What’s Hot: Crime and Thriller
by Ed Wood (agent representing crime, thriller and commercial fiction authors)
Once a month we’re going to share with you what a few brilliant acquiring editors are keen to find within a genre or category of the book market. If agents are the first ‘gatekeepers’ when it comes to getting a traditional book deal, acquiring editors are the second. It’s our job as agents to know what editors are most likely to open the gates for – and we want to share that insight with you. As the market is always evolving, our ‘What’s Hot’ overviews aren’t intended to be a guide as to what to write – but if you have written something that fits this description, now might be the sign you’ve been waiting for to approach an agent.
In this inaugural ‘What’s Hot’, we’re looking at crime and thriller, which has been huge for over a century. The genre of Christie and Conan Doyle is ever-transforming, so it’s handy to keep up with the latest in this fast-changing yet venerable area. To guide us as to what’s in demand – and which areas are getting saturated – we are grateful to have Charlotte Brabbin, Publishing Director, HarperFiction (HarperCollins); Miranda Jewess, Publishing Director, Viper (Profile Books); and Emily Griffin, Publishing Director, Century Fiction (Cornerstone, Penguin Random House).
What’s your dream book to find right now?
Charlotte: I’d love to find a mystery or thriller with specific Christmas or winter appeal (which I know does sound very specific!). But with my commercial hat on, it’s such a strong time of year for gifting, for finding straightforward stocking fillers, or even self-purchasing. And books with a festive hook bring in such a clear communication message for the reader, just inviting them to curl up by a roaring fire with a good book! So I’d love to see a page-turning murder mystery, or a spooky winter tale, or a really satisfying puzzle-box mystery with festive ingredients.
Miranda: It's not a 'big pitch' book but I'd love to find a new really good-quality historical procedural crime series – think Ellis Peters or C.J. Sansom. The history would have to be perfect, and ideally in a period that hasn't been done to death, plus a main character that readers root for, creating series loyalty. I'd love something set 1100-1500. An amateur detective during the Wars of the Roses perhaps? Quite a bit of historical does come through, but it mostly tends to be standalones or gothic - nothing wrong with these but they're a very different part of the market.
Emily: I’ve just read an advance copy of Don’t Let Him In – Lisa Jewell’s incredible new thriller which publishes this summer – and it is a flawless character study of the sort of man you would never want to let into your life! It reminded me of the fact that, as well as telling a great story, brilliant thrillers provide the opportunity to explore an aspect of our social world in a way that is genuinely conversation starting. I would love to find a book that does this in a different way – which tells a story that is at once gripping and twisty and which has strong talking points and reading group themes* at its heart too.
* Publishers and agents often talk about ‘reading group’ or ‘book club’ fiction. What they mean by this is general fiction which is often both well-written and accessible, with strong emotions and themes which drive the story and would be interesting to discuss with other readers.
What are two other hot areas of the (crime and thriller) market?
Charlotte: Horror or horror-adjacent certainly feels like a hot area, and there’s been a steep rise in submissions of late. I would say we’re still waiting to see the reader-pull, and whether the industry appetite translates into consistent, longer-term sales. But, whilst I wouldn’t personally look for gore or slasher-style horror, I would love to see a thriller or reading group fiction with horror elements, or something in the gothic/spooky house space with a contemporary twist. And secondly, I know this sounds quite broad, but genre-bending mysteries are also proving popular: books like Chris Whitaker’s epic All the Colours of the Dark, which is as much a coming-of-age story and a love story as it is a thriller; and Clare Leslie Hall’s debut Broken Country**, where the mystery keeps you turning the pages, but the characters and emotional layers make it incredibly memorable.
Miranda: Korean and Japanese crime in translation is very hot right now; think Butter and Murder at Mount Fuji. On the other side of the genre there's the rise and rise of quick-read thrillers, such as those by Frieda McFadden, especially in digital. Books with a strong pitch that can be read in an afternoon.
