Something Wickedly Boring This Way Comes

The August selection in the 2026 Read Christie Challenge is By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968) in the category of 'beloved duo'. This is the fourth novel featuring Agatha Christie's husband and wife detective team Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. 

The story begins with a visit to Tommy's spinster Aunt Ada in the Sunny Ridge retirement home. Here Tuppence meets another resident, Mrs Lancaster, who mumbles something about a child behind the fireplace. The pair returns to the home a few weeks later when Ada has passed from natural causes and find that Mrs Lancaster has left the home, leaving behind a painting of a house on a river. Tuppence is determined to reunite Mrs Lancaster with the painting but cannot find her. With Tommy away for a few days, Tuppence sets off to find this mystery house, which is located near the village of Sutton Chancellor, and is currently rented to Alice and Amos Perry. Tuppence wants to find out more about the house so she talks to a the local vicar, various estate agents and the gossipy owner of a bed and breakfast where Tuppence is staying. 

When Tuppence doesn't return home as expected, Tommy gets worries and sets out to find her. I won't say more about the plot to avoid spoilers.  But suffice it to say there is a lot of superfluous dialogue and not a lot of mystery.     

I struggled with this novel. I have never been a big fan of Tommy and Tuppence, and this book reinforced my dislike of the pair. While the story starts well, it meanders and plods along. There are a handful of clues, and a mild sense of foreboding, but despite all the mystery tropes (creepy house, unsolved historical murders) this an unthrilling thriller. 

My reviews of other Agatha Christie novels are available on this blog: 

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)

Murder on the Links (1923)

Murder on the Orient Express (1934)

The Body in the Library (1942)

The Labours of Hercules (1947) 

The Rose and the Yew Tree (1948) 

Mrs McGinty's Dead (1952) 

A Caribbean Mystery (1964) 

Sequence

Gwendoline Riley's The Palm House (2025) has been longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. The judges praised Riley for her 'trademark keen observation and wit' and suggested the novel will provide readers with 'a curious sense of possibility'. With this recommendation, I thought I would give this slender volume a go. Two days later, I have read The Palm House and feel underwhelmed by the novel and perplexed as to why this was longlisted. 

The Palm House is the story of two friends, Laura Miller and Edmund Putnam. The pair met at a local London pub in the evenings and talk about their workplaces. Putnam has been working at a magazine, Sequence, for decades. A new editor has arrived with terrible ideas, causing chaos for the staff and disappointing subscribers. Putnam's father has recently died, and it appears to Laura that Putnam is falling into depression. 

Meanwhile Laura, the narrator, is struggling too. Her mother is oddly distant, and Laura is fumbling through life. Laura reminisces about a holiday with her mother, the men she has been involved with (including a devastating encounter when she was a teenager) and her inability to form strong relationships. 

I was disappointed in this novel. So much so that I almost wrote a one word review: 'Meh'. The characters were uninteresting, there was zero plot, and much of the 'keen observation' declared as Riley's trademark seemed pretentious.  There were some passages of dialogue and some scenes I found enjoyable (particularly those with Laura's mother), but not enough to make an impression. Perhaps there is more depth to be found here and I have completely missed Riley's point, but for me this is a beige novel, instantly forgettable.

Divergent Paths

Florence Knapp's debut novel The Names (2025) has been a stunning success - a bestseller, translated in over thirty languages, with endorsements from many authors I admire. I purchased a copy early this year, hoping to hear Knapp speak at the 2026 Sydney Writers' Festival, but when she was unable to attend I put book aside and have only just read it. But it was absolutely worth the wait... The Names is an unforgettable novel.

The story begins with Cora and Gordon, a couple living in the UK with their daughter Maia and their infant son. Cora has to go to the registry office to register their son's name. Her husband insists he has to be named Gordon, as all men in the family are named. Cora fears that in inheriting this name, her wee son will also receive her domineering husband's abusive traits. She wants to name him Julian to give him a name of his own which is softer and not burdened by the legacy of his forebears. Nine year old Maia thinks her brother should be called Bear - soft and cuddly but also strong and brave. 

