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.

The Blood on My Hands - Shannon O’Leary

The Blood on My Hands, a True Crime Thriller by Shannon O’Leary

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The Bottom Line: For fans of the serial killer genre, this shattering autobiography by the child of a real-life mass-murderer will be absolutely unforgettable. “I first contemplated suicide at the age of four,” writes Shannon O’Leary, who uses pseudonyms to protect family members. “I devised my death plan down to the very last detail but never had the courage to see it through to completion. […]

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Pigeon Blood Red

Pigeon Blood Red, a Crime Thriller by Ed Duncan

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The Bottom Line: This charming, classically-told crime thriller is a must for noir fans. Ed Duncan’s debut crime thriller revolves around a stolen necklace with sixteen colormatched rubies, each a prized pigeon-blood red. The necklace – which comes with quite a pedigree – belongs to Chicago loan shark Frank Litvak, who entrusts it to rank-and-file muscle Rico Sanders and his colleague, Jerry. If you’re thinking

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The Butterfly Garden

The Butterfly Garden, a Mystery by Dot Hutchison

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Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden. In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens. When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents

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End of Watch by Stephen King

End of Watch, a new Crime Thriller by Stephen King

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The Bottom Line: If you’ve read the first two books in King’s Bill Hodges trilogy, you can’t possibly miss the finale. If you haven’t read them, shame on you (see our reviews for those books here and here). In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed

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The Night Stalker book

The Night Stalker, a Serial Killer Thriller by Robert Bryndza

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The Bottom Line: The sequel to Bryndza’s first Erika Foster novel is every bit as chill-inducing as the first. A must for fans, and a “strong buy” for those new to his work. In the dead of a swelteringly hot summer’s night, Detective Erika Foster is called to a murder scene. The victim, a doctor, is found suffocated in bed. His wrists are bound and his

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Before the Fall Noah Hawley

Before The Fall, a New Suspense Thriller by Noah Hawley

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On a foggy summer night, eleven people–ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter–depart Martha’s Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs–the painter–and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul’s family. With chapters weaving between the aftermath

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Girls on Fire Rebecca Wasserman

Book Review: Girls on Fire, a New Crime Thriller by Robin Wasserman

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The Bottom Line: With Robin Wasserman at the helm, it’s never too early or late for Halloween. This barnburner of a novel about intense obsession is a must-read. Halloween, 1991. A popular high school basketball star ventures into the woods near Battle Creek, Pennsylvania, and disappears. Three days later, he’s found with a bullet in his head and a gun in his hand—a discovery that

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Book Review: The Last Mile, a New Crime Thriller by David Baldacci

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The Bottom Line: Even when Baldacci isn’t at his best, he’s still one of the best in the business at cooking up complex whodunnits that keep you guessing until the very end. Convicted murderer Melvin Mars is counting down the last hours before his execution–for the violent killing of his parents twenty years earlier–when he’s granted an unexpected reprieve. Another man has confessed to the

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Accidental Vigilante book cover

The Accidental Vigilante, a Crime Novel by Robert Sterling Hecker

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The Bottom Line: An impressive debut about vigilante justice that establishes author Robert Sterling Hecker among the most promising new crime novelists. When rookie detective Jeremy Porter is transferred to New Orleans’ Child Abuse Section, his initial exuberance quickly gives way to revulsion. He’s shocked to discover that extremely dangerous sex offenders live with little supervision from a stretched-thin police force, and recidivism rates range

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The Shooting, a Mike Gage Thriller by William G. Davis

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The Bottom Line: One of the best terrorism thrillers of the year. David Baldacci fans may find a new favorite author in William G. Davis. In an age when school shootings are all too common, and society grapples with what appear to be random acts of senseless violence, the mirror is often turned on American culture. But what if the cause was something far more

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