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.

Cold Betrayal, an Explosive Crime Thriller by A.J. McCarthy

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The Bottom Line: A simmering crime thriller with an explosive payoff. As Cold Betrayal opens on a wintry day in the Quebec wilderness, 29-year-old Florida native Tori Anderson finds herself at death’s door. After surviving a car crash, a dog attack and a plunge into an icy lake, she is rescued by a seemingly benevolent ice fisherman named Ben. While it’s quickly apparent that she […]

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The Coroner, a Near-Perfect Beach Read by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

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The Bottom Line: First-time novelist Jennifer Graeser Dornbush is one of the most exciting new voices in the crime thriller genre. Emily Hartford wasn’t exactly your typical small-town teenager. In high school, she not only hung out with her Dad a lot, but she did so in the morgue, where he worked as a medical examiner. The experience was the genesis of her surgical career,

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Hometown Boys, a White-Knuckled Thriller by Mary Maddox

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The Bottom Line: Don’t miss this white-knuckled thriller from the dark princess of suspense. After the grisly murder of her aunt and uncle, 40-year-old Kelly Durrell returns to her hometown in rural Illinois. Soon, her grief is compounded by another shock – local authorities have arrested Kelly’s ex-boyfriend, a local junkie named Troy, and accepted his confession. His stated motive? Revenge. Kelly broke his heart

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Watching You, a Brilliant Psychological Thriller by Lisa Jewell

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The Bottom Line: Rear Window meets The Woman in the Window. Highly recommended. What’s creepier than a peeping Tom? How about an obsessive, socially dysfunctional teenager who spends all his free time watching and cataloguing the movements of his neighbors? He even has nicknames for them, like “red boots.” Oh, did I mention that his biggest dream is to become a spy? Melville Heights is

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Spiral Into Darkness, a Throughly Compulsive FBI Thriller by Joseph Lewis

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The Bottom Line: A thoroughly compulsive police procedural by one of America’s most promising new writers. Joseph Lewis, author of our Best of 2018 pick Caught in a Web, is back with another crime thriller featuring world-weary Milwaukee detective Jamie Graff. This time, Jamie’s expertise is requested by Summer Storm, the leader of the FBI serial killer task force. There are seven loosely connected murders, no

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The Killer Collective, a New Spy Thriller by Barry Eisler

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The Bottom Line: The best Eisler thriller in years. Over the past two decades, former intelligence operative-turned-novelist Barry Eisler has created some of the genre’s most compelling characters, most notably John Rain and Livia Lone. Eisler brings them together with great effect in The Killer Collective. When a joint FBI–Seattle Police investigation of an international child pornography ring gets too close to certain powerful people,

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Trash, a Memorable Eco-Crime Thriller by M.B. Wood

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The Bottom Line: A memorable, fast-paced and thoroughly satisfying eco-crime thriller. Even before Bay Area recycling company CEO Joe Kilbain puts a bid on a huge contract in Oakland, the win is purportedly assured, thanks in part to the attempted murder of rival Daniel Robles. But Robles, who survived a gunshot wound, won’t be easily discouraged. Neither will Kilbain, who knows the dirty politics of

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A Knife’s Edge by Eliot Parker, a Memorable Crime Thriller by Eliot Parker

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The Bottom Line: A truly memorable police procedural for the 21st century. Trouble has a way of finding middle-aged Charleston Police Department Sergeant Ronan McCullough. While he appears in uniform at the dedication for a new children’s cancer center, it’s to support his boyfriend, Ty, an ER nurse. But those plans change when a vehicle slams into the building. Moments later, he discovers the driver

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Death by the River, an Addictive Teen Thriller by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor

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The Bottom Line: A deliciously dark and timely teen crime thriller deserving of a TV series. While tackling heavy-duty subject matter with grace and sophistication, Death by the River is tailor-made for fans of Riverdale, Twin Peaks and Twilight. A monster lurks in the halls of Louisiana small town St. Benedict High School, and his name is Beau Devereaux. As high school students go, Devereaux

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Butterfly Hill, a Captivating Heist Novel by Brendan le Grange

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The Bottom Line: An exotic, utterly captivating heist novel featuring one of the genre’s most entertaining detectives. Butterfly Hill opens as fugitive stowaway Hiko Shimizu escapes the lower deck of a rusting fireboat, only to swim through toxic Hong Kong waters to find his father, a legendary bank robber. To say Hiko’s family is dysfunctional would be a vast understatement. Hiko may have plotted to

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