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It’s time to choose all the books to read in November 2024!
If you don’t quite have the time or inclination to read ALL of the books on our TBR this month, why not read along with the …
You don’t need to ‘sign up’ or have ‘special elite access’ to join the Fishbird Central Book Club. Just read along with our chosen book for the month, and let us know how you like it!
If you’d like to let us know your thoughts, the FREE weekly Fishbird Central Newsletter is a great place to get in touch! We’d love to chat with you in the newsletter comments or over on Facebook!
There are a lot of of books to read in November 2024, so let’s get cracking on this list! Join us as we read some great new titles and tick off some reading prompts!
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We encourage you to always source books from your local independent bookshop. However, we understand this is sometimes not practical based on location or budget.
Therefore, this post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means, if you click on the link and purchase the book from that link, I get a few dollars at no extra cost to you! This way we can both restock our TBR stack! 😀
Happy Reading, Friends!
Series or Standalone?:
This is Book One in the ‘DS Walker‘ series.
Back Blurb:
DS Lucas Walker is on leave in his hometown, Caloodie, taking care of his dying grandmother. When two young German backpackers, Berndt and Rita, vanish from the area, he finds himself unofficially on the case. But why all the interest from the Federal Police when they have probably just ditched the heat and dust of the outback for the coast? Working in the organised crime unit has opened Walker’s eyes to the growing drug trade in Australia’s remote interior – and he becomes convinced there is more at play. As the number of days since the couple’s disappearance climbs, Walker is joined by Rita’s older sister. A detective herself with Berlin CID, she has flown to Australia – desperate to find her sister. Their search becomes ever more urgent as temperatures soar. Even if Walker does find the young couple, will it be too late?
What made me pick it up?:
This book will be our Fishbird Central Book Club pick for November 2024! Woot woot! We look forward to hearing your thoughts! This is already a popular series, and I’ve been loving Aussie crime thrillers at the moment. This one promises to be a cracking read!
Grab yourself a copy:
Series or Standalone?:
This is a standalone novel.
Back Blurb:
In 1977, one of the world’s finest crime novelists turned his pen to suspense of a very different sort and the results have never been published, until now. Fans of mystery fiction have often pondered whether it would be possible to write a suspense novel without any crime at all, and in Call Me a Cab the masterful Donald E. Westlake answered the question in his inimitable style. You won’t find any crime in these pages but what you will find is a wonderful suspense story, about a New York City taxi driver hired to drive a beautiful woman all the way across America, from Manhattan to Los Angeles, where the biggest decision of her life is waiting to be made. From Pennsylvania to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Nevada on the way to California, the characters’ odyssey takes them through uncharted territory on the map and in their lives. It’s Westlake at his witty, thought-provoking best, and it proves that a page-turner doesn’t need to have a bomb set to go off at the end of it in order to keep sparks flying every step of the way.
What made me pick it up?:
Classic crime stories have been very much on my radar lately, and I’ve enjoyed other offerings by Hard Case Crime. This story looks like it could be a hoot – and may be an interesting entry point to more of Westlake’s writing.
Grab yourself a copy:
Series or Standalone?:
This is Book One in the ‘Commissario Brunetti‘ series.
Back Blurb:
The twisted maze of Venice’s canals has always been shrouded in mystery. Even the celebrated opera house, La Fenice, has seen its share of death … but none so horrific and violent as that of world-famous conductor, Maestro Helmut Wellauer, who was poisoned during a performance of La Traviata. Even Commissario of Police, Guido Brunetti, used to the labyrinthine corruptions of the city, is shocked at the number of enemies Wellauer has made on his way to the top – but just how many have motive enough for murder? The beauty of Venice is crumbling. But evil is one thing that will never erode with age.
What made me pick it up?:
I’ve heard good things about Donna Leon, and – considering I’m already in the middle of a million crime fiction series – why not start another one!? There’s a lot of books in this series already, so if they’re good, there’s a lot to go on with!
Grab yourself a copy:
Series or Standalone?:
This is Book One in the ‘Jake Jackson‘ series.
