Summer books of 2019: Crime

Big Sky , by Kate Atkinson, Doubleday, RRP£20

Atkinson has long been the standard bearer for literary crime fiction, and Big Sky sports her customary elegance. Private eye Jackson Brodie is investigating an unfaithful husband, but a banal case leads to the machinations of a sinister network. Once again, a vividly drawn cast of characters adorns a complex plot.

Conviction , by Denise Mina, Harvill Secker, RRP£14.99

Is the podcast becoming a plot device in the crime writer’s armoury? Mina draws on the idea in Conviction: Anna McDonald becomes obsessed with a true crime podcast involving multiple murders, but there are catastrophic revelations about her own past.

The Whisper Man , by Alex North, Michael Joseph, RRP£12.99

While this may appear to be a debut of great assurance, Alex North is actually the seasoned crime fiction practitioner Steve Mosby. Tom Kennedy has moved to a village notorious for a serial killer called “The Whisper Man” who murdered five young boys before being caught. But then a six-year-old boy goes missing . . .

The Anarchists’ Club , by Alex Reeve, Raven Books, RRP£12.99

Reeve’s The House on Half Moon Street inaugurated a series set in Victorian London, with the protagonist Leo accused of killing his lover. But what made this entry unique was its startling transgender theme (Leo was, in fact, born Charlotte). This time, a woman has been murdered at an anarchist hide-out, with Leo implicated.

For a look at the best summer books across genres, go to ft.com/summerbooks2019

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