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.

The Reisman Case, a Highly Recommended Detective Thriller by Andrew Diamond

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The Bottom Line: A truly original detective thriller that delivers a relentless cadence of mind-blowing revelations. Highly recommended. Andrew Diamond’s second Claire Chastain mystery delivers an explosive first chapter that all but guarantees to hook all who read it. In nearly all detective fiction, first meetings between private investigators and clients are notoriously quiet affairs in which the detective for hire observes passively as the client […]

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Unwitting, a Gripping Medical Thriller by Deven Greene

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The Bottom Line: Terrorism, greed, genetics and politics collide in this complex and gripping thriller. In her previous Dr. Erica Rosen MD series book Unnatural, the pediatrician stumbled upon a program to develop Olympic athletes by manipulating the genes in embryonic stem cells. While that storyline reverberates in Unwitting, Erica’s focus soon becomes the investigation of a suicide bombing at San Francisco’s Oracle Park baseball

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Brushed Off, a Darkly Comic Whodunnit by Lee Musgrave

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The Bottom Line: A darkly comic and original whodunnit featuring a truly memorable amateur sleuth. Is there a serial killer at work in Los Angeles, or just someone particularly motivated by greed, jealousy or love? Whichever the case, why has the killer chosen the LA art scene as his hunting ground? LA homicide detective Cisco Rivas, and his unlikely partner, public TV host James Terra,

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The Body in the Road, an Engrossing Teen Suspense Thriller by Donna M. Zadunajsky

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The Bottom Line: This engrossing teen suspense thriller puts the fictional town of Craven Falls on the map. Fans of Natalie D. Richards’ small town mysteries may fall for this tale of a teen who makes an unfortunate turn. Seventeen-year-old Ohio girl Sara Nelson is deathly afraid of her psycho boyfriend, Brad. Fearing for her life, she takes her Grandmother’s car in the middle of

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In the Service of Others, an Entertaining and Thought-Provoking Murder Mystery by David William Pearce

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The Bottom Line: Buttman delivers the goods for series fans while tackling one of society’s most gut-wrenching issues. One of the most endearing things about David William Pearce’s Monk Buttman Mystery series is that its hero has never taken himself too seriously. The theme continues here, as the series’ fourth installment opens with Buttman witnessing the bulldozed remains of his beloved home while being threatened

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At Daddy’s Hands, a Realistic and Harrowing Thriller by Jacob Paul Patchen

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The Bottom Line: A realistic and harrowing tale about children who are forced to do the unthinkable. “We’re not seriously talking about… killing dad, are we?!” That seminal line of dialogue comes in the book’s first few pages, far sooner than one might expect in a typical thriller. But in light of Jacob Paul Patchen’s heartbreaking prologue, in which he describes his experiences working in

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Absolution, a Must-Read Crime Thriller by Henry Hack

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The Bottom Line: A must-read crime thriller about an NYPD detective attempting to solve his own parents’ murder. Sun Tzu may have said “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer,” but Henry Hack gives the phrase new meaning in his simmering thriller, Absolution. Hack’s story follows the plight of NYPD homicide lieutenant Michael Simon attempting to solve the decades-old murder of his own parents.

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On the Devil’s Knee, a Richly Drawn Historical Thriller by Craig A. Godfrey

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The Bottom Line: A richly drawn historical thriller filled with murder, intrigue and shocking twists. Craig A. Godfrey’s historical thriller begins in Tasmania on Boxing Day, 1914. What appears to be a hat box is delivered to 22-year-old Protestant Frankie Mulberry, who lives at her parent’s home despite secretly marrying a young Roman Catholic named Brady. But upon opening the present, a bomb detonates, killing

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Stadelheim: Tower of Torment, a Highly Original Thriller by Skye Smith

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The Bottom Line: A highly original thriller featuring one of the creepiest neo-Nazis in contemporary literature. Recommended for fans of serial killer thrillers and contemporary horror. Set in the early 1990s, Skye Smith’s debut novel tells the story of a wealthy neo-Nazi predator named Dale and the twisted obsessions that threaten a group of unsuspecting Minneapolis residents. The book’s title is a reference to Stadleheim,

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FLASHBACK: The Best Thriller Books of 2019

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2019 was an amazing year for fans of mystery and thriller books. An abundance of endlessly entertaining choices came from all categories, including crime thrillers, medical thrillers, legal thrillers, psychological thrillers, fantasy novels and more. Narrowing the list down from the hundreds of books our team has read this year to just a handful was daunting. In terms of authors, our 2019 list of the

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