Emily: It’s hard to think of a recent week where there haven’t been ten Freida McFadden titles in the paperback charts – binge-worthy psychological thrillers are most definitely top of people’s reading lists at the moment. What makes Freida’s writing stand out for me is the clarity of hook, the immediacy of the writing and the multiple OMG twist moments. I’m sure we will see publishers investing in other writers to build them in this area in the coming weeks and months in order to pick up a slice of the pie.
Location-led crime fiction centring around small town communities is definitely having a moment right now – whether Chris Whitaker’s small-town American epic All the Colours of the Dark or Chris Chibnall’s Dorset-set Death at the White Hart. Readers clearly can’t get enough of books which, layer by layer, unpick the secrets of a small community.
** The major bestseller Broken Country is written by our brilliant client Clare Leslie Hall, represented by Hattie Grünewald. If you haven’t read it yet then you absolutely should!
What are you seeing too much of?
Charlotte: I still see a lot of psychological thrillers in domestic settings which involve unreliable narrators or fractious husband/wife relationships driving the suspense. I think there are a lot of readers who love this kind of book, but the space is quite saturated so it’s key to have a point of difference. I also see a fair amount of police procedurals involving murder investigations or missing persons cases. Again, there’s certainly appetite in this area, but a brilliant hook is needed to help the book stand out from the crowd.
Miranda: In terms of what comes in on submission, I'm seeing a lot of women going to creepy house books at the moment, invariably with a west wing that's locked and/or crumbling, and nasty family secrets. Also still lots of kooky female serial killers (often with the word 'guide' in the title), presumably books that started to be written as the trend took off, and are only now being sent out by agents. They need to be really special to stand out from the crowd.
Emily: This year I am continuing to see a lot of cosy crime manuscripts on submission – which makes sense given how popular the genre continues to be in the book charts – with authors such as Richard Osman, Tom Hindle and Janice Hallett continuing to go from strength to strength – and on screen with the recent return of The White Lotus. That said, the market is becoming increasingly saturated and while I am still excited when I read something that feels genuinely fresh in the area, it is becoming an increasingly tall ask for new authors to stand out and do something new.
What emerging trends are you looking out for?
Charlotte: It’ll be interesting to see how cosy crime evolves in the coming months – which books do something a bit different, and break out from the pack. There’s no real foundation to this really, but with the buoyancy of the Fantasy genre right now, it’ll be interesting to see whether magical realism or speculative twists find their way more forcefully into mainstream crime/thrillers. And finally, I’m also keeping an eye on East Asian translated fiction that has a thriller or murder mystery hook. We’ve seen the popularity of comforting, uplifting stories coming out of East Asia, but darker fiction is starting to get a look-in now too.
Miranda: I'm not sure it's emerging but it's certainly not reached oversaturation so there's room for growth: thrillers with a speculative edge, such as those by Jo Callaghan and Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister. We're also seeing more crossover with the general fiction readership with books like The List of Suspicious Things, Death at the Sign of the Rook and All the Colours of the Dark. Those books are carefully marketed to sit on the fence and appeal to a broader audience. Espionage is also having a moment, thanks to the Slow Horses TV show. The audience was always there and loyal, and I think publishers rather under-provided in the past few years. I'd certainly like to find a good classic spy series for that market.
Emily: I want to find a new breed of thriller writing which will appeal to readers who discover their books through social media platforms such as TikTok. The rise of online-first readerships is allowing for blending of genres and nuance that somehow can be harder to surface through traditional channels, and this is paving the way for thrillers featuring younger protagonists, packed with twists and with darkness and a blend of other genre tropes at their heart.
Are you writing a crime/thriller novel? You can read more about me and my wish list here. Our submissions guidelines are here, and if you do want to submit to me then my email is: edsubmissions@theblairpartnership.com. You can also follow me on Bluesky and Instagram.
Next week: Hattie Grünewald shares the role of an agent and what they’ll do for you if/when you have one. Subscribe now to make sure it appears in your inbox straightaway.