In a 'sliding doors' style narrative, we are told the life story this boy and his family in each version of his life - as Bear, Julian and Gordon - in alternate chapters in seven year intervals. From his birth in 1987, primary school days in 1994, high school in 2001, young adulthood in 2008, late 20s in 2015, to mid-30s in 2022 during the pandemic. At each point in time we see how this boy's life, and his family's, is shaped by the choice of his name.

This fascinating concept has been executed to perfection by Knapp. In each iteration, Cora's son is a fully formed character impacted by the name he has been given. Each journey offers readers something different, and it is easy to become invested in their stories. Will Cora escape her brutal husband? Will Maia find love? Will Bear/Julian/Gordon be fulfilled? As much as I wanted to race ahead and find out what happened, I also did not want the story to end. 

The Names will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this novel and reckon it would be great for book clubs as there is plenty to talk about. 

Payback Packages

Dervla McTiernan is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. Her Cormac Reilly crime series showcased her ability to craft an atmospheric crime drama with depth, heart and realistic characters. So any book she writes is an automatic pre-order as I know it is going to be really good. 

Her latest novel is Three Reasons for Revenge (2026) - her first set in Australia - and I hope it is the beginning of a new series. The main character is Detective Sergeant Judith Lee, a savvy Melbourne based police officer, with a complex past. The story starts with a young woman coming into the police station and asking for Judith. She tells Judith that she has been assaulted by a psychologist, Robert Walker. Judith recalls an almost identical allegation against Walker a decade earlier, but there was insufficient evidence at that time to actively pursue the matter. Then a package arrives at the Walker home from an anonymous sender which sets in motion a series of events which will end in murder. As more packages arrive for seemingly unconnected recipients, Judith has to race against time to figure out the links and capture the sender before more people get hurt. 

Judith Lee is a wonderful character. She is tough, smart and willing to take risks, often circumventing police procedure to get a result. Her friendship with Katy and her relationship with her boss and mentor Rocky is well formed. There is also a compelling back story and a subplot of police corruption which adds to the narrative.

McTiernan is an expert at pacing and plotting, building layers of the story to keep the reader engaged and guessing to the end. I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a gripping crime thriller. 

I had the pleasure of hearing McTiernan speak about this book, and her career, at the 2026 Sydney Writers' Festival. She spoke lovingly about Judith and I get the feeling she isn't finished with this character! McTiernan was so approachable, kind and delightful. It was lovely to meet her, have a copy of Three Reasons for Revenge signed, and grab a photo with her. I still have one more book of hers to read (What Happened to Nina?) and look forward to reading it and whatever McTiernan comes up with next. 

My reviews of other novels by Dervla McTiernan are available on this blog:

• The Ruin (2018)
• The Scholar (2019)
• The Good Turn (2020)
•  The Unquiet Grave (2025)

The NYT 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century

The New York Times has just released a list of the best thrillers of the 21st century, compiled by ballots sent to writers, librarians, critics, editors and influencers. From this ballot they have compiled the top fifty. As a lover of thrillers and a lover of lists, this is right up my alley. Let's check it out and see whether it resonates. 

Bold = read. Linked = reviewed on this blog.

• 50. Lisa Jewell - None of This is True (2023)
• 49. Anthony Horowitz - Magpie Murders (2017)
  
• 48. Chris Whitaker - All the Colors of the Dark (2024)
• 47. Ashley Audrain - The Push (2021)
• 46. S J Watson - Before I Go to Sleep (2011)
• 45. Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Mexican Gothic (2020)
• 44. Jennifer Hillier - Jar of Hearts (2018)
• 43. Richard Price - Lush Life (2008)
• 42. Caroline Kepnes - You (2014)
• 41. Harlan Coben - Tell No One (2001)
  
