Police Procedural Books

The best police procedural book reviews. A subgenre of crime fiction, police procedurals focus on the methods and tactics used by law enforcement to solve cases and catch criminals.

Shattered Triangle

Shattered Triangle, a Well-Characterized Murder Mystery by William P. Messenger

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The Bottom Line: An uncommonly well-characterized murder mystery about the friendship between a politician, a priest and a police lieutenant. When a leading candidate for the U.S. Senate returns to his Los Angeles home, he finds his wife, two teenage daughters and eleven-year old son murdered. To investigating lieutenant and close family friend Tom Moran, it looks like a professional hit. But what could 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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NYPD Red 4 by James Patterson

Book Review: NYPD Red 4, a new Crime Thriller by James Patterson

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The Bottom Line: A rock solid crime thriller from one of the best in the business. Say what you will about the fact that James Patterson has published as many as 15 books in a year, and that more than 20 co-authors in fact do much of the writing. Patterson is a business, man, and business is very good. Not surprisingly, the writing in his latest outing also very good.

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Career of Evil Robert Galbraith

Book Review: Career of Evil, a new Crime Thriller by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

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The bottom line: The third in Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series is an intriguing and invigorating crime novel with defined and gruesome characters: the perfect balanced read for connoisseurs of modern detective fiction who aren’t afraid of a little brutality in their search for an imaginative read. Arguably the most gruesome Galbraith novel (and for the uninitiated, Robert Galbraith is J.K. Rowling’s pen name), Career of

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The Body Market by DV Berkom

Book Review – The Body Market: A Leine Basso Thriller by D.V. Berkom

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The Bottom Line: Taken fans will be overjoyed with this gritty thriller about a desperate race against the clock to locate a missing teenage girl. If you’re seeking an unambiguously righteous heroine to root for, look no further than the third installment in D.V. Berkom’s Leine Basso series. The Body Market finds the ex-assassin on the hunt for Elise, a 17-year-old from Beverly Hills who

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Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter

Book Review: Pretty Girls, a new Crime Thriller by Karen Slaughter

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The Bottom Line: After completely slaying us with the greatness of  Cop Town, Karen Slaughter manages to top herself with Pretty Girls. Prepare to have thy sleep disturbed by this chilling police procedural. Highly recommended. More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia’s teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is

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The Crossing by Michael Connelly

The Crossing, a new Crime Thriller by Michael Connelly

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Detective Harry Bosch has retired from the LAPD, but his half-brother, defense attorney Mickey Haller, needs his help. A woman has been brutally murdered in her bed and all evidence points to Haller’s client, a former gang member turned family man. Though the murder rap seems ironclad, Mickey is sure it’s a setup. Bosch doesn’t want anything to do with crossing the aisle to work

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Book Review: When the Tiger Kills, a Police Procedural by Vanessa Prelatte

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The Bottom Line: A serial killer with a twisted fantasy about a Norse ice goddess leads law enforcement on an unforgettable manhunt that quickly becomes personal for intrepid detective Dawn Cimarron. Recommended for fans of Patricia Cornwell and Deborah Crombie. When a young girl is abducted in an isolated campsite near Montpelier, Colorado, investigators are left with a vexing set of clues: a tube of

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Death by Romance book

Book Review: Death by Romance, a Mystery by Anne Kennison

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The Bottom Line: Death by Romance has it all: a deliciously devious criminal enterprise, a loathsome antagonist and a detective that will have you quickly wrapped around his finger. Janet Evanovich fans will find their new obsession in Anne Kennison. Richmond Homicide Detective Ryan Hamlin may be just a few months from the mandatory retirement age, but he’s hardly looking forward to spending his golden

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Book Review: Cornered, a Crime Thriller by Alan Brenham

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The Bottom Line: A high-stakes police procedural that thrills while packing a hefty emotional punch.   When the typically quiet town of Temple, Texas is terrorized by the disappearance of seven beautiful young women, local Detective Matt Brady is tasked with tracking down the abductors. Is Brady up against a psychopath, or a sophisticated criminal organization? As in Alan Brenham’s gripping crime thriller Price of

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