As August 2026 gets underway we’ve got a selection of new crime novels for you that includes some familiar names, like Martin Limón, for example, and some writers who are new to us and might be new to you as well. Today’s report includes new books by Jessica Housand, Olly Jarvis, Liv Constantine, Nina Simon and David Weir. Las Vegas to London, and then some…
Strip Rules by Martin Limón
Martin Limón, author of the Sueño and Bascom series, uses his own experiences at the blackjack table for his first standalone – Strip Rules, out on 18 August. Lady Luck has been smiling on blackjack pro Ronnie ‘the Technician’ Redfield… until she isn’t. After a casino owner takes him to court, Ronnie’s life unravels big style and as well as losing his livelihood, he loses his sobriety and his family. Three years on, he’s living in a trailer outside Las Vegas when an old army buddy arrives with a tempting proposition to take down the nastiest, most exploitative casino owner on the Strip. Ronnie is in, but could the stakes be too high, even for him?
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Blood Gilt by Jessica Housand
Alejandro Santiago was five years old when he was taken from his mother and siblings during El Salvador’s civil war. Now 21, he lives in Florida with his American father Jared Whitmore, a military veteran whose consulting firm conceals an international smuggling empire. But when their Salvadorean routes are threatened, Whitmore offers his son a way back to his family, at a price. Alejandro must convince his sister, Maria, to betray her anti-narcotics officer husband. With his mother in a position of power, it’s up to Alejandro to decided which side of the line he wants to be, and what he’s prepared to sacrifice in the process. Blood Gilt by Jessica Housand is out now.
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Language of Angels by Olly Jarvis
At first glance it appears that barrister Ella Blake is taking on a simple brief: the case of a teenage genius accused of burglary after stealing books from a Cambridge University library. But her daughter is ill and Ella takes her eye off the ball. Soon what seemed straightforward sends her on a hunt for the ultimate formula – for life itself. There are historical clues that she must follow, but in the process Ella risks not only her own life, but that of everyone close to her. And who are the shadowy entities in pursuit, thwarting her at every turn? Find out when Language of Angels by Olly Jarvis arrives on 20 August .
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Promise Me Never by Liv Constantine
They say you should never meet your idols, but aspiring writer Savannah doesn’t listen when she’s offered the chance to spend time with handsome and charming superstar horror novelist Bennett Bryson. They are instantly smitten and marry after a whirlwind romance. Time for a happy ending? This crime fiction, so what do you think? Instead, Bennett becomes controlling and critical, and Savannah finds it impossible to come up to the standards set by her husband’s first wife, Poppy, who died in a tragic accident. Then comes a warning, because other women who came before Savannah have disappeared… and it looks like she could be next. Promise Me Never by Liv Constantine is published on 18 August.
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My Sister is Going to Kill Me by Nina Simon
If white water rafting has always sounded like a dangerous pursuit, just wait until you read Nina Simon‘s My Sister is Going to Kill Me – out for Kindle on 18 August, print 10 September. The Chisholm sisters are like chalk and cheese, with Liv, the ever-practical older sister, while Mandy brings the spontaneity. Each year they plan a trip together – and this year it’s a rafting adventure through the breathtaking depths of the Grand Canyon with a group of strangers. Scary enough, you might think – but there’s a murderer in their midst, and with the body count rising it’s up to the siblings to catch the killer.
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The Honourable Member for Murder by David Weir
Best title of the week goes to parliamentary insider David Weir, who has drawn on years of experience in the chaotic corridors of power to produce The Honourable Member for Murder, out on 20 August. Maxwell Murray’s role is to keep his hapless boss Eliot Oakcroft – the MP for Middlebury-Mid – out of trouble. It’s easier said than done, particularly when constituent Miranda Cley asks for help freeing her mother, who was imprisoned for killing her father. But that’s surely got to be a miscarriage of justice, because Miranda has just seen Charlie Cley alive and well. It looks to be a clear cut case, until Max and his assistant Diana Burton begin pulling at the threads of the story and it starts to spectacularly unravel.
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