• 40. Blake Crouch - Dark Matter (2016)
• 39. Sarah Waters - Fingersmith (2002)
• 38. Terry Hayes - I Am Pilgrim (2014)
• 37. Steph Cha - Your House Will Pay (2019)
  
• 36. Alex Michaelides - The Silent Patient (2019)
• 35. S A Cosby - All the Sinners Bleed (2023)
• 34. Tana French - The Likeness (2008)
• 33. Tana French - The Witch Elm (2018)
• 32. Danya Kukafa - Notes on an Execution (2022)
• 31. William Landay - Defending Jacob (2012)
• 30. Việt Thanh Nguyễn - The Sympathizer (2015)
• 29. Jean Hangg Korelitz - The Plot (2021)
• 28. Leila Slimani - The Perfect Nanny (2018)
• 27. Liane Moriarty – Big Little Lies (2014)
• 26. Dan Brown – The Da Vinci Code (2003)
• 25. Daniel Woodrell – Winter’s Bone (2006)
• 
  24. Jane Harper – The Dry (2017)
• 23. Donna Tartt – The Goldfinch (2013)
• 22. John Le Carre – The Constant Gardener (2001)
• 21. Emma Donoghue – Room (2010)
  
• 20. Tana French – Broken Harbor (2012)
• 19. Gillian Flynn – Sharp Objects (2006)
• 18. Stephen King – 11/22/63 (2011)
• 17. Dennis Lehane – Shutter Island (2003)
• 16. Michael Connelly – The Lincoln Lawyer (2005)
• 15. Megan Abbott – Dare Me (2012)
• 14. Lionel Shriver – We Need to Talk About Kevin (2003)
• 13. Kate Atkinson – Case Histories (2004)
• 
  12. Paula Hawkins – The Girl on the Train (2015)
• 11. S A Cosby – Blacktop Wasteland (2020)
• 10. Attica Locke – Bluebird, Bluebird (2017)
• 9. Mick Herron – Slow Horses (2010)
• 8. S A Cosby – Razorblade Tears (2021)
• 7. Liz Moore – The God of the Woods (2024)
• 6. Oyinkan Braithwaite – My Sister, The Serial Killer (2018)
• 5. Cormac McCarthy – No Country for Old Men (2005)
• 4. Steig Larsson – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2008)
• 3. Tana French – In the Woods (2007)
• 2. Dennis Lehane – Mystic River (2001)
• 1. Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl (2012)

This is a fascinating list. I have read 15 of the titles and have many more in my personal library. There are lots of novels on this list that I have seen the film/TV adaptations for (Crouch, Moriarty, Donoghue, Lehane, Connelly) and several novels that I have not heard of (Slimani, Kukafa, Audrian, Hillier).  I had thought we would see novels by Karin Slaughter, Freida McFadden, Lee Child, Robert Harris, Louise Penny, Ruth Ware and other writers who routinely land on bestseller lists.

I was a bit surprised that Tana French is listed so many times. She is a brilliant author (I loved her Searcher, Hunter, Keeper series) and I have the novels listed here (the Dublin Murder series) ready to read. So this is a timely reminder to start that series.

I am delighted to see SA Cosby listed three times for his amazing thrillers. I have only read one (All the Sinners Bleed) but I have the others so will get on to those when I can.

If I were to add to this list, I would include some of my favourites of the genre:

• Graeme Macrae Burnet - His Bloody Project (2015) 
  
• Eleanor Catton - Birnam Wood (2023)
• Garry Disher - Bitter Wash Road (2013)
• Percival Everett - The Trees (2021)
• Robert Galbraith - The Cuckoo's Calling (2013)
• Chris Hammer - Scrublands (2018)
• Robert Harris - Conclave (2016)
• Emily Maguire - An Isolated Incident (2016)
• Charlotte McConaghy - Wild Dark Shore (2025)
• Ian McGuire - The North Water (2016)
• Dervla McTiernan - The Ruin (2018)
• Matthew Spencer - Dark River (2022)

This list got me thinking about thrillers as a genre. So often crime or mystery novels (which I read a lot of) are put together as 'crime thrillers'. Some crime novels are slow burns which are more focussed on solving a mystery - something has happened and police/detectives have to figure out why. Thrillers in my mind are more action packed page-turners but do not necessarily involve a crime. There is a tension as something is coming and there is a sense of threat, danger or dread. Harris' Conclave is a good example of this - high stakes action, lots of suspense - a political/religious thriller. Likewise, Catton's Birnam Wood is an eco-thriller. I often read thrillers as a palate cleanser between heavier works of fiction.

