The best books of 2025

This list is part of the best books of 2025.

Join 1,210 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2025

Book cover of The Final Vow

Paul Gitsham ❤️ loved this book because...

The Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw series are one of the best modern series out there. An amazing odd-couple pairing that grows better with each book, devious and twisty plots and laugh out loud writing, mean that this is the series that other crime writers (myself included) wish we could write!

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Story/Plot
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By M.W. Craven ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Final Vow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NOW A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

The next unmissable novel* in the Sunday Times bestselling, multi-award-winning Washington Poe series. Poe and Tilly fans: be prepared for the most twisted thrill-ride so far . . .

---

'Another standout entry in a series that keeps setting the bar higher', Heat

'The Final Vow is everything a thriller should be: clever, compelling, and packed with unforgettable characters. Gripping, darkly funny, and utterly addictive - MW Craven has done it again', Rachel Abbott

'...ingenious, absorbing, cynical and funny', Literary Review

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An invisible killer with a 100% success rate. No one is safe. Not…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2025

Book cover of The Waiting

Paul Gitsham ❤️ loved this book because...

In terms of consistency and reliability, Michael Connelly is probably the best crime writer currently writing today. The world and characters he has created in his modern Los Angeles are peerless - I feel I have actually visited LA and walked those streets. This particular novel cleverly continues the handing over of the baton between the old generation (Harry Bosch) and the new (Renee Ballard ad Bosch's own daughter Maddie). The way he has managed this transition over several books has been fantastic. Add to that his usual intricate plotting and willingness to deal with modern issues, and as always you have an absolute winner.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Immersion
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By Michael Connelly ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Waiting as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Michael Connelly is a powerhouse, an unstoppable force in crime fiction. The Waiting is proof he is at the top of his game."
MICK HERRON, #1 bestselling author of SLOW HORSES

****

IN COLD CASES,
IT'S NOT THE HOPE THAT KILLS YOU.
IT'S THE WAITING.

LAPD Detective Renee Ballard gets a DNA hit in a case that has gone unsolved for twenty years. A recently arrested man is genetically related to a serial rapist who terrorised the city of angels.

But when the relative is revealed, it is the last person you want to accuse unless the evidence is watertight...…


My 3rd favorite read in 2025

Book cover of None of This is True

Paul Gitsham ❤️ loved this book because...

Lisa Jewell is highly respected in the crime writing community, and rightly so. In this book, she expertly combines contemporary issues, multi-layered characters and slightly unreliable narrators to craft a narrative that keeps you guessing and second-guessing throughout.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Story/Plot
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By Lisa Jewell ,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked None of This is True as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Buy now and prepare to be hooked from the Number One bestselling thriller author . . .

* AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER *
* OVER 6,000 FIVE STAR REVIEWS *
* AUDIBLE NO.1 SIX WEEKS IN A ROW *

'Gloriously dark' Lucy Foley
'A moody, slippery novel' Gillian McAllister
'One hundred percent brilliant' Clare Mackintosh
'Shocking and creepy and glorious' Nicola Walker
'Utterly addictive' Claire Douglas
___________

Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th.

A few days later, they bump…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Aftermath

By Paul Gitsham ,

Book cover of The Aftermath

What is my book about?

The Fire. The Fallout. The Aftermath.

Seamus Monaghan is still haunted by the unexplained fire that killed his vibrant but troubled wife, Carole, three years ago. Why was she taken from him in such a horrific way?

Dominic has protected his brother, Seamus, since they were orphaned as young boys. But is that bond strong enough to survive the fallout from the fire?

Andrea loves her fiancé Seamus, but will the fire's aftermath destroy their future together?

Time moves on, but can the embers of the past ever be truly extinguished?

Book cover of The Final Vow
Book cover of The Waiting
Book cover of None of This is True

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