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.

Redivivus, a Five-Star Abduction Thriller by J. Denison Reed

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The Bottom Line: A powerful abduction thriller where escalating danger and rare emotional depth create a dark page-turner that shouldn’t be missed.  Redivivus opens with an uneasy act of trust – Grace Pollard allows her ex-husband Raymond to take their daughter Hadley on an unsupervised trip to a Colorado lodge, only for their check-in to fail, Hadley’s phone location to stall just short of the destination, and […]

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Sayonara, My Sweet, a Sophisticated Crime Thriller by Lea O’Harra

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The Bottom Line:  A gritty, compact and emotionally sophisticated crime thriller that should win over plenty of Michael Pronko fans. Sayonara, My Sweet opens with a Nippon Daily evening-edition newspaper report announcing the mysterious death of twenty-three-year-old Kaori Hirakata in Murota after she collapses from poisoned chocolates. Set in a quiet town where violent crime is rare, author Lea O’ Harra’s framing is immediately effective.  The

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Final Transaction, a Fast-Moving Murder Mystery by Diane Dickinson

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The Bottom Line: A sultry, fast-moving murder mystery where sex, power and real estate lead to a jaw-dropping finale.  As Final Transaction opens, thirty-something Houston realtor Lara Maxwell co-hosts an open house with her broker, Todd Drake, whose charm and vanity fill every room he enters. But after leaving when the open house is over to retrieve directional signs, she returns, calls Todd’s name, and finds him in

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Murder Under Redwood Moon, a Spellbinding Paranormal Thriller by Sherri L. Dodd

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The Bottom Line: A spellbinding small-town paranormal thriller where witchcraft and murder make deadly company.  Set in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, Murder Under Redwood Moon is the story of a spiritually attuned young woman whose quiet routines begin to fracture. Twenty-three-year-old Arista Kelly spends her time practicing witchcraft when she’s not working in the Earth & Ocean crystal shop. Troubling visions of an ominous tattoo, mounting unrest

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The Fires of Rubicon, an Unforgettable Crime Novel by Robert Allen Stone

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The Bottom Line: For fans of police procedurals, The Fires of Rubicon is an unforgettable rust belt noir that lingers long after the last page. Set in 1971, The Fires of Rubicon opens in Cleveland Police Headquarters, where Lieutenant Alex Wesner and Detective Sergeant Benjamin Friedman question a troubled young man whose account of steelworker Anton Wojcik’s disappearance feels sprawling and unreliable. Anton’s job places him beside

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11-22-63 by stephen king book cover

The Best Stephen King Audiobooks Ranked In Order (Updated for 2026!)

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Newly updated to include King’s newest story collection, Never Flinch! The reigning master of suspense is the author of more than 60 books and audiobooks, all of which have been international bestsellers, and many have been translated to the screen. The names are instantly recognizable:  It. Pet Cemetery. Misery. Thinner. All instant classics, and yet King’s craft seems to sweeten with age, with King still churning

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Bloody Deeds novel

Bloody Deeds, a Tense and Twisty Murder Mystery by Stephen Kronwith, M.D.

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The Bottom Line: A tense, twisty murder mystery built on false evidence, fierce loyalties and a heroine worth following anywhere. As Bloody Deeds opens, Nassau County homicide detective sergeant Jane Rieger-Franklin is at home with her wife, Anna, talking about artificial insemination and the future shape of their family. Then the phone rings, and the novel swerves hard into crisis. CPA Jeremy Summers, husband of Detective Vivian Summers,

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ZigZag Girl, a Must-Read Whodunnit by Ruth Knafo Setton

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The Bottom Line: A must-read whodunnit in which illusion, misdirection and motive are cleverly intertwined. Set amid the neon glamour of Atlantic City, ZigZag Girl opens on what should be a pivotal performance for magician Lucy Moon. But as showtime approaches, her co-performer and closest friend, Vanessa Kim, still hasn’t arrived. Vanessa would never miss a performance, and as minutes tick by, Lucy’s concern hardens into dread. That

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The Debt, a Suspenseful Crime Thriller by Chris Young

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The Bottom Line: A muscular, suspenseful crime thriller about consequence and the long shadow of obligation. Set in the fictional city of Fresburg, The Debt follows eighteen-year-old Michael Kramer, a disciplined martial artist whose future fractures after the accidental shooting death of his best friend. Convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Michael is sentenced to five years in prison.  Debut novelist Chris Young uses the early going to establish

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Poison Pill, a Timely New Medical Thriller by Anthony Lee

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The Bottom Line: A timely and gripping medical thriller that explores the dark underbelly of the world’s growing fixation with weight-loss cures. Highly recommended. Anthony Lee’s third Dr. Mark Lin novel finds our hero back at Ivory Memorial Hospital, moving through the familiar rhythm of inpatient rounds. Lin’s patient Hector Lucero, only in his twenties, is already facing devastating kidney failure, and the severity of the

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