to read a couple of books from Reilly, including The Secret Runners of New York and Mr Einstein’s Secretary (one of my favourite books and pieces of Australian fiction of 2023), both of which were excellent in their own ways.  As such, I’ve tried to grab some more of his books, including his 2025 release, The Detective.  I only recently got the chance to read The Detective, and boy was I glad that I did.  The first book in Reilly’s new Sam Speedman series, The Detective was a highly addictive read with an exceedingly thrilling narrative behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

For 150 years, women have been going missing.

And all of the investigators who went in search of them – from 1877 to the present day – have disappeared, too.

Now Sam Speedman, a most unique private detective, is on the case.

Brilliant, direct and disarming, Sam is … different. He’s not your average private detective. But then again, this isn’t your average case.

For not even he will be prepared for what he will find.

Set in the darkest corners of the American South, tapping into hot-button issues that simmer beneath the surface of the modern United States, this is Matthew Reilly writing faster and bolder than ever before, bringing you a detective thriller like no other.

Well damn, now that was a crazy ass book!  While I knew I was likely going to enjoy The Detective, I was unprepared for just how over-the-top and entertaining it was going to be.  I honestly read this outstanding novel from Matthew Reilly in less than a day, it was damn addictive, especially when the full insanity of the plot emerged.  Due to just how fun and exciting The Detective was, I have to award this book a full five-stars, a rating it very much deserves.

I had an amazing time getting through The Detective’s narrative, primarily because Reilly came up with a powerful and detailed story that provides some intriguing mystery, heavy thrills and very over-the-top moments.  Reilly starts the narrative off strong, with an exciting introduction to the protagonist and main point-of-view character, Sam Speedman, the unlikely autistic private investigator.  While this opening sequence and early exploration of Reilly’s unique protagonist was great, it was the introduction of The Detective’s main case that personally drew me in, which starts when DNA test reveals that a dead newborn baby in the Louisiana swamp is the child of missing person Speedman has been hired to find.  To raise the stakes and interest, this disappearance is the latest in a long string of missing African American women dating back to the end of the Civil War.  Even more troubling, every previous detective who has investigated the case, including Speedman’s mentor, has either disappeared or turned up dead.

Despite this terrifying background, Speedman investigates and soon finds himself teaming up with an FBI agent also interested in the case.  Reilly does a lot of solid set-up in this first half of the book, and you are presented with some intriguing suspects, great supporting characters, and a real appreciation for the unique case and the way that the protagonist investigates.  The case goes in some interesting directions here, especially as Speedman finds an unlikely collection of clues and suspicions, before a seemingly early end to the investigation.  However, this is just a prelude to the rest of the plot, especially when Speedman quickly identifies a massive coverup surrounding the case.  Despite being offered everything he ever wanted, Speedman is unable to drop his investigation, which results in utter chaos and destruction being thrown at him and everyone he cares for.

While the first half of The Detective was very good and quickly draws you in, it was the brutal and insanely over-the-top second half of the book that makes this a truly memorable read.  Reilly throws everything that he can at his protagonist, as Speedman journeys through the deep south to find answers.  There are some great moments here, with plenty of action and clever investigating, all pulling together into a crazy result.  I don’t want to give too much away, but the hidden secrets behind the case are incredibly insane, while still cleverly fitting into the overarching narrative of The Detective.  Everything leads up to an explosive confrontation which delivers some very cathartic moments, as well as some memorable action sequences.  Reilly also throws in a great, if now depressingly unrealistic, solution to the giant odds the protagonists are facing, and watching their plan come together was really impressive.  An overall outstanding narrative, that you won’t be able to stop reading, even if you wanted to.

