Sometimes, crime thrillers don’t just give you a rush — they rattle you with how real and personal they feel.
Whether it’s a past trauma resurfacing, secrets hidden behind police badges, or the chaos of a city boiling over, this week’s latest crime releases are packed with twists that make you question what justice really looks like.
Let’s take a look at three standout novels that are shaking up the genre in 2025.
Believe by S. M. Govett
Publisher: Michael Joseph | £16.99 | 384 pages
Ten years ago, Natalie Campbell’s world turned upside down when she accused her powerful boss at a law firm of sexual assault. The case went to trial — and he was found not guilty.
But the aftermath was even more dramatic: the man died of a heart attack the very next day, and his furious widow made Natalie the target of her wrath.
Fast forward a decade, and Natalie still hasn’t escaped the shadows of that trauma.
She’s being harassed again — this time through anonymous, vicious letters branding her a liar and worse.
As she tries to hold her life together, a new scandal erupts: her husband, Ryan, is accused of rape by a young colleague named Alice.
Before Natalie can even begin to process that, Alice turns up dead — and Ryan becomes the number one suspect.
Natalie wants to believe him. But given her history, can she?
S. M. Govett, drawing on her own legal background, starts the novel off slow and steady — but it builds into a deeply psychological and tightly plotted thriller.
A powerful debut that marks her as a writer to watch.
What the Night Brings by Mark Billingham
Publisher: Sphere | £22 | 432 pages
Veteran detective Tom Thorne is eyeing a group of uniformed officers munching on doughnuts with envy — not because of the sugary treats, but because he hasn’t eaten in nearly a day.
The doughnuts came with a kind note from a grateful member of the public.
But within hours, the officers who enjoyed that sweet gesture are dead — three poisoned, one in a coma.
It’s a chilling start to what unfolds as a full-blown attack on the police force.
Billingham’s 25th novel — one for each year of his crime-writing career — is a dark, gripping look into what happens when someone turns their sights on the very people meant to protect us.
As Thorne digs deeper, it becomes clear this is more than a random attack.
It’s a vendetta. And it exposes some disturbing truths about what’s hiding inside the system.
This is Billingham at his best — timely, sharp, and chillingly human.
This House of Burning Bones by Stuart MacBride
Publisher: Macmillan | £22 | 640 pages
Aberdeen is roasting in an unusual heatwave, but while the city sweats, crime simmers just under the surface.
A suspected sexual predator is caught hiding inside a posh flat, waiting to strike — but instead, he witnesses something far more sinister: a detective knocking a woman unconscious and shoving her into the trunk of his car.
And he doesn’t report it.
Elsewhere in the city, a teenager — suspected of setting fire to a hotel housing migrants — escapes arrest in the most bizarre way imaginable: by leaping from a window, stealing an ice-cream van, and crashing it into a river.
Meanwhile, the police force is being ravaged by a mystery illness, pushing DI Logan McRae and his team to the brink.
This marks the 20th installment in MacBride’s long-running Logan McRae series, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
It’s brutal, darkly funny, and absolutely gripping from start to finish.
Crime Fiction Fans Are in for a Treat
Whether you’re into psychological thrillers, police procedurals, or gritty city dramas, these new releases deliver a full spectrum of suspense and human drama.
From fresh voices to seasoned pros, these novels remind us why crime fiction continues to keep readers hooked — and questioning everything.