Miles Franklin Award Winner 2026

The winner of the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Australia's most prestigious literary award, was announced on 5 August 2026. This year the award and its $60,000 prize went to Omar Musa for his novel Fierceland.

Fierceland follows two siblings - Roz and Harun - as they journey to Borneo for their father Yusef's funeral. Yusef was a wealthy businessman, who made his money from the palm-oil trade. The siblings seek to make amendments for the deforestation and exploitation of their forebears. 

Roz is a struggling Sydney-based artist, while Harun is a tech entrepreneur living in Los Angeles. Together they have to come to terms with colonialism, family secrets and the legacy of power and corruption.

The judges said, 

“Omar Musa's Fierceland is a tour de force set against the backdrop of the destruction of Borneo's rainforests. Cleared to make way for palm oil plantations, this pulsing forest world is the moral centre of Fierceland and Musa’s rhythmic prose hums its defiance. In the human drama, siblings Harun and Rozana gradually realise that even in Sydney and Los Angeles, they cannot outrun the fraught legacy of their father, a palm-oil baron in Sabah. As it charts a journey of personal and planetary redemption, Fierceland refashions the venerable, vernacular hikayat traditions of Malay storytelling into new Australian idioms.”

Omar Musa is a Malaysian-Australian rapper and poet from Queanbeyan. Prior to this novel, he was best known for Here Come the Dogs (2014) which was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2015.Musa has already been recognised for Fierceland as it also won the 2026 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction. 

I have not read this novel, but I am intrigued as I do not believe I have ever encountered a novel set in Borneo

Booker Prize Longlist 2026

 This week the Longlist was announced for the 2026 Booker Prize. 

A few weeks ago I released my predictions of who might make the list and I managed to correctly guess only two of the titles (marked with an asterix) and two more were on my extended list (marked with double asterix). But most of these were not on my radar. Clearly I am terrible at guessing this list! 

So let's take a look at the longlisters:

Chloe Aridjis - The Shadow of the Object  (Mexican-British)

Flora is in hospital in Mexico where she meets Wilhelmina, an elderly German woman with pneumonia. The two have a series of conversations where Wilhelmina shared her life's wisdom and her life with her late husband, and her son Max. Flora learns that Wilhelmina collected pre-cinema toys like magic lanterns and shadow puppets. Flora is tasked with taking these things to Max in London. The judges said "We were charmed by the novel’s meditation on friendship and grief, and its suggestion that the most meaningful truths can be found in the shadows." Chloe Aridjis is also the author of three earlier novels Book of Clouds, Asunder and Sea Monsters.

Emma Cline - Switzy  (American)

David, a retired business executive, borrows his former employer's private plane to fly to Europe. On the way he stops in London to visit his daughter, makes a side trip to the home of an estranged friend, and remembers his childhood with greater clarity than his adulthood. Suffering from cognitive decline, David grasps for his memories and seeks to resolve his past failings before his ability fades. American author Emma Cline is best known for her debut The Girls (2016)  and the novel The Guest (2023). The judges said of Switzy: "We live in a time ruled by overpowered and undersocialised wealthy boy kings; Emma Cline’s mordant novel considers what, if anything, remains at the end of one such luxurious yet lonely life."