I had a lot of fun with Reilly’s style for The Detective, which was very easy to read and really highlighted the book’s fantastic action.  The author makes excellent use of the first-person perspective, which showcased the entertaining viewpoint of the primary perspective character.  Thanks to this, you get a great view of the investigation and the protagonist’s mind as he pulls the unique threads of the mystery together.  The mystery itself is quite well set up, and I appreciated the variety of clues and hints that Reilly introduces early in the book, even if you can’t imagine just where the author is going with them.  I will say that Reilly makes good use of the southern setting for the plot, with race, cultural heritage and other issues all working as motives or underlying factors.  These contemporary issues, as well as some key historical events, are cleverly referenced or alluded to (including quotes from real-life events or people), and while Reilly naturally takes everything several steps further than reality, it still makes you think.  I deeply enjoyed the narrative extremes that Reilly went to, which added a lot of entertainment to this book, and you must imagine that some of the world’s current craziness bled into Reilly’s mind as he wrote it.  I also have to highlight some of the cool diagrams and helpful alternate formatting that was added into the paperback version of The Detective, which helped order key parts of the plot and allowed even more insights into the protagonist’s mind.

I’ve already mentioned the unique protagonist of The Detective, Sam Speedman, a few times, and I want to again make it clear how interesting and fun he proved to be.  Introduced as a questionable investigative protagonist due to his lack of social skills and distinctive way of thinking, Speedman quickly grows on the reader thanks to his insights, down-to-earth view, and determination to do the right thing no matter what.  I liked how Reilly already had Speedman set up as a very competent figure right at the start of the book, and you are soon drawn into his personality, as well as the unlikely connections he already has.  The author also throws in some growth for Speedman in this book, with the protagonist becoming even more comfortable with other people while continuing to stick to his principles no matter the cost.  I really think that Reilly did a good job of providing a nuanced portrayal of an autistic central character, and I liked how Speedman’s eccentricities, such as his preferred restaurant and inherent caution, played into the plot in some natural ways.  Speedman proved to be one of the more memorable crime fiction protagonists in recent years, and I’m very curious to see what other adventures Reilly takes him on in the future.

Aside from Speedman, The Detective features an intriguing array of supporting characters, each of whom add their own spin on the plot.  Reilly has fun showcasing many of these great characters from Speedman’s perspective, and it was interesting to see his take on them.  I personally enjoyed secondary protagonist FBI agent Audrey Mills, who serves as a motivated support to Speedman, as well as a moving love interest once she realises who she is working with.  Other fun characters include Speedman’s eclectic contacts, such as an enterprising assistant, an exceedingly brave fellow investigator, and several Hooters waitresses who are some of the protagonist’s best friends.  Finally, we have the various antagonists of the story, who exist at near supervillain levels thanks to their audacious evil plans.  To avoid spoilers, I won’t say too much about these antagonists, except that they make for a terrifying opposition thanks to their reach and influences.  This fantastic and over-the-top group of characters all fit naturally into Reilly’s ambitious and ultra-entertaining narrative.

Thanks to its outrageous story, complex characters, and non-stop fun and excitement, The Detective proved to be an incredible read, and one that I still cannot stop thinking about.  Matthew Reilly really came up with something special with The Detective, and it was a crazy pleasure to read it.  I am now exceedingly excited for the soon to be released sequel, King’s Ransom, which I already know is going to be exceedingly awesome and crazy.

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Quick Review – On the Edge by Kate Horan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: HQ (Trade Paperback – 1 January 2026)

Series: Standalone

Length: 372 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Get ready for one of the more compelling pieces of Australian crime fiction released earlier this year, the powerful and twisty On the Edge by Kate Horan.

Plot Synopsis:

Desperate people do desperate things…

Sixteen years ago, teenage Maddie Marshall’s body was found on a desolate beach near her hometown, Carrinya. Vibrant, feisty Maddie was the only daughter of a high-profile politician. The case was the talk of the town but was ultimately never solved.

Nel Foley, daughter of the town doctor and Maddie’s best friend, was the last known person to see her alive, and the Carrinya rumour mill was vicious. Nel fled the town and has never been back. Until now.

Now a 32-year-old city GP, Nel returns after her father’s sudden death, determined to get in and out as quickly as possible. Begrudgingly, she agrees to run his clinic for a few weeks, but during that time she meets local mum Sophie Warner and that changes everything.

