Written by James Delargy — Books with numbers as a title do well on this site – 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough and Steve Cavanagh’s…

The clamour for diversity in fiction has never been greater, and Fran Dorricott’s debut, After the Eclipse, promises a welcome and sympathetic portrayal of queer…

Written by Chris Hammer — In recent years, Australia has been the setting for some of crime fiction’s best-received novels. Think of The Dry by…

Written by Maria Hummel — The artist Kim Lord has been the it girl of the contemporary art world since her debut show, The Flesh,…

Familiar characters and long-running series are mainstays of crime fiction, but this is a genre that also welcomes fresh blood with open arms. Although we…

Written by Scott Von Doviak — Last year was a banner year for debuts. Jane Harper’s The Dry and Jordan Harper’s A Lesson in Violence…

Written by Dominick Donald — They say something isn’t an antique until it’s 100 years old. Does the same apply to calling a novel historical?…

If you subscribe to The Rap Sheet, our weekly email newsletter, you’ll have received the first chapter of Christopher Huang’s debut novel, A Gentleman’s Murder,…

Written by Connell Nisbet — A Nordic-inspired police procedural set in remote Australia; a debut written by an established magazine writer; an ambitious and unsettling work…

Written by Catherine Steadman — She’s best known as Mabel Lane Fox in the Downton Abbey TV series, but Catherine Steadman’s debut novel couldn’t be…

Sarah J Harris’s debut is unique and hugely engaging, featuring the story of 13-year-old Jasper who views the world in a way that’s different to…

Written by James A McLaughlin — For his debut, James A McLaughlin provides an interesting spin on rural noir, itself an increasingly popular genre. Rather than…

Written by Emma Rowley — Cheshire schoolgirl Sophie Harlow went missing on 17 February 2017. The 16-year-old walked out of Amberton Grammar School during a revision period,…

Written by Laird Barron — Alaskan ex-patriate Laird Barron now lives in New York State, where this debut crime novel is set. Barron, by the way,…

Written by James Wolff — Reading this debut feels like a stroll in a dangerous section of town. That’s probably how the protagonist in this…

Written by Sarah J Harris — A debut novel with originality Is something to shout about from the rooftops. I’m thinking Emma Healey’s Elizabeth is…