10 July 2026
As we move into the second half of 2026, the future is looking *thrilling*! With a fantastic line-up of new books that take us from hunting Nazis in 1990s West Berlin to an investigation into a mysterious disappearance in 1770s Leicestershire, and a momentous reunion with the Fairway Players in Lower Lockwood, there’s something for everyone this Autumn.
Which book do you plan on picking up?
Let us know @viper.books on Instagram, @viperbooks.bsky.social on Bluesky and @viperbooks on X.
📚 🩸 🔨 🎭 🔥
NEW RELEASES
This standalone novel from Australia’s king of crime is finally making its UK debut. In Under the Cold Bright Lights, Garry Disher transports us to urban Melbourne, where Sergeant Alan Auhl runs the Cold Case Unit. From unsolved murders to missing persons, Auhl always uncovers the truth. Because every case, no matter how cold, deserves justice.
‘Excellent… Auhl deserves a series of his own’ The Times
Garry Disher is also coming to the UK for his first ever UK tour this month, get your tickets here.
Under the Cold Bright Lights is out 16th July
It’s hammer time! Joanna Wallace, the award-winning author of You’d Look Better as a Ghost, is back with her signature sharp wit. Part-time serial killer Claire has lost her murderous mojo – yet punters are still dropping like flies. Has a new killer moved into town? Claire has questions, and she’s not afraid to use her hammer to get answers. If you like your thrillers bloody and your humour dark, this is the perfect summer read.
‘Brutal, witty and impossible to put-down’ Alice Clark-Platts
The Art of Getting Hammered is out 6th August
Six-time bestselling author Janice Hallett is returning to where it all began: Lower Lockwood. In the follow-up to her record-breaking debut The Appeal, the Fairway Players are starting rehearsals for their production of Agatha Christie’s The Hollow. But with more drama offstage than on, will everyone make it to opening night? Oh, and did we mention, Issy’s back?
‘A superlative mystery, full of surprises and hilarious as always. A worthy sequel to the mighty The Appeal’ Alex Pavesi
The Silent Appeal is out 3rd September
The Fifteenth Man, William Cook’s debut novel, is a high-octane Cold War thriller for fans of David McCloskey and Robert Harris. In 1990s West Berlin, journalist Michael Braun makes his living tracking down old Nazis. When secret files come to light from across the Iron Curtain, Braun is tasked with hunting down Heinrich Müller – head of the Gestapo and the only Nazi at the Wannsee Conference whose fate is unknown since he disappeared in 1945…
‘William Cook has conjured up the perfect setting for a dark, nerve-shredding thriller’ Rory Clements
The Fifteenth Man is out 1st October
In this wonderfully clever sequel to The Bells of Westminster, bestselling author Leonora Nattrass uses her delightful wit and acute eye for historical detail to reunite us with Susan Bell, her father, and her fiancé Lindley, as well as fan-favourite Cuthbert the parrot. With a suspicious drowning, the disappearance of the Prime Minister’s son and legends of the ancient tomb of King Lear, Susan’s investigative skills are put to the test.
‘A treat for anyone who hankers for a light-hearted, modern-day Trollope’ S.G. MacLean
The Bells of Westminster is out 5th November
Now a freshman at Moorhead State College, Cash Blackbear has little time for solving crimes with her friend and mentor Sheriff Wheaton. But when one of her classmates suddenly vanishes, Cash knows that the sheriff will need her help… before it’s too late. Marcie R. Rendon masterfully captures 1970s Minnesota in this sequel to her award-winning debut, Murder on the Red River.
‘An addictive and authentically Native crime series’ Louise Erdrich
Girl Gone Missing is out 5th November
PAPERBACKS
The smash-hit USA Today bestseller Nowhere Burning is the latest chilling read from the author of The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Ward. Set in the remote American West and blending aspects of Peter Pan and The Lord of the Flies, this spellbinding novel is perfect for readers of Stephen King and Lucy Rose.
‘So sharp and beautiful it draws blood and leaves scars’ Grady Hendrix
Nowhere Burning is out in paperback 8th October