Sophie’s husband Ryan, a prominent local real estate agent, was Maddie’s boyfriend and Nel is certain he played a role in her death. When Nel discovers that Ryan is not the loving husband and father that he seems, she decides she must prove what he did all those years ago. But as she starts to unravel the past, she discovers the truth is far more complex than she could have imagined.

A twisty, suspenseful mystery about the desperate things people do when they’re on the edge.

On the Edge was an excellent and intense read from rising Australian author Kate Horan, which was a great early highlight of the 2026 reading year.  The second book from Horan following her debut The Inheritance, On the Edge was an interesting take on the classic small-town Australian crime fiction novel, which took its mystery in some outstanding directions.

A lot of elements of On the Edge will be familiar to fans of Australian fiction, with a protagonist forced to return to their hometown after leaving years ago in the aftermath of a dark event, in this case the suspicious death of protagonist Nel’s best friend, Maddie.  Horan does an excellent job of introducing Nel and showcasing her trauma at returning, with some flashback sequences adding in some extra context.  Naturally, Nel takes the chance to start her own investigation into the historic crime thanks to new evidence recovered from her dead father’s files.

While there are some familiar story beats to On the Edge’s initial plot, Horan makes this format her own thanks to her use of the secondary protagonist Sophie.  The wife of Ryan, the obvious suspect to Maddie’s murder, Sophie spends most of the book dealing with Ryan’s domestic abuse, while also being haunted by the secrets from her past.  This provides a great alternate perspective to the narrative, which helps to make On the Edge really stand out, especially with some well-placed reveals.  Horan uses many of these story elements to drive up the book’s drama, with Nel forced to confront her family’s feelings and the scorn of the town, while Sophie works to escape her husband, and this personal struggle adds to the desperation to find the truth.

Everything perfectly leads up to the big finale for On the Edge, which I think was the strongest part of the entire book.  Horan came up with a very impressive twist around Sophie, which was honestly the narrative highlight of the entire story, and I was very impressed with how well the author set it up.  I did think that Horan perhaps went a twist too far after this big reveal, especially with the timing and location of the final revelation, but it was still an interesting inclusion that had the appropriate build behind it.  Horan wraps this up with some relatable happy endings, which was honestly needed after some of the darker elements of the book.

This was an impressive piece of Australian fiction from Horan, who produced a fantastic story of desperation, historical trauma and murder.  The use of the alternating perspectives from two women caught at opposing ends of the mystery was a true highlight, and I appreciated how effectively the author layered the clues to all the reviews in both their storylines.  Horan also expertly built up the alternating personal issues from both protagonists, and their struggles melded well with the overarching hunt for the truth.  On top of that, Horan also captured some of the true lows of family domestic violence in small-town Australia, which unsurprisingly is becoming a recurring theme in Australian crime fiction.  Throw in some great depictions of small-town Australia and the struggles associated with them, including a unique perspective from a local doctor, and this was a deeply compelling read that really highlighted Horan’s abilities as an author.

Overall, On the Edge was a great second novel from Kate Horan, and one that I’m glad I picked up.  Featuring a brilliant story loaded with impressive twists and turns, as well as some complex character-driven narratives, On the Edge was one of the stronger Australian set novels from the first half of 2026, and I look forward from reading more from Horan in the future.

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Waiting on Wednesday – While You Were Screaming by Shailee Thompson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller, Waiting on WednesdayLeave a comment

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.  For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I look at a fun upcoming thriller from a rising Australian author with While You Were Screaming by Shailee Thompson.

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Those familiar with my blog know that I’m a massive fan of weird and unique thrillers, especially those that take established genre elements and flip them on their head.  It’s thanks to this love of unusual books that I was lucky enough to read the fantastic 2026 debut, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson.  A hilarious novel that served as a combined parody of romance and slasher films, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates was an extremely compelling read, and it ended up being one of my favourite debuts and Australian releases from the first half of 2026.

Based on how much I enjoyed How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates, I’ve been eager to see what Thompson would write next, which is why I discovered the focus for this week’s post, While You Were Screaming.

