Top Crime Novels June 2026: Horst Evers, Nina Jelinek, Michael Ehnert
Magdalena Parys's 'Der Prinz' tops the list of best crime novels for June 2026, a dystopian thriller set in Berlin featuring a ritual murder, paramilitary plots, and a kidnapped minister's wife. Translated from Polish by Lothar Quinkenstein and Hans Gregor Njemz, it continues her 'Berliner Trilogie'. Horst Evers's 'Hope Joanna' follows, a Berlin crime comedy with fantasy elements, published by Rowohlt Berlin. Nina Jelinek's 'Paradise Calls' offers a gritty Vienna milieu study about an investigative journalist working undercover in a call center. Michael Ehnert's debut 'Hamburg, Wache 16' draws on his father's police experience in 1970s St. Pauli. Henning Rabe's 'Einsatz in Donezk' is a spy thriller set in the Donbas in February 2022, blending black humor with geopolitical chaos. Denise Mina's 'Die große Hitze' revives Philip Marlowe in 1930s Los Angeles, translated by Else Laudan, published by Ariadne.
Key facts
- Magdalena Parys's 'Der Prinz' is number one on the list.
- The novel is part of her 'Berliner Trilogie'.
- Translated from Polish by Lothar Quinkenstein and Hans Gregor Njemz.
- Horst Evers's 'Hope Joanna' features a Berlin detective named Hope Joanna Marlow.
- Nina Jelinek's 'Paradise Calls' is set in Vienna's red-light district.
- Michael Ehnert's father was a police officer at Wache 16 in Hamburg.
- Henning Rabe's 'Einsatz in Donezk' is set in February 2022 in the Donbas.
- Denise Mina's 'Die große Hitze' is a Philip Marlowe novel set in 1930s Los Angeles.
Entities
Artists
- Magdalena Parys
- Horst Evers
- Nina Jelinek
- Michael Ehnert
- Henning Rabe
- Denise Mina
- Else Laudan
- Lothar Quinkenstein
- Hans Gregor Njemz
Institutions
- Rowohlt Berlin
- Ariadne
- Blond
- Junius
- Weishaupt
- Polente
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Vienna
- Austria
- Hamburg
- Wandsbek
- St. Pauli
- Donbas
- Los Angeles
- Glasgow
- Scotland