The editors of CrimeReads make their selection of the best debut novels of the month.

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May Chance, The corpse next door
(MIRA)

A woman’s life is thrown into disarray after a young woman’s body is dug up by a construction crew at her family’s vacation home on Orcas Island. Chance writes a gripping story about a world of luxury and privilege that is slowly shattered by a series of revelations. -DM

Stella Sands, word hunter
(Harper Paperback)

In Sands’ debut, a linguist from a small town in south-central Florida is recruited to help solve crimes. The mysteries are revealed one by one, and the wordplay and language investigation soon take very dark turns. -DM

Elizabeth Staples, The Snap
(Double day)

Elizabeth Staples’ clever and furious thriller follows four women who have fought for a place in the cutthroat world of professional sports organizations, only to find themselves supporting and covering up the sins of more powerful men. In order to move on with their lives (and careers), they must confront their affiliation with a system that has also victimized them. -MO

Asha Elias, Pink greenhouses
(William Morrow)

A wealthy Florida enclave serves as the setting for Asha Elias’ deliciously nasty skewering of parental competition. Pink greenhouses feels a bit like The favorite—a naive newcomer to the neighborhood soon shows her claws when she enters into a deadly battle with a more sophisticated resident for the coveted position of PTA chair. Corruption, intrigue and mistrust are omnipresent and lead to a thrilling ending. –MO