Makenna Goodman - Helen of Nowhere  (American)

A disgraced professor is shown around a house in the countryside. The realtor points put the house's qualities but also shares information about Helen, the previous owner of the home. Helen tended the land on her own and essentially lived off-grid. The man suddenly sees that the house can be more than a home; it is an opportunity to reinvent himself. The judges said ‘A spellbinding novel or a play with just four characters? In groundbreaking form, Helen of Nowhere blends both to challenge us with a seemingly simple question: How much are we truly willing to change ourselves in order to get back to nature?’ Goodman is an American author who has previously published The Shame (2020).  I have heard good things about this novel and am intrigued.

M John Harrison  - The End of Everything  (British) 
Set in post-apocalyptic Kent, beachcomber Philip finds items on the shore and sells them on the black market. His elderly aunt Marnie paints and protects her home against the lawless roaming predators. Philip finds an artefact that has the potential to change their lives forever. The judges said ‘The sky is glitching, and something strange, formless and growing is soon to come out of the sea, to imitate our speech, forms, and customs. Our left-behind inhabitants scavenge where and what they can, provisional alliances are made and broken, shocking violence occurs, and no one can agree on exactly what has happened. A book not just about everything but about now. Shimmering and oblique, it holds the reader to the surface of something very grave and deep.’ Harrison is an author of speculative fiction and fantasy, and this is his thirteenth novel. 

**Marlon James  - The Disappearers  (Jamaican)

In Kingston, Jamaica in 1988 eight men rehearse a play. They do not really know each other but they share one thing - they are all gay. One night they are attacked in an act of violent hate crime which kills one of the men. The seven survivors have to reckon with what happened and while some want to hide away, others want retribution.  The judges said: ‘The Disappearers is among Marlon James’s most ambitious and history-making works, a novel that examines territory Caribbean literature has rarely dared to occupy..... His dialogue is sharp and propulsive, his phrasing is poetic, visceral and capable of moving from the painful to the darkly hilarious within a single exchange.’ James won the Booker Prize in 2014 for A Brief History of Seven Killings. I had the good fortune of meeting him at the Sydney Writers' Festival in 2016. While I haven't read much of his previous work, I am intrigued by this novel and will seek it out once published in Australia.

Luke Kennard  - Black Bag  (British)

A broke actor is hired by university professor Dr Blend to participate in a psychological experiment. Blend wants to see how his students will react to someone showing up at lectures zipped inside a black bag. The actor takes on this role and soon realises there are unexpected consequences. The judges said ‘Luke Kennard’s of-the-moment satire considers anonymity and disgust, the online rackets of cryptocurrency and energy drinks, and what it means to find love in our unstable times. There’ll be a lot of discussion about what the novel has to say about the state of modern masculinity (fractious; confused) – we also admired its sharply crafted sentences, memorable sex scenes, and humour.’ Kennard is an award winning poet and novelist. 

Kenan Orhan - The Renovation  (Turkish-American)

Dilara's father has dementia. She decides that he should move into her home and organises for a renovation to her apartment in anticipation. Unfortunately the contractors have not built the bathroom she wanted, and instead installed a Turkish prison cell through which she can see the guards and hear prisoners. The judges called this novel ‘a hilarious fantasy which had some of the judges laughing out loud. But it’s more than that. It poses questions about political activism, about where you really belong, and about the different forms that ‘imprisonment’ can take (from dementia to exile).’ The Renovation is his debut novel.

Rebecca Perry - May We Feed the King  (British)

A curator works in a palace dressing rooms for public viewing. The palace was once home of a King who was a reluctant ruler. This novel uses a historical ruler worried about the future of his kingdom and a present woman wanting to run to the past. The judges said ‘It’s a wonderfully enticing, and eye-opening, combination of themes, woven together with an extraordinary delicacy of touch. You can’t read May We Feed the King without reflecting on the fragile boundary between the present and the past. What’s the difference between historical fiction and historical fact? Can history ever be a safe place we can go to escape the present?’ This is Perry's debut novel.

