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.

One of Us, an Essential YA Whodunnit by Karen M. McManus

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The Bottom Line: An essential whodunnit for both YA and adult crime fiction fans. Karen M. McManus’ teen murder mystery is the perfect antidote to Netflix’s Riverdale, the Twin Peaks-meets-Archies mashup that never really feels set in high school. By contrast, McManus artfully sets up a believable single-setting high school atmosphere that feels inspired by both Clue and the Breakfast Club. On Monday afternoon, five […]

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The Wife Between Us, a Crime Thriller by Greer Hendricks

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The Bottom Line: Fans of Gone Girl will love Venessa Thompson, the book’s deliciously unreliable narrator. From the start, The Wife Between Us is a grand setup, a literary house of mirrors intended to invite expectations and then destroy them one by one. So yes, it’s contrived. But is it good? You betcha. This fast-paced story about a love triangle gone really wrong is driven

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Close to Home, an Addictive New Crime Thriller by Robert Dugoni

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The Bottom Line: The latest Tracy Crosswhite novel proves the series can still deliver fireworks. Seattle, Washington. While investigating the hit-and-run death of a young boy, Robert Dugoni’s intrepid homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite makes a startling discovery: the suspect is an active-duty serviceman at a local naval base. After a key piece of case evidence goes missing, he is cleared of charges in a military

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Justice Burning, a New Vigilante Justice Thriller by Scott Pratt

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The Bottom Line: Scott Pratt’s anti-hero Darren Street isn’t particularly likable, but that’s vigilante justice for you, and the book is no less riveting for it. Recommended. Former defense attorney Darren Street is desperately trying to put his life back together after spending two years in a maximum-security prison for a murder he didn’t commit. He’s rebuilding his law practice, reconnecting with his son, and

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Two Kinds of Truth, a new Harry Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly

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The Bottom Line: A perfect entry point for newbies to the Connelly’s Harry Bosch series. For the uninitiated, Connelly’s intrepid hero Harry Bosch was born in 1950 in Los Angeles to Marjorie Phillips Lowe and named after the 15th century Dutch artist. He became an orphan at 11 when his mother, a prostitute, was murdered. He subsequently grew up living in a youth hall and

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Twisted Threads, an Erotic Thriller by Kaylin McFarren

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Bottom Line: A sexy mystery that brings the timeless themes of murder, revenge and family loyalty to the high seas. A great series for fans of romantic suspense. In Twisted Threads, assassin Akira Hamada finds herself owing a life debt to Mitsui-san, a powerful member of Zakura-kai, Japan’s notorious yakuza family. And yet at the book’s outset, she is offered a way out. The price

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Cops Lie!, a Crime Novel by Leonard Love Matlick

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The Bottom Line: A hate-filled rant that demonizes the law enforcement community. Scholars of activist fiction, however, may find this diatribe on police corruption a fascinating work of art. When it comes to politically charged fiction, two seminal works come to mind. The first, E.L. Doctorow’s The Book of Daniel, is a novel about two convicted spies executed by their own country, and highlights the

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Pineapple Crush, a Terrific Hard-Boiled Crime Thriller by Richard Cahill

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The Bottom Line: Everything hard-boiled crime should be: unsentimental, sexy, gritty and hilarious. A terrific update to a timeless genre. When a murder victim is dumped at a Honolulu hotel, head of security Artie Harper finds herself and her underling fingered for the crime. Harper, a disgraced former LAPD detective and still-single Mom, is as clever as she is spicy. When the investigating Detective Ma

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Designs on Ivy’s Locket, a Spectacular Mystery by Connie Chappell

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The Bottom Line: You’ll adore this spectacular sophomore mystery from Connie Chappell. Chappell’s debut novel introduced readers to historian Wrenn Grayson. Designs on Ivy’s Locket brings them back into the world of small-town Ohio and its unique combination of local charm and unexpected intrigue. Blending history and modern-day sleuthing, Grayson’s second case takes her back to the 40s. As you might have guessed by the

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The Plan, a High-Octane Political Thriller You Won’t Be Able to Put Down

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The Bottom Line: A high-octane political thriller about murder, politics and racially motivated nationalism. You won’t be able to put it down, and this promising first entry in a planned trilogy will have fans waiting impatiently for a follow-up. When the daughter of a U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful is murdered, suspicion falls to D.C. college professor and former prosecutor Jackson Lowery. While innocent, Lowery

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