Tag: Crime Fiction

King’s Ransom by Matthew Reilly

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Five-Star Books, ThrillerLeave a comment

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

On By The Unseen LibraryIn 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 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 – Sons of the Reich by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Murder Mystery, 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.  In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I look ahead to 2027, with an outstanding upcoming murder mystery with a promising historical dark side, Sons of the Reich by Simon Scarrow.

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Readers of this blog will know that I am a massive fan of historical fiction author Simon Scarrow, whose various books set across multiple historical periods has produced some gripping and fantastic reads.  I am primarily a fan of his Eagles of the Empire series, the next book of which, The Sword of Rome, is set for release later this year.  However, while I wait for The Sword of Rome to come out, I thought I would look ahead and highlight the next Scarrow book coming out with Sons of the Reich, the fourth book in the author’s Criminal Inspector Schenke thriller series.

The Criminal Inspector Schenke series, also known as the Berlin Wartime series, are an addictive and captivating series that focus on dark murder investigations in Berlin during World War II.  Following protagonist CI Horst Schenke, a Kripo investigator and one of the few good cops left in the city, the series sees Horst investigate murders that occur against the backdrop of the war and the Nazi regime.  Inevitably, Schenke runs up against powerful Nazis and members of the SS as the crimes he investigates skirt the dark secrets of the Nazi government.  The first three books in this series, Blackout, Dead of Night and A Death in Berlin, were impressive reads that expertly combined compelling narratives with the ominous historical setting.  As such, I keep a close out for any additional books in the series, and it looks like we are going to be blessed with a new entry in the series in 2027 with Sons of the Reich.

Set for release in March 2027, Sons of the Reich sees Schenke once again in a dangerous and politically sensitive investigation, this time involving the Hitler Youth.  Featuring a very interesting story idea that will showcase murder and secrets at the heart of the Nazi movement, Sons of the Reich sounds like another complex and exciting read with a ton of potential.

Plot Synopsis:

May 1940. Nazi Party propaganda indicates that the war is nearly won, but disturbing news of casualties makes for a tense atmosphere in Berlin.

Violent crime is growing, with arrogant members of the Hitler Youth amongst the worst culprits. When a young man of the group is found brutally murdered, Criminal Inspector Schenke is called in. The crime has occurred outside his precinct, but the dead boy’s uncle is Gestapo, and SS Gruppenfuhrer Heydrich wants Schenke to investigate. Or, rather, to focus on one suspect to the exclusion of all others.

Schenke is determined to discover the truth rather than follow instructions from on high. Evidence seems too easily discovered, while the accounts shared by the victim’s fellow Hitler Youths are disturbingly similar in every detail. But if Schenke pushes his search for the truth too far, will his luck finally run out, as the might of a ruthless regime is turned against him?

I am very excited to dive into this new historic murder mystery, especially after how impressive and clever the previous three books in this series have been.  It sounds liked Scarrow has come up with a particularly intriguing scenario for Sons of the Reich that should produce an outstanding story, and I’m expecting both an impressive standalone mystery, as well as a continuation of some of the series ongoing storylines, such as the protagonist’s illicit relationship with a fugitive Jewish woman hiding in the city.  I am also quite intrigued see the author’s take on the Hitler Youth and their role in this stage of Berlin life, as well as the powers working behind them.  I have no doubt Scarrow will continue to explore and utilise the fascinating and sinister historical elements of this setting to his full extent, and I cannot wait to see how they continue to enhance the excellent crime fiction elements of the narrative.

Based on how much I have enjoyed the first three novels in this series, there is no way that I won’t be grabbing Sons of the Reich next year.  Simon Scarrow is such a good author, and I have really enjoyed this impressive World War II crime fiction series, especially as it allows him to explore wartime Berlin through the eyes of a conflicted protagonist.  I am very curious to see how this new story will unfold, and I have no doubt I am going to find it fascinating and compelling.  Due to all this, Sons of the Reich is one of my most anticipated historical fiction novels for next year, and I will dive into it the first chance I get.

