Lots of murder, just how I like it! Always grateful to NetGalley for providing review copies.

The Shark by Emma Styles

The Shark is a tense, fast-moving psychological thriller that explores grief, fear, vengeance, and the dangerous consequences of taking justice into your own hands. Emma Styles creates a vivid Australian coastal setting where the summer heat, open water, and growing sense of danger combine to make the story feel both atmospheric and deeply unsettling.

Raych and Carmen are compelling, complicated protagonists. Both are driven by anger and desperation, but their reasons for becoming involved are very different. Raych is consumed by grief, while Carmen is hiding a troubling connection to the murders. Their uneasy alliance gives the story emotional depth, as neither woman is entirely sure whether she can trust the other.

The decision to kidnap and interrogate the prime suspect raises the tension dramatically. What begins as an attempt to find a missing girl quickly becomes a morally complex confrontation in which secrets emerge on every side. The shifting balance of power keeps the listener guessing, while the urgent race against time makes the audiobook difficult to pause.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its refusal to divide the characters neatly into heroes and villains. Instead, it examines how fear, trauma, and fury can blur the line between justice and revenge. The central question of whether Raych and Carmen have captured a monster—or are becoming monsters themselves—adds a disturbing psychological edge to the mystery.

Propulsive, dark, and filled with uncomfortable twists, The Shark is an excellent choice for fans of morally complex thrillers, strong female characters, and suspenseful stories that challenge the listener’s assumptions about guilt, innocence, and justice.

A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery: A Saffron Everleigh Mystery by Kate Khavari

A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery is a clever, atmospheric historical mystery that blends academic intrigue, scientific adventure, and murder into a thoroughly engaging story. Kate Khavari once again makes Saffron Everleigh an intelligent, determined, and immensely likeable heroine.

The expedition setting gives this fifth instalment a fresh sense of excitement. As Saffron travels to newly formed Turkey with Alexander and a group of researchers, the promise of discovery is quickly overshadowed by professional rivalries, prejudice, and danger. The unfamiliar landscape, ancient ruins, venomous snakes, and blocked passages create a vivid and suspenseful backdrop for the investigation.

Saffron’s struggle to prove herself in a male-dominated scientific environment remains one of the series’ greatest strengths. She is capable and courageous, yet still faces constant doubt from those around her. Her determination to support Martin Neill and challenge the cruelty directed at him makes his sudden death especially affecting. When suspicion falls on Saffron, the mystery becomes both urgent and deeply personal.

The relationship between Saffron and Alexander also adds warmth and emotional complexity. Their engagement does not remove the tensions between their ambitions and expectations, making their partnership feel realistic and layered. Their efforts to uncover the truth while navigating a wider conspiracy keep the plot moving at an absorbing pace.

Rich in historical detail, botanical knowledge, and well-placed twists, A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery is an excellent addition to the Saffron Everleigh series. It is a rewarding audiobook for listeners who enjoy strong female detectives, historical mysteries, academic settings, and adventures filled with danger, secrets, and betrayal.

The Probability of Murder by J.D. Barker

The Probability of Murder is a gripping, high-concept thriller that combines mathematical puzzles, psychological suspense, and a relentless race against time. J.D. Barker takes the familiar serial-killer investigation and gives it a clever, original twist by making probability and logic central to the mystery.

Ivy Reeves is a fascinating protagonist. Brilliant, guarded, and carrying the weight of a traumatic past, she is drawn into the case when a cryptic message bearing her name appears at a crime scene. Her mathematical expertise makes her essential to the investigation, but her personal connection to the killer also raises the emotional stakes and keeps the story intensely focused.

Detective Vaughn Ryan provides a strong counterbalance to Ivy’s analytical approach. Their efforts to decode the killer’s increasingly complex puzzles create a compelling partnership, while the mounting number of victims gives the story a constant sense of urgency. Each equation and clue feels like part of a larger, carefully constructed trap.

The novel is especially effective in the way it blends intellectual challenges with deeply personal suspense. The mystery surrounding Ivy’s family history, the devastating fire, and the secrets she has tried to bury adds emotional depth to the fast-moving plot. As the killer’s game becomes more intimate, the tension escalates sharply.

Dark, inventive, and difficult to pause, The Probability of Murder is an excellent audiobook for fans of puzzle-based mysteries, serial-killer thrillers, and stories filled with clever twists. Its combination of mathematical intrigue and psychological danger makes it a memorable and highly entertaining listen.