From my desk to yours

I have read nine of the fifty books on the New York Times' newly published list of the best thrillers of the 21st century. Nine.

I am not ashamed of this. I am an editor, not a reading machine. I spend my days dissecting manuscripts and helping authors land their twists, not ticking off lists compiled by 291 people who almost certainly have more shelf space than I do. Of course, I love to read around my genre, but I was actually more stunned that I hadn't read more – and I read a lot.

But here is the thing about lists: they are glorious because they are subjective. I would not agree with every entry on the NYT list. You probably would not agree with all of mine should I create such a list. That is exactly what makes talking about books so much fun.

So, in the spirit of friendly disagreement, here are eight thrillers I would have slipped in somewhere. Not because they are objectively better than anything on the list, but because they do something I think deserves recognition.

Although there has been much talk and reaction to the Atlantic article heralding a 'post-literacy' age, it's not all doom and gloom. Back in April, at the London Book Fair, Tom Weldon, CEO of Penguin Random House UK, said plainly that he doesn't believe there's a reading crisis in the UK at all. The problem, he argued, isn't that people have stopped reading — it's that the way we find readers has changed. Literary agent Jonny Geller has made similar arguments; the traditional publishing model focuses on retailers, whereas the industry of the future needs to be more reader-focused. We're consuming stories just as voraciously, but through different channels, formats, and habits. And the data is starting to prove them right.

‍

‍

"Bouchercon" is the World Mystery Convention – the big annual gathering for readers, writers, agents, editors and anyone else who loves crime fiction a little too much for polite company. Named after writer and critic Anthony Boucher, it has run annually since 1970 to celebrate the mystery community. This year it’s taking place from 21–25 October at the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary, and I'm going to be speaking on a panel!🎉

‍

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be appearing at Word Vancouver this September - and I couldn't be more excited about it.

On Saturday, September 19th, 2026, at 2:00 PM in Room C420, UBC Robson Square (800 Robson Street), I'll be joining a brilliant panel of authors for a conversation titled "For the Love of Storytelling: Writing Between the Noise."

Word Vancouver is Western Canada's largest free literary festival, and it is an absolute privilege to be part of it.

‍

‍

‍

Should you set your crime novel in a real place? A made-up one? Somewhere 'safer' like London or New York? As a crime, suspense and thriller editor who work with writers all over the world, with novels set in global settings, I've got thoughts.