Set for release in February 2027, While You Were Screaming is another amazing sounding thriller that will a protagonist find love in all the wrong places.  This time combining the romance genre with a gritty thriller narrative involving murderous cults, While You Were Screaming has an awesome plot behind it, and I’m already curious to see how it’s fun, if deadly, narrative goes.  Sure to be one of the distinctive thrillers of 2027, I’m very eager to read While You Were Screaming and it should be an early entertaining read for me next year.

Plot Synopsis:

From the #1 bestselling author of How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates comes a swoony killer romance in which a sinister couples retreat results in cult chaos – for fans of Grady Hendrix and Brynne Weaver.

Filmmaker Laurie Hamilton knows a red flag when she sees one, and Kindred Souls sets off every alarm. The organisation claims to counsel couples for a steep price, but what’s their real deal? Is it a scam … or a cult?

On a hunch that might get her killed, Laurie heads undercover with Connor Kincaid – a dangerously handsome podcaster and the one man she swore she’d never see again. Posing as the perfect match, they infiltrate a Kindred Souls retreat run by Cardinal, the enigmatic leader whose eerie charisma and devoted followers suggest there’s far more going on than relationship counselling.

Once inside, there’s no leaving. Surrounded by couples desperate to prove they’re soulmates, Laurie and Connor quickly realise the retreat isn’t about finding love – it’s about deciding who deserves it.

When things go from creepy to deadly, Laurie must decide who she can trust. Getting out alive is one thing, but what if she starts to grow feelings for the man she’s pretending to love? Urgh.

The Mortons by Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, ThrillerLeave a comment

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia (Trade Paperback – 21 July 2026)

Series: Standalone

Length: 454 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Get ready for one of the more unique crime fiction reads of 2026, as the superstar writing team of Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld present The Mortons, a complex and addictive read about a very messed up family.

Plot Synopsis:

A darkly funny, action-packed gothic thriller following a modern-day, old-money crime family with murderous intent. It’s The Secret History meets The Sopranos, with a dash of Saltburn!

Meet the Mortons: In this family, murder is currency – and business is booming.

The Mortons are a modern-day, old-money dynasty with impeccable taste, from their exquisitely crafted cocktails to their expertly tailored vintage garments. They are also stone-cold killers.

They, along with the other crime families, send their progeny to Helshire College, where legacy students learn to exercise control over their wealthy peers. Jessica Morton has always excelled at Helshire, secure in her knowledge that she is the prodigy of her generation. Now, having committed her first kill, it should be Jessica’s moment, her honour.

But that kill will cut more ways than one – and it will set in motion a series of consequences from which there is no turning back.

Sharp and hypnotic, The Mortons is an epic novel of alliances and power, loyalty and kinship, and the consequences of ruthless ambition.

The Mortons was an exceptional and highly addictive crime fiction thriller that provides a dark look at humanity through the eyes of a born and raised killer.  The first adult fiction collaboration between Australian young adult fiction author Justine Larbalestier and her husband Scott Westerfeld, also an established young adult author, The Mortons was a brilliantly twisted and complex read that I honestly couldn’t put down as I moved between shocking moments.

The plot of The Mortons is centred around protagonist and sole point-of-view character Jessica Morton, a murderous prodigy hiding in plain sight at the elite Helshire College.  A member of the Morton family, an extended clan of killers who manipulate, threaten and assassinate others for power and influence, Jessica is the rising star of the family, determined to do the rest of the Mortons proud.  However, after she is ordered to perform her first kill and murder an underperforming cousin, Jessica’s carefully planned life begins to change as she balances new feelings with her family duty and expectations.

The authors do an excellent job setting up much of The Mortons’ key story elements in the first half of the book, and I really appreciated the effective introduction to the protagonist, the titular Morton family, and the wider hidden world of family-controlled violence and manipulation.  There is some good early character work, especially as the protagonists deals with her apparent guilt, while also finding out some secrets around her family and Helshire.  Things become even more complicated when Jessica is sent on an important mission for the family.  This part of the book provides some of the more intriguing looks at Jessica’s personality, and the authors play up new uncertainty about her role and her family.  It also leads up to one of the book’s main, shocking moments halfway through, which changes the protagonist’s entire trajectory.