Waiting on Wednesday – First Degree Murder by Jennifer Pearson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday, Young AdultLeave 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 latest Waiting on Wednesday, I check out an intriguing murder mystery release coming out next year with First Degree Murder by Jennifer Pearson.

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2027 is shaping up to be an excellent year for sequels, with several impressive authors following up on amazing novels with compelling and intriguing continuations.  One of the ones that I am currently most excited for is First Degree Murder, a follow-up to one of the better mystery novels of 2027, Drop Dead Famous by Jennifer Pearson.

Drop Dead Famous was a captivating young adult murder mystery I was lucky enough to read earlier this year.  Following an amateur teenage sleuth who investigates the murder of her famous sister with the help of an obsessive fan girl, Drop Dead Famous featured a particularly strong mystery, with Pearson loading in a ton of twists and shocking reveals as the protagonist uncovered various secrets about her town and her damaged family.  I had an incredible time reading Drop Dead Famous, and I really cannot get over how clever the story got.

Due to how impressive I found Drop Dead Famous, I have been eagerly awaiting a potential sequel for a while now, and I was very happy to find out some details.  This sequel, First Degree Murder, is set for release in May 2027, and will once again bring back the entertaining protagonists for brand new mystery.  Based on how strong Pearson’s first excellent teen thriller was, I’m expecting great things from the sequel, which I imagine will be filled with even more twists and shocks.  As such, First Degree Murder is now one of the books I’m most looking forward to in 2027, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Plot Synopsis:

THIS CAMPUS HAS SECRETS. AND ONE OF THEM KILLS.

Stevie Baker came to Wexford University hoping to leave the past behind. But when her friend Nate is found dead in his dorm room, Stevie is thrust into the middle of another murder investigation. And this time, the police are looking at her.

Determined to clear her name, Stevie and her best friend Colby start asking questions of their own. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous the truth becomes. Because a killer is still out there.

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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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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Drop Dead Famous by Jennifer Pearson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Murder Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult1 Comment

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Uk (ebook – 16 June 2026)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 432 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for a particularly addictive and elaborate young adult thriller with Drop Dead Famous by Jennifer Pearson.  The debut young adult thriller for Jennifer Pearson (who previously authored several middle grade novels as Jenny Pearson), Drop Dead Famous was an incredible novel with some fantastic twists and turns.

Plot Synopsis:

 When global singing sensation Blair Baker rises on a platform high above the stage for the opening number of her triumphant hometown concert, the crowd erupts in applause. But their joy quickly turns to horror when they realize Blair is dead. The shocking revelation that music’s brightest star has been murdered rocks the world. But for her younger sister, Stevie, the tragedy is more than a headline – it’s personal.

Determined to uncover the truth, Stevie dives headfirst into the shadows of her sister’s glittering life.

What begins as a search for answers turns into a dangerous journey through the toxic underbelly of fame, where betrayal, manipulation, and obsession thrive. Yet, as Stevie peels back the layers of who her sister really was, she begins to uncover dark secrets closer to home – secrets that someone is desperate to keep buried…

Wow, what an awesome read.  I must admit I wasn’t expecting one of the strongest and most compelling and complex crime fiction reads of the year when I first picked up Drop Dead Famous.  However, this cool teen thriller quickly drew me in with its elaborate mystery, fun characters and multiple powerful twists.  This was honestly one of the stronger debuts of 2026, and I came away really impressed with Pearson’s ability to craft an emotionally charged mystery.

Pearson crafts together an outstanding narrative for Drop Dead Famous that immediately throws you into the action and keeps you hooked to the end.  It starts off with an introduction to the protagonist, Stevie Baker, her dysfunctional family and her small town as they arrive at the concert for Stevie’s world-famous sister, Blair Baker.  Things quickly take a dark turn when Blair is found murdered on stage, turning Stevie’s life upside down again.  With no faith in the town’s police force, especially after they failed to solve two other major recent cases, Stevie decides to investigate herself.  Pearson provides a very strong introduction to her narrative in these opening chapters of Drop Dead Famous, and not only do you get some intense looks at the protagonist’s personal and family drama, much of which has major impacts on the case, but Pearson also throws in a lot of early clues and hints that are well utilised later in the story.