**Gwendoline Riley - The Palm House  (British)

Laura and Edmund are old friends. But when Edmund's father dies and he gets a new boss, he grows distant. Laura has her own worries but she is determined to bring him back.The judges said ‘A note-perfect portrait not only of certain rarefied London intellectual spaces, but also of the people who actually bring their own bloodstreams, histories, tastes, families, first loves, and lonelinesses to them, to make up that impersonal thing we think of as the Establishment... The Palm House is minimalist, precise, and indelible.’ Riley is the award winning author of My Phantoms, First Love and Cold Water. I have a copy of The Palm House and look forward to reading it.

*Elizabeth Strout  - The Things We Never Say  (American)

I absolutely loved this novel and am so pleased it is on the list! Artie Dam appears to have everything - he is a beloved teacher, he has a long marriage and he has a son. But Artie is so lonely that he wants to die. ut an incident changes his outlook and he learns he has so much to live for. The judges said ‘Strout’s prose is about as far from a rant as you could imagine, brilliantly understated and all the more powerful for that. It’s a devastating look at the dangerous cracks in family life and in the contemporary world at large.’ Strout was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2016 for My Name is Lucy Barton and shortlisted in 2022 for Oh William!  Perhaps third time lucky! My review is available here.

*Douglas Stuart  - John of John  (Scottish)

Set in a remote island community, this novel tells the story of a father and sonny the unbearable weight of expectation. The judges said 'We loved the rich, textural detail of the story, which is set in the 80s and examines young Cal’s fraught relationship with his domineering father. There’s a vivid sense of time and place, as the island becomes the site of bristling tensions between secret lovers, feuding families, and a stand-off between tradition and modernity. This excavation of family, violence, and shame is woven through with beautiful imagistic detail, and – unexpectedly but wonderfully – shades of hope.’ This is one of my favourite novels this year, and Stuart is one of my favourite writers. My review is available here. Stuart won the Booker Prize in 2020 for Shuggie Bain, and I would be quite happy if he won again.

Djamel White  - All Them Dogs  (Irish)

Tony Ward returns to the West Dublin gang scene after five years away to find things have changed. He is keen to reinstate his position, but has complicated feelings for another gang member. The judges said 'All Them Dogs, the debut novel by Djamel White, is a mouthy, ballsy and bracingly unsentimental portrait of West Dublin gangland, set well off the beaten track of the city’s usual literary landmarks. It charts the lives, loyalties and dealings of a semi-organised crime world. Yet, the novel’s real achievement lies in something quieter and more easily overlooked beneath the bullets and bone-breaking dramatics: a subtle, textured humanity woven among the violent hyper-masculine protagonists.’ This novel sounds interesting but it may be too violent for my liking. 

Missouri Williams  - The Vivisectors  (British)

Set on a university campus, a power struggle is waging between the academic elite and militant gardeners intent on plants taking over the city. Agathe is frustrated by the unwieldy foliage and disheartened by the professor she works for. He asks her to befriend Adam, an outspoken student and finds herself pulled into the broader conflict. The judges said "A bracing antidote to the cosy campus and the dark academia novel, The Vivisectors instead imagines higher education as a transparent citadel where human axolotls masquerading as professors and students are bent on drawing and quartering each other with no mercy, as their nameless city is overtaken by relentless vegetable growth. No one is protected, everyone is exposed, it is highly doubtful anyone is learning anything, and on top of all that vines are coming up your legs. Genuinely experimental, relentlessly and rollickingly told – in places truly menacing – The Vivisectors is the rare title that actually earns its name.’ Sounds intriguing....

The Booker Prize Longlist is often a mixed bag of novels, but what I love about the Longlist is that it introduces me to many authors and books I do not know. 

Last year I wasn't too thrilled by the longlist and only ended up reading the winning novel, Flesh by David Szalay. This year, the list is quirky and bold. I have read and loved the novels by Strout and Stuart, and I am about to start the novel by Riley. I am keen to read the novels by James, Williams, Goodman and Orhan when they are available in Australia. 

The Shortlist will be announced on 22 September 2026 and the winner on 9 November 2026. Better get reading!