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.

That Was Before, a Full-Throttle Crime Thriller by Dan Lawton

By

The Bottom Line: Buckle up for a full-throttle thriller drawn with full-bodied characters. That Was Before begins quite literally with a bang as Randolph Spiers, who had just gotten up the nerve to ask out a grocery store cashier, narrowly escapes a bomb blast. Spiers had just quit his job as a mechanical engineer, and is estranged from his wife. He’s facing midlife, empty-nest ennui with no clear […]

That Was Before, a Full-Throttle Crime Thriller by Dan Lawton READ MORE >

The Money, a Superb Legal Thriller by David Klein

By

The Bottom Line: A superb, action-packed legal thriller with a heart of gold. Defense attorney Henry Krakow has made a career out of representing small time clients living on the fringe. Most don’t pay, and when they do, it’s often via questionable means. His wife Olivia is a moneyed high-powered public relations executive who is no longer enchanted with Henry and his seeming lack of

The Money, a Superb Legal Thriller by David Klein READ MORE >

Sick Money, a Heart-Pounding Medical Thriller by Karen S. Gordon

By

The Bottom Line: A heart-pounding, adrenaline-spiking medical thriller that takes the series into new territory. Highly recommended. Looking for a way to launder offshore money salvaged from a drug cartel shipwreck, ex-detective and lawyer Vance Courage, and his partner Lauren Gold invest $5 million into HIPP Corp. The company is a medical records firm teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, but the situation is about

Sick Money, a Heart-Pounding Medical Thriller by Karen S. Gordon READ MORE >

Later, a Remarkable Paranormal Thriller by Stephen King

By

The Bottom Line: King has written about kids who see dead people before, but never quite like this. With The Shining and select other stories, Stephen King practically invented what is now a subgenre of the paranormal thriller category centered around children’s ability to see dead people. In Later, he delivers a fresh take on the concept with a novel that manages to be suspenseful,

Later, a Remarkable Paranormal Thriller by Stephen King READ MORE >

The Mermaid Broker, a Breathless Thriller by Sue Hinkin

By

The Bottom Line:  A frothy thriller set on the Southern California coast that will leave you gasping for air as it dives into the terrifying underworld of sex trafficking. Marine biology teacher Isabelle Abbot thought she was setting out on a fun-filled diving trip to the Channel Islands. Instead, it turned into a fear-filled nightmare when she awoke to find that she had been drugged,

The Mermaid Broker, a Breathless Thriller by Sue Hinkin READ MORE >

Going Off The Rails, an Instant Noir Classic by Richard S. Brown

By

The Bottom Line: An instant noir classic. Highly recommended. It’s 1958, and small-town Wisconsin reporter Stan Ellis is itching to cover something other than local council meetings, high school games and local crimes for the Sparta Herald. The closest he came was covering a fatal train crash several years ago that caused three deaths and injured dozens. The story and subsequent arrest of the train

Going Off The Rails, an Instant Noir Classic by Richard S. Brown READ MORE >

What Happened Last Night, a Spellbinding Crime Thriller by Cole Baxter

By

The Bottom Line: A spellbinding crime thriller bolstered by a razor-sharp audiobook performance. Perfect for Michael Connelly fans looking for another dose of LA noir. In this twisty whodunnit, LAPD detective Jamie Del Rey investigates the death of 19-year-old Candy Xavier. Her body was found on the lawn of a Hollywood Hills home belonging to William and Carlotta Alden. Judging by an apparent knife wound,

What Happened Last Night, a Spellbinding Crime Thriller by Cole Baxter READ MORE >

The Girl in Cell 49B, a Wondrous Legal Thriller by Dorian Box

By

The Bottom Line: A groundbreaking, nail-biting and wondrous legal thriller. In Dorian Box’s The Hiding Girl, 12-year-old Emily Calby survived a home invasion and became an unlikely vigilante. The Girl in Cell 49B finds Emily on her 16th birthday. She’s on a bus in the Ozarks where she has been living for the past three years with her mentor, ex-gang member Lucas Jackson. Her birthday

The Girl in Cell 49B, a Wondrous Legal Thriller by Dorian Box READ MORE >

Too Many Women, Too Little Time, an Irreverent Crime Thriller by David William Pearce

By

The Bottom Line: An irreverent, offbeat crime thriller featuring a memorable protagonist and a quirky cast of gangsters. For a man whose primary job is delivering packages for an LA law firm, Monk Buttman lives a complicated life. He owns the Moonlight Arms, a complex of bungalows that he purchased with what might be found drug money. The women in his life include Agnes, with

Too Many Women, Too Little Time, an Irreverent Crime Thriller by David William Pearce READ MORE >

The Survivor, a High-Stakes Vatican Thriller by John Zodrow

By

The Bottom Line: A taut, finely polished Vatican thriller with the highest possible stakes. In John Zodrow’s latest novel, the discovery of an ancient document reveals a shocking secret that has been concealed for centuries. The Survivor begins in Rome with a murder investigation. The body of a deceased priest, Father Bobby, has just arrived from India. The victim’s brother, American police lieutenant Burt Powell,

The Survivor, a High-Stakes Vatican Thriller by John Zodrow READ MORE >

Scroll to Top