Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly task that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday participants were supposed to list the top new-to-them authors they read in 2025. However, as this was a topic I did a few weeks ago, I’m instead going to put together an alternate list today. The reason for this is because earlier this week, 26 January, was Australia’s national holiday, Australia Day. While Australia Day is getting controversial due to its historical implications, I like to look beyond that and instead focus on some of the amazing and varied writing talents Australia produces. As such, I once again took this opportunity to highlight some of the top pieces of fiction written by Australian authors in 2025.
Each year, a ton of talented Australian authors produce an impressive and exciting range of fiction from across the genres, many of which I am lucky enough to get copies of from my local publishers. Due to this, I tend to read and review a lot of novels by Australian authors, most of which turn out to be some outstanding reads that I deeply enjoy. As such, for the last few years I have taken to highlighting my favourite pieces of Australian fiction, which is something I really look forward to each Australia Day (check out my 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 lists).
I really love how much awesome Australian fiction there is each year, and this list is the perfect way to highlight some of the best Australian authors. Now I tend to take a bit of a different approach to Australian fiction than some other bloggers, as I highlight all books written by Australian authors rather than novels purely set in Australia or featuring Australian characters. To qualify for this list, a novel had to be released in 2025 and be written by an Australian author, which I am defining as anyone born in Australia or who currently lives here (Australia is very good at adopting talented people as our own). This resulted in a long list, and I was eventually able to whittle this novel down to the absolute cream of the crop and came up with a fantastic top ten list (with my typical generous honourable mentions). I really enjoyed how this list turned out, especially as it features novels from a range of different genres, all of which were very awesome Australian books.
Honourable Mentions:
A compelling historical fiction novel and debut from the talented Ronnie Salt that makes great use of its 1970’s, small-town Australian setting.
2 Sisters Murder Investigations by James Patterson and Candice Fox
The fun new novel that one of Australia’s leading thriller authors, Candice Fox, wrote with James Patterson. This one was a great sequel to their previous novel, 2 Sisters Detective Agency, and is well worth a read.
The Bolthole by Peter Papathanasiou
A great, slow-paced Australian crime fiction novel that features a unique Australian setting in the iconic Kangaroo Island.
Vanish by Shelley Burr
A particularly intense and creative crime fiction novel, from a brilliant rising Australian author.
Top Ten Tuesday:
The Strength of the Few by James Islington
I’m starting this Top Ten List off strong with The Strength of the Few by James Islington, a book that appeared on pretty much all my best of 2025 lists, including best book, audiobook and sequels. The deeply impressive sequel to Islington’s The Will of the Many (one of my favourite book, audiobook and Australian fiction novels of 2023), The Strength of the Few continues the epic story of rebellion and magic from the first book, however this time separate versions of the protagonist are simultaneously split across three different parallel words, resulting in an especially elaborate narrative. I deeply enjoyed how this incredible and complex novel came about, and I honestly could not get enough of this impressive novel from one of Australia’s most inventive authors.
Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson
From amazing fantasy to hilarious crime fiction, the second book on this list is the highly amusing and awesome Everyone in this Bank is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson. An outrageous and self-referential novel that once again follows Stevenson’s unlucky protagonist as he gets caught up in another locked-room murder mystery. This time trapped in a bank during an armed robbery, the protagonist needs to discover who amongst a suspicious group of staff and customers, is a deadly killer. A highly clever read from the always entertaining Stevenson, Everyone in this Bank is a Thief was an exceptional read that had me chuckling the entire way through.
Rising author Joanna Jenkins impressed this year with her second crime fiction novel, The Bluff. A sequel to her debut legal thriller novel, How to Kill a Client, The Bluff was an outstanding novel that took Jenkins’ initial protagonist into a new small-town Australian setting. Featuring a great story that showcased the events that led up to the murder of the town’s local hero, The Bluff was a clever and addictive novel that I really enjoyed reading.
Whisper in the Wind by Luke Arnold
Actor turned author Luke Arnold continued to provide his amazing contributions to the fantasy genre this year with his new Fetch Phillips novel, Whisper in the Wind. Forcing his highly damaged protagonist to investigate a deadly conspiracy amongst a city devastated by the world’s loss of magic, Whisper in the Wind featured an outstanding plot loaded with twists, betrayals and impressive character moments. Easily Arnold’s best novel yet, Whisper in the Wind was so damn good, and there was no way it wasn’t going to be featured on this list.
High Rise by Gabriel Bergmoser
Probably the most intense, action-packed books I read in 2025 was the amazing Australian thriller High Rise by Gabriel Bergmoser. Essentially a reverse version of The Raid set in a Melbourne housing tower, High Rise forced one of Bergmoser’s dangerous protagonists to fight their way through a building of thugs all looking to collect a bounty on his head, while also trying to protect his estranged daughter. A particularly fun and addictive read, High Rise is well worth a read, especially if you are a fan of over-the-top action.
One of the best Australian crime fiction novels of 2025 was the amazing Broke Road by Matthew Spencer. The sequel to Spencer’s debut novel, Black River, Broke Road featured a gritty and particularly intense murder mystery as a damaged detective travels to the Hunter Valley to investigate bloody murder. Featuring an excellent plot and a particularly complex mystery, Broke Road was an exceptional read that I couldn’t turn away from.
The Stolen by Vikki Petratis
One of the more intense and realistic pieces of Australian crime fiction in 2025 was the outstanding novel, The Stolen by Vikki Petratis. Serving as a sequel to Petratis’ hard-hitting first book, The Unbelieved, The Stolen continued to explore a small Victorian town riven by gender conflict and dissent, which only worsens when a baby is kidnapped by its father. An excellent and compelling read, The Stolen was a great sequel and an impressive piece of Australian writing.
Pacific Heights by S. R. White
British expat turned Australian crime fiction author, S. R. White, continued to impress in 2025 with his complex murder mystery Pacific Heights. A spinoff from his main series (which features books like Prisoner, Red Dirt Road and White Ash Ridge), Pacific Heights sees two detectives investigate a complex murder case where a young women is murdered in the middle of several overlooking apartment buildings. However, all the witnesses to the case are telling a different story about how events unfolded, and nothing is truly what it seems. I had an incredible time with this novel and White made full use of this book’s focus on perception and truth to tell and amazing story.
One of the easiest inclusions on this list was the incredible new novel from Canberra author Jack Heath, Kill Your Boss. Following on from two of Heath’s previous novels, Kill Your Brother and Kill Your Husbands, Kill Your Boss had a very entertaining story behind it, as a police detective attempts to uncover who killed the boss of a small-town library. However, everyone the victim knew had a motive to kill him, and the resulting complex investigation becomes a highly entertaining exploration of who actually succeeded in murdering him. An outstanding novel from one of Australia’s best and most outrageous crime fiction authors.
The final book I want to highlight on this list is also one of my favourite 2025 debuts, The Reunion by Bronwyn Rivers. Following a group of friends who reunite years after a tragic event, The Reunion takes an interesting twist when they find themselves trapped in an isolated property in Australia’s Blue Mountains by someone desperate to find out what really happened in the past. This ended up being an amazing first book from Rivers and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.
Well, that is the end of this latest list, and I am really happy that I got a chance to highlight some of the best Australian releases of 2025. The above books represent an outstanding collection of fiction from talented Australian authors, and each of them comes highly recommended by me. I had a lot of fun coming up with this list and I cannot wait to find out what the best Australian books of 2026 are going to be. Until then, stay tuned for more epic reviews and lists, and make sure you let me know who your favourite Australian authors are in the comments below.
The Unseen Library 