Back Blurb:
For years, Jake Jackson has been a high-flying detective in the city. One day he receives a letter from his reclusive uncle – he has left Jake his property in the middle of the countryside. It is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. A rural idyll the stuff of dreams. Life in the middle of nowhere is everything Jake could wish for. His home is beautiful and his surroundings are stunning. While the locals are eccentric, they are also friendly, and invite him to join their annual treasure hunt. What starts as an innocent game turns sinister, when a young woman’s bones are discovered. And Jake is thrust once again into the role of detective, as he tries to unearth a dangerous killer in this most unlikely of settings.
What made me pick it up?:
This book won the 2024 CrimeFest award for Debut Crime Novel of the Year! Stories featuring a big-city detective in a rural setting, usually make for an interesting ‘fish out of water’ arc, that has peaked my interest. Let’s see what the town is trying to hide!
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Series or Standalone?:
This is a standalone novel.
Back Blurb:
Nine-year-old Jai watches too many reality cop shows, thinks he’s smarter than his friend Pari (even though she always gets top marks) and considers himself to be a better boss than Faiz (even though Faiz is the one with a job). When a boy at school goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from episodes of Police Patrol to find him. With Pari and Faiz by his side, Jai ventures into some of the most dangerous parts of the sprawling Indian city; the bazaar at night, and even the railway station at the end of the Purple Line. But kids continue to vanish, and the trio must confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force and soul-snatching djinns in order to uncover the truth.
What made me pick it up?:
This book won ‘Best Novel’ in the Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2021, and I’m aiming to read through all the award winners. Set in India, this promises to be an interesting ride with an unusual plucky young protagonist.
Grab yourself a copy:
Series or Standalone?:
This is Book 2 in the ‘Ernest Cunningham‘ series.
Back Blurb:
When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time- I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out. The program is a who’s who of crime-writing royalty-the debut writer (me!), the forensic science writer, the blockbuster writer, the legal thriller writer, the literary writer, the psychological suspense writer. But when one of us is murdered, six authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime. Or commit one.
What made me pick it up?:
I’m enjoying the 1st book in this series at the moment, and am already keen to dive into this one! Always happy to support Aussie writers, and Stevenson seems like a clever and popular addition to the crime fiction circuit!
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Series or Standalone?:
This is a standalone novel.
Back Blurb:
It is the end of the nineteenth century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow. Nothing touches the Wastelands except the Great Trans-Siberian Express: an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents, but which now transports anyone who dares. Onto the platform steps a curious cast of characters: Marya, a grieving woman with a borrowed name; Weiwei, a famous child born on the train; and Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist. But there are whispers that the train isn’t safe. As secrets and stories begin to unravel, the passengers and crew must survive their journey together, even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in.
What made me pick it up?:
This one is promoted as a historical fantasy – and, for some reason, is giving me Stephen King ‘Dark Tower’ vibes. I’m not expecting King’s influence on the story as such, but I’m intrigued enough to add this one to my stack for the month!
Grab yourself a copy:
‘The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands’ by Sarah Brooks
Series or Standalone?:
This is Book One in the ‘Secret Projects‘ series.
Back Blurb:
The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?
What made me pick it up?:
Brandon Sanderson is a beloved fantasy author, and one that I have yet to read a lot from. This one says it will appeal to fans of ‘The Princess Bride’ – so sign me up!
Grab yourself a copy:
Series or Standalone?:
This is Book One in the ‘Crimson Lake’ series.
Back Blurb:
Six minutes – that’s all it took to ruin Detective Ted Conkaffey’s life. Accused but not convicted of abducting a teenage girl, he escapes north, to the steamy, croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake. Amanda Pharrell knows what it’s like to be public enemy number one. Maybe it’s her murderous past that makes her so good as a private investigator, tracking lost souls in the wilderness. Her latest target, missing author Jake Scully, has a life more shrouded in secrets than her own – so she enlists help from the one person in town more hated than she is: Ted Conkaffey. But the residents of Crimson Lake are watching the pair’s every move. And for Ted, a man already at breaking point, this town is offering no place to hide.
What made me pick it up?:
I feel like I’ve been seeing Candice Fox’s books all over the place lately – and who am I to argue with the Universe?! No time like the present, to dive into another mystery series.
Grab yourself a copy:
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