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.

Deranged, a Propulsive Detective Origin Story by John Netti

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The Bottom Line: A dark, propulsive origin story that pits a newly minted detective against the kind of evil that doesn’t stay buried. Maddy Reynolds is a heroine built to last. Set primarily in late-1970s upstate New York, Deranged introduces newly promoted detective Maddy Reynolds. Following in her father’s footsteps, who was fatally stabbed by an uncaught serial killer, Maddy investigates the disappearance of an […]

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All Guilty Anyway, a Highly Recommended New Legal Thriller by Russell W. Johnson

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The Bottom Line: Sharp, unsettling and deeply human, All Guilty Anyway introduces a series-worthy defense attorney as it exposes the human cost of institutional injustice. All Guilty Anyway opens as North Carolina attorney Ivy Collins arrives at the Wake County courthouse to defend a client accused of child abuse. Early in her career, and the daughter of a powerful litigator, Ivy finds herself up against a criminal justice system that appears

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Birds of Prey Don’t Sing, a Bold Assassination Thriller by Joe Cary

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The Bottom Line: A bold assassination thriller about a perfect kill that refuses to stay buried. Highly recommended. Birds of Prey Don’t Sing opens on the African savanna in 1988 with sixteen-year-old Michael Harrier lying prone on a ridge. As poachers rake an elephant with automatic fire, Michael calmly picks them off with a sniper’s rifle. Just as he muses about the seduction of self-righteousness, he swears the poachers’

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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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