The Rap Sheet

It seems like yesterday—and indeed, it was just a bit over a month ago—that we were announcing the finalists for this year’s Fingerprint Awards, to be presented at London’s 2026

Harrogate International Festivals this morning announced its shortlist of nominees for the 2026 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, which is intended to recognize the “most prestigious crime fiction” published ...

Sisters in Crime Australia recently released its longlists of books being considered for the 2026 Davitt Awards, “celebrating excellence in crime writing by Australian women.”

Adult Fiction:
• At Café 64, by Shaeden Barry (Echo)
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Critiquing some of the most interesting recent crime, mystery, and thriller releases. Click on the individual covers to read more.

It’s June, time again for publications to begin issuing their “best books of the year … so far” lists. I don’t know that I shall weigh in on this matter, as I think I have not yet read enough 2026 crime, thriller, and suspense novels to represent a proper sample of what’s available. However, Amazon shows no such hesitation. Its editors