New crime pick: Wolff

CrimeReads put James Wolff’s *Spies and Other Gods* on its April 13, 2026 list of 10 new crime books for the week, a day before the novel’s United States publication. (crimereads.com) Grove Atlantic lists the Atlantic Crime hardcover at 272 pages, priced at $27, with a publication date of April 14, 2026. (groveatlantic.com) The publisher’s setup starts with “The Head of British Intelligence” facing an anonymous whistleblower complaint about a covert mission tied to an assassin who killed 10 people across Europe. The chase moves through London, Birmingham, Paris, and Lausanne. (groveatlantic.com) CrimeReads framed the roundup as a weekly reading list for mystery and thriller readers, not a ranked prize list or seasonal canon. Wolff’s novel appeared alongside nine other new releases in the April 13 package. (crimereads.com) That placement gives the book a specific kind of visibility: it lands in front of readers looking for what is new this week, at the moment stores begin selling the April 14 release. Booksellers including Longfellow Books also listed the novel for April 14 preorder and sale in the United States. (crimereads.com) (longfellowbooks.com) Wolff is not a debut novelist. Grove Atlantic says he previously wrote the Discipline Files series, and says the latest installment in that series was longlisted for the 2023 Crime Writers’ Association Silver Dagger. (groveatlantic.com) The publisher also says Wolff worked for British intelligence for more than 10 years, a biography detail that has shaped how the book is being pitched. Publishers Weekly called the novel “quirky and captivating,” and CrimeReads used that line in its roundup. (groveatlantic.com) (publishersweekly.com) (crimereads.com) The book had already reached the United Kingdom before the United States release. Civilian Reader reported a February 12, 2026 British publication through Baskerville, while the Atlantic Crime edition followed on April 14 in North America. (civilianreader.com) For readers scanning this week’s crime shelf, the takeaway is simple: Wolff’s new spy novel moved from preview coverage on April 13 to on-sale status on April 14, with CrimeReads giving it one of 10 slots in its weekly roundup. (crimereads.com) (groveatlantic.com)