Crime Thriller Books

The best crime thriller book reviews. “Crime thriller” is a catch-all term for thriller subgenres that feature a struggle for dominance between criminals and law enforcement, such as mafia thriller, police procedural, detective fiction, true crime, serial killer fiction and others.

Lover Girl, a High-Octane Mafia Thriller by Stephen Kronwith, M.D.

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The Bottom Line: A gem among mafia thrillers featuring a likable female assassin and one high-octane scene after another. Highly recommended.  Meet Angelica Fortuna, a wisecracking assassin and daughter of Philadelphia crime boss Don Vito Fortuna. Nickname: The Angel of Death (l’angelo della morte). But while death is her business, Angelica herself is full of life, snark, and a healthy dose of hubris in her […]

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Prey No More, a Highly Recommended Revenge Thriller by Lee Matthew Goldberg

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The Bottom Line: A gloriously nasty revenge thriller that manages to shock and surprise until the final page.  The second installment in Lee Matthew Goldberg’s Desire Card trilogy, set decades after Immoral Origins, follows assassin J.D. Storm, who goes by the handle James Dean. We first find J.D. preparing for a mission that will take him to Morocco. In a business where any wish can

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Kill Romeo, a First-Rate Murder Mystery by Andrew Diamond

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The Bottom Line: A fast-paced, first-rate murder mystery that crackles with sexual tension. Private detective Freddy Ferguson is back in Andrew Diamond’s long-awaited follow-up to Gate 76 (one of our Best Thrillers of 2018). The book’s spectacular opening chapter is one that will burn in readers’ memories long after finishing the book. While in rural Virginia doing a background check on a rising politician, Freddy

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The RX for Murder, a Poignant Mystery by Sue Hinkin

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The Bottom Line: Lovable amateur sleuths take on Big Pharma in a highly personal and poignant mystery about corporate greed and friendship. After the murder of a veteran reporter David Pine, amateteur sleuths Bea Middleton and Lucy Vega are drawn into the likely reason for his death: an in-progress story about big pharma selling generic medicine with little or no active ingredients to the poorest

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Goldhammer, a James Bond Parody by Haris Orkin

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The Bottom Line: A James Bond parody that delivers plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, pulse-pounding action scenes and biting social commentary. City of Roses Psychiatric Institute patient James Flynn believes he’s a secret agent. Impeccably dressed, Flynn hilariously mistakes the staff for enemy agents and the other patients as operatives enjoying “much-needed R&R.” Naturally, when fellow patient Chloe claims someone is trying to kill her, Flynn

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Immoral Origins, an Exhilarating Crime Thriller by Lee Matthew Goldberg

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The Bottom Line: An exhilarating and original organized crime thriller that delivers big time on atmosphere, intrigue and fun. Set in the 1970s, Immoral Origins is the story of a low-level thief from Hell’s Kitchen, Jake Barnum, who is recruited into a life of organized crime. But if you’re thinking of The Godfather, think again. Author Lee Matthew Goldberg turns organized crime stereotypes on their

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When You Leave Me, an Irresistible Small Town Murder Mystery by Susan Wingate

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The Bottom Line: An intense, irresistible small town murder mystery that crackles with twists.  When You Leave Me dangles its delicious first clue in the opening sentence: a shoe containing a human foot, one of several that have washed ashore on the San Juan Islands over the past year. Does it belong to Larry Michaels, whose footless body was found months earlier?  Susan Wingate’s fifth Friday Harbor novel – which

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Gottiguard, a Painfully Funny, Can’t-Miss Mystery by Rich Leder

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The Bottom Line: Witty Sleuth Kate McCall returns to solve her father’s murder in this supremely satisfying and painfully funny mystery.  When readers first fell in love with Kate McCall, Rich Leder’s Workman’s Complication introduced us to the clever way-off-Broadway actress who walked dogs for a living. After her father’s brutal murder, she inherited his PI firm and reluctantly took over his cases. Gottiguard takes

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Woman Over the Edge, a Smoldering Small Town Romantic Suspense Thriller

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The Bottom Line: A provocative, smoldering small town romantic suspense thriller that fans of Big Little Lies will love. Each summer, high school sisters Bella and Mia Hughes work in their family’s lakeside resort in Minnesota. After hours, they spend their time hanging out with a close circle of friends and flirting with boys on the lake. But their idyllic summer existence comes to an

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Gag Me, a Must-Read Whodunnit by Susan Wingate

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The Bottom Line: A must-read whodunnit that is fresh, funny and truly innovative. Gag Me transports readers into the fragile psyche of a small-town waitress whose best friend, Winsey, is murdered. She works at a diner in tiny Friday Harbor, Washington, and had the misfortune of being the last person seen with Winsey. As such, she’s called in for questioning, and soon after, taken to

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