After this big moment, the second half of The Mortons is just one intense and highly addictive thrill ride, which I honestly got through in one extended sitting.  Faced with several traumatic events, Jessica’s storyline goes in a very interesting direction as she struggles with who she truly is.  I really enjoyed the additional emotional uncertainty of the plot in this part of the book, while additional revealed motivations from several supporting characters add to the general chaos of the plot, until a big moment changes everything once again.  I was very impressed with Larbalestier and Westerfeld for the big twist towards the end of the book, as it changed everything you thought you knew about the plot and altered everyone’s motivations.  The authors follow this twist up with some very dark moments guaranteed to leave you shocked, before leading up to the complex and thought-provoking conclusion.  The ending itself is a little low-key, but there is an intense beauty to it which fits The Mortons’ various character arcs extremely well.  It also leaves the story open to allow potential sequels from the authors, although The Mortons works quite well as a standalone story and adding more might remove the overall impact of this excellent book.

Larbalestier and Westerfeld crafted together a slick and emotionally charged novel here with The Mortons.  Blending a deeply personal character driven story from a damaged protagonist into a larger tale of family expectations and criminality resulted in a great read, and I loved the intense amount of drama and intrigue that the authors loaded into this book.  The underlying setting of the hidden crime families secretly influencing the world and training together alongside normal wealthy students a Helshire was very clever, and I loved the extended look at the sinister Mortons.  The authors do a wonderful job of initially showing the Mortons as a cool, if dangerous, family to be a part of, although the full depth of their evil becomes more apparent as the book continues.  This slow reveal of the titular family ties in nicely with the overarching themes of self-determination, nature vs nurture, and generational trauma, all placed in the context of a cultish criminal dynasty.  I did think at times that The Mortons had a young adult feel to it, especially the sequences examining first love and Helshire.  While this is to be expected considering the authors’ young adult fiction background, it might not appeal to some more mainstream thriller fans.  Still, I really enjoyed the easy style of The Mortons, and its complex characters and clever twists makes it a fantastic read for all crime fiction readers.

A key highlight of The Mortons is the distinctive characters contained within, especially the various murderous members of the Morton family proper.  The compelling collection of family-orientated killers and the people they associate with, was an impressive part of the book, and the authors do an amazing job of showing how dangerous and manipulative they can be, while also examining other parts of their personality.  As the book’s primary protagonist, much of The Mortons’ focus is on Jessica Morton, who goes through a particularly intense journey in this novel.  Initially shown to be a diligent Morton, Jessica finds herself drawn between family loyalty and other connections after her first kill.  The authors do an amazing job of initially introducing Jessica and her cold personality, before bombarding her with new experiences and thoughts.  This includes her first flourishes of romantic love, as well as other personal connections, all of which play against her family’s beliefs.  Jessica’s internal struggle is a big part of the book’s plot, especially once you understand how it’s being manipulated by others, and I really appreciated how effectively the authors dove into this protagonist.

Other key characters I have to highlight include Jessica’s roommate, Faraday, a party girl who finds herself drawn towards the mystique of the Mortons without fully understanding the dangers, and Jessica’s adopted cousin, Sebastian, who provides an interesting human perspective on the dark family.  These characters, and more, are all extremely well written, and their take on love, death, and the trauma of being or knowing the Mortons becomes integral to the plot in some many excellent ways.  I was so damn impressed with all these complex character moments, all of whom add to the powerful emotional depth of The Mortons.

Thanks to its captivating story, intense characters, and killer charm, The Mortons stands tall as one of the more intriguing and distinctive crime fiction reads of 2026.  Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld prove to be an incredible writing team, and there is so much depth and complexity in this brilliant joint adult thriller debut.  The Mortons comes highly recommended as a result, and readers are guaranteed to have an incredible time with this book, although you likely won’t be prepared for all its devilish twists.

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