The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup

Christie Watson’s second psychological thriller, Killing Me Softly, draws on her nursing background to evoke the frenetic atmosphere and mordant humour of an under-resourced A&E. The plot follows senior nurse Aoife—whose extramarital trysts with clinical lead Michael help keep her sane—and two new arrivals: the naive, sanctimonious Eden and the more experienced but alarmingly cynical Sophie.

After their arrival the death rate spikes: long wait times may play a part, but Eden makes mistakes and Sophie has an attitude problem. The conclusion is surprising yet authentic, framing individual culpability against the policy failures of successive governments.

T Kira Madden’s powerful debut, Whidbey, examines the aftermath of child sexual abuse and the commodification of trauma. In summer 2013 former reality TV star Linzie King is publicising a ghostwritten memoir that implicates Calvin Boyer and names other victims, including Birdie Chang, who has fled Brooklyn for Whidbey Island to escape media scrutiny.

United States, Brooklyn, Whidbey Island

christie watson, killing me, a&e, nurse, aoife, eden, sophie, madden, whidbey, linzie king