Next year, Flatiron Books are due to publish Indie Darling, the next novel from Lauren Nossett — “a mystery set in Nashville, where a Dolly Parton–loving private detective is drawn into the disappearance of an enigmatic pop star.” I very much enjoyed the author’s first two novels, The Resemblance and The Professor, both of which I would definitely recommend to all fans of crime fiction: well-written, interesting setting (they’re sort-of campus crime), and engaging characters. The author’s new novel looks equally interesting, as well as a little bit different. Here’s the synopsis:
Nashville is a city of two faces, where the glitter often masks the grit.
Kelly Williams helps women. Sisters in search of lost siblings. Wives determined to uncover affairs. Daughters haunted by men lingering outside their windows. Clients trust her because she listens, she believes them, and over the years she’s honed a specialized skill set.
Kelly is a Dolly Parton–loving, sports-car-driving private investigator in Nashville, Tennessee. Her latest client, Sarah-Faith Owens, comes to her after receiving threatening messages. Something about the woman feels familiar, and Kelly realizes she’s Seraph, the magnetic, polarizing lead singer of the indie music sensation The Garden Snakes. With feminist anthems, cryptic lyric easter eggs, and an electrifying stage presence, Seraph has built a fiercely loyal following ― and attracted a number of critics. At that level of fame, her stalker could be anyone.
Then, in the middle of a Nashville performance, Seraph is shot on stage ― and the ambulance carrying her disappears. As the city reels and conspiracy theories swirl, Kelly is pulled into a dangerous web of secrets involving Seraph’s bandmates, her troubled past, and the high cost of stardom.
Lauren Nossett’s Indie Darling is due to be published by Flatiron Books in North America, on July 28th, 2026.
Also on CR: Review of The Resemblance
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne was the first novel by Ron Currie that I read, and it was an excellent introduction to his work: it was a gripping mystery overlying sharp and empathetic social commentary, populated by engaging and three-dimensional characters. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to learn that the author is returning to the setting, Little Canada, in his next novel: We Will See You Bleed, due out next summer. Definitely one of my now-most-anticipated novels of 2026. Here’s the synopsis:
Another solid addition to the Joe DeMarco series, involving blackmail with potentially international repercussions…
Next month, 
Next year, 
Next year, 
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I’ve long been a fan of Abir Mukherjee‘s Wyndham & Banerjee series of historical crime novels, set in early 20th Century India. I was relatively late to this series, but it fast became one of my must-read crime series. I finished the fifth novel in the series, The Shadows of Man, a couple of days ago, and it ended with one of the main character’s situations in limbo, so I am particularly eager to read this next volume.
Meanwhile, Surendranath Banerjee, recently returned from Europe after three years spent running from the fallout of his last case, is searching for a missing photographer; a trailblazing woman at the forefront of the profession. When Suren discovers that the vanished woman is linked to Sam’s murder investigation, the two men find themselves working together once again – but will Wyndham and Banerjee be able to put their differences aside to solve the case?
Later this year, readers will get a new book from Don Winslow! The Final Score is a collection of six never-before-published, all-new short novels. Learning about this book was a very nice surprise, because I had been under the impression that Winslow had retired from writing, after the publication of his 
Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join forces to track down a ruthless killer who will do whatever it takes to keep the past buried…