After this introduction, Pearson turns Drop Dead Famous into a compelling small-town, odd-couple investigation when Stevie is convinced to form an unlikely team with Colby Green, the self-declared biggest fan of her sister.  This results in a large and unique investigation, with the two girls working as an effective investigative unit, looking at Blair’s former relationships, stalker fans, shady business manager, and trying to uncover other dark secrets.  At the same time, Blair finds herself being threatened by several people seemingly wanting to shut down her investigation, while other dark secrets from closer to home start to impact the case.  This includes long-hidden mistakes from the town’s last two major crimes, the murder of a young boy and the disappearance of Stevie’s niece, all of which are cleverly connected to the current murder of Blair.

All this excellent buildup from Pearson leads to one of the best final thirds of a mystery novel I’ve seen this year, as the author cleverly ties together all the varied clues and theories into a brilliant conclusion.  Despite how good I usually am at predicting twists in mystery novels, I honestly did not see most of the big reveals from Drop Dead Famous coming, which added a lot to the book’s impact.  I was really impressed with how Pearson effectively tied in the town’s previous cases and the protagonist’s family secrets, as well as various other hints and clues sprinkled throughout the plot, into the concluding surprises, and it helped to make the culprit’s identity that much more personal and powerful.  I honestly couldn’t stop reading Drop Dead Famous in this final stretch, and readers are guaranteed to come away very satisfied by this conclusion, especially when every single secret is out in the light.

I felt that Pearson did an amazing job with her first thriller as Drop Dead Famous has a lot of compelling elements to it that make it quite addictive and compelling.  I’ve already mentioned the brilliant mystery and investigate core of Drop Dead Famous, but I really need to emphasise its complexity.  Pearson builds in so many different layers to the case, with various clues or key details loaded throughout the book all the way back to page one.  The way in which Pearson kept track of these details and brought them together in the end in a way that was both shocking to the reader, but also still easy to follow, was so damn impressive, and ensure that the mystery element was a major highlight for me.  However, there was so much more to this book as Pearson ensured that the novel was also a deeply personal, character-driven read with some real heart and laughs.

Much of the lighter side of the lighter side of Drop Dead Famous is due to the central character interactions between the main protagonists Stevie Barker and Colby Green.  Stevie’s darker narrative about family tragedy and using amateur criminal investigation as a crutch to deal with trauma is emotionally buoyed by her new friendship with the ultimate fan girl, Colby, who proves to be a surprisingly effective investigative partner.  The interactions between Stevie and Colby brought in much of the book’s humour, with their unusual methods, disregard for the rules and strong odd-couple partnership providing a lot of excellent entertainment.  These fun character interactions melded surprisingly well with the more serious parts of the book, and it honestly increased the pace and allowed for a more overall entertaining read.

I also felt that Drop Dead Famous was a very enjoyable young adult thriller, as Pearson made it very appealing to a very wide audience.  Marketed as a young adult fiction novel, Pearson sets up a lighter, teen-focused read through the interactions and relationships of the protagonists, which includes fun banter, focus on teenage problems, and some light-hearted teen romances.  This allows a teenage audience to connect to the story, and I think younger readers will appreciate that Pearson didn’t talk down to them, and instead provided some nuanced looks at family drama, modern trends, the downsides of celebrity and other adult themes.  The overarching intense and layered mystery ensures that older crime fiction readers will also get quite a lot out of this book, while the young adult audience will really get to sink their teeth into a truly amazing murder mystery.  As such, I think that there will be quite a large audience for Drop Dead Famous, and I would have loved to read a book like this when I was younger.

Thanks to its fantastic mystery, entertaining characters and brilliant storytelling, Drop Dead Famous proved to be an exceptional read that I honestly cannot stop thinking about.  Jennifer Pearson did such an incredible job with this debut, and this was easily one of the better young adult thrillers I have had the pleasure of reading.  A highly recommended book for both young adult and general crime fiction readers, I had an amazing time with Drop Dead Famous, and I will be grabbing a copy of the promised sequel when it comes out.

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