The Best Debut Novels Released This Month

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The CrimeReads editors select the month’s best debuts in crime, mystery, and thrillers.

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C.E. McGill, Our Hideous Progeny
(Harper)

In this innovative debut, Victor Frankenstein’s grand-niece, Mary, is determined to make her own way in the bustling science scene in mid-19th century London, but is running into obstacles at every turn. But soon, she comes across the family mystery: what really happened to her great-uncle? The search for that answer will take her on a dangerous journey. McGill paints a vivid period landscape and unfolds a story that resonates across the generations. –DM

Vanessa Walters, The Nigerwife
(Atria)

In this pitch-perfect psychological thriller, set in the glitzy world of Lagos’ ultra-wealthy jet-set, a young ex-pat wife married to a wealthy Nigerian man disappears, and her aunt soon arrives from London seeking answers. The liquor pours are heavy, the sun beating down even heavier, and secrets weigh heaviest of all in this sultry, suspenseful thriller that had better be adapted for television as soon as the WGA strike is ended. –MO

Daniel Weizmann, The Last Songbird
(Melville House)

So, let’s say Joan Baez was your regular Lyft client, and you’re a budding songwriter/former private investigator, and she asked you to look into some mysteries from her past, and then was found murdered. You’d obviously avenge Joan Baez, right? I mean, who wouldn’t. Joan Baez is perfect. Also, props to Daniel Weizmann for respecting older women as artists and for his clear dedication to writing about music in an evocative and intelligent manner. –MO

I.S. Berry, The Peacock and the Sparrow
(Atria)

In this compelling espionage debut, a CIA hand in Bahrain is waiting out his final tour, counting down to the end of his career, when he starts up an entanglement with a local woman and finds himself swept into the middle of an uprising, revealing some dark secrets about the country’s relationship with the U.S. Berry is herself a former CIA officer and writes about the region and the role of intelligence agencies with precision and insight. –DM

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