What are the best crime thriller books of all time? To answer that question and compile our list of recommendations, we must start at the beginning. The father of the modern crime thriller, Edgar Allan Poe, authored the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” in 1841. In the story, Poe introduced many elements that would become hallmarks of crime fiction, like the brilliant […]
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The Bottom Line: A stunning crime thriller in which the brilliant, fussy Detective Hiroshi deftly unravels a truly masterful criminal enterprise.  Michael Pronko’s newest Detective Hiroshi novel finds the brilliant police investigator — who is typically more comfortable behind a desk – taking to the streets in a deadly undercover sting operation. Hiroshi watches as the intended target, an elderly woman named Ueno, is accosted outside
Shitamachi Scam, a Stunning Crime Thriller by Michael Pronko READ MORE >
The Bottom Line: Detective Hiroshi has never been more entertaining in this electrifying crime thriller featuring some truly ingenious financial crimes. When American wealth manager Patrick Walsh returns to his Tokyo apartment and keys in his passcode, he’s surprised to find that it still works. For those unfamiliar with Tokyo, Azabu is known as one of Tokyo’s most expensive residential districts. When Walsh’s ex-wife Miyuki
Azabu Getaway, The Year’s Best Crime Thriller by Michael Pronko READ MORE >
The Bottom Line: Pronko’s best Hiroshi series book yet. Hiroshi is now as synonymous with Tokyo crime fiction as Harry Bosch is to LA noir. Voted the Best Mystery of 2021. Detective Hiroshi’s latest case revolves around the likely suicide of a Japanese media executive who appears to have jumped from the roof of a 20-story building. He died in the exact same spot as
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The Bottom Line: A first-rate hardboiled crime novel set at the nexus between porn, human trafficking, crypto-currency fraud and murder. Michael Pronko’s third Detective Hiroshi series novel begins with a bang as Sukanya, a drugged Thai teenager, narrowly escapes a brutal mass murder at a well-known porn studio. In shock, she flees with a bag, an iPad and a computer containing damning evidence. When Detective
Tokyo Traffic, a First-rate Crime Novel by Michael Pronko READ MORE >
The Bottom Line: One of the year’s best thrillers. A string of grisly murders, high stakes geopolitics and the prose of a master craftsman elevate this crime thriller to rarefied air. What do a murdered American diplomat, a set of rare erotic Japanese wood block prints, and an agreement to keep American bases in Japan have in common? That’s the question facing investigators in The
The Moving Blade, One of the Year’s Best Thrillers, by Michael Pronko READ MORE >
The Bottom Line: Set in Tokyo, this exotic crime thriller is a lightning-fast chase to the finish line that you won’t soon forget. Mystery novels are known for far-flung locations, but Tokyo isn’t often on the map. With The Last Train, Michael Pronko takes his adopted hometown and uses it as the setting for this unconventional take on the whodunit, which turns the genre on
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