Crime Reads - Suspense, Thrillers, Crime, Gun!
CrimeReads is a culture website for people who believe suspense is the essence of storytelling, questions are as important as answers, and nothing beats the thrill of a good book. It's a single, trusted source where readers can find the best from the world of crime, mystery, and thrillers. No joke,
3,491 topics in this forum
-
- 0 replies
- 255 views
International fiction has played a role of particular importance during the past two years as our worlds have shrunk, making it even more imperative to travel via fiction and film. This year featured an incredible array of international crime writing, including epic crime novels, bizarre and quirky thrillers, and pitch-black noir. There were strong showings from all over the globe, and we apologize for our francophile ways (there are two from France on here); the list also includes three novels from Japan, all completely different takes on the genre, as well as new novels from Latin American powerhouses Santiago Gamboa and Leonardo Padura. Finally, outliers include works …
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 137 views
Spring is (almost) here, the dark days are soon to be over, and it’s time to pick up a book to pass the time as we wait for the official end to winter. These five works in translation, released in February, will take the armchair traveler all over the world—or, at least, to France, Argentina, Finland, Canada, and Denmark. Some are noir, some are thrillers, and all are excellent. Enjoy! Cloé Mehdi, Nothing Is Lost Translated by Howard Curtis (Europa) This pitch-dark French noir explores the aftermath of violence and the questions still unanswered in the wake of a teen’s murder by police. 11-year-old Mattia spends his days emotionally managing the adults around him, t…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 121 views
Each month, I get to highlight crime books from across the globe, in one of my favorite tasks for CrimeReads, and March brings an exceptionally diverse host of international offerings. This month’s best crime fiction in translation features serial killers in Spain, a feminist Mafia novel from Italy, a Kafka-esque hospital dystopia set in China, a crime caper from Uruguay, and a Russian plague thriller. Juan Gómez-Jurado, Red Queen Translated by Nick Caistor (Minotaur) Red Queen feels made for multiple seasons of television with its compelling main character, a brilliant but reclusive woman who refuses to put her forensic skills to work after a personal tragedy. When…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 45 views
Crime novels in translation were few and far between for the first two months of 2024, but March brings with it a deluge of mysteries and thrillers from across the globe. Below, you’ll find five highlights from the month in globetrotting literature, including a brutal French noir, a haunting Japanese mystery, and a cynical Scandinavian parody, among others. Tanguy Viel, The Girl You Call Translated by William Rodarmor (Other Press) Viel’s latest demonstrates an acute sense of the imbalance of power and the gradations of control accompanying gendered violence and sexual exploitation. In The Girl You Call, an aging boxer finds his comeback disrupted by revelations abo…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 214 views
Time for another roundup of the best of the international true crime podcast scene. All the best from Yorkshire to Singapore…. ___________________________________ UK ___________________________________ Hometown: A Killing (BBC Sounds) Award-winning journalist Mobeen Azhar moves back to his hometown of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, to cover the death of Mohammed Yassar Yaqub but realises that there is a much bigger story in town. Yaqub was shot dead by police in January 2017 but at the trial of the man driving the car Yassar was in at the time, Moshin Amin, at Leeds Crown Court in 2018 Yassar was said to have obeyed police instructions. Hometown uncovers a world of …
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 129 views
As the nights draw in and the weather gets cold and you might find yourself heading to bed early, pulling the covers over your head, and searching for some new podcasts. But then, of course, this is the international edition of the podcasts review on Crimereads, so we’re aware that you might be enjoying a cold beer in a Singapore hawker court, grabbing lunch in a Malaysian kopitam, or hitting the beach in Australia, but perhaps still in need of a good listen. And so our semi-annual round up of the best international (non-USA) true crime podcasts in English… ___________________________________ England ___________________________________ Bad Women: Blackout Ripper (Pu…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 101 views
Literature is so full of evil dolls and puppets that it’s probably best to assume that any doll or puppet you encounter in a book is up to no good. Maybe they’re having sex with your girlfriend, maybe they’re trying to drive you insane, whatever their method, remember that we are not the same species and your first response should always be to throw it in the fire. Read these books at your own peril (not recommended) but if you want to avoid the trauma, I’ve done you the favor of reading them myself and compiling a list of the dolls and puppets you should go out of your way to avoid. Fats (Magic, William Goldman) Every time a killer puppet listicle pops up, William Go…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 382 views
Spring is here! Which means it’s time to pick up a paperback and cautiously attempt to read out of doors (if the weather cooperates). Check out our latest monthly round-up for picnic-friendly titles, as many of last year’s biggest titles get their paperback release. Anne Perry, One Fatal Flaw, Ballantine (4/6) “One Fatal Flaw is like a set of Russian dolls. . . . Anne Perry is a masterful writer and this series just gets better and better.”–Criminal Element Janelle Brown, Pretty Things, Random House Trade (4/6) “It’s Dynasty meets Patricia Highsmith.”–The Washington Post Timothy Hallinan, Street Music, Soho (4/6) “Heart-rending.” –Kirkus Reviews Danielle Tr…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 519 views
It may be wishful thinking, but it’s never too early to start planning what to take with you to the beach this summer. These new-in-paperback titles are some of the most exciting mysteries and crime novels around—plus, they won’t break the bank! * Jessica Barry, Don’t Turn Around, Harper Paperbacks (3/2) “Barry’s adrenaline-fueled adventure explores the Me Too movement, cancel culture, reproductive rights and white male extremism. Buckle up for a heart-stopping ride.”–People Magazine Darynda Jones, A Bad Day for Sunshine, St. Martin’s Griffin (3/2) Jones has a real talent for balancing suspense with laugh-out-loud humor, never losing the tension from either. –Boo…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 203 views
The CrimeReads editors pick the month’s best new books out in paperback. * Marie Benedict, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie (Sourcebooks Landmark) “A stunning story… The ending is ingenious, and it’s possible that Benedict has brought to life the most plausible explanation for why Christie disappeared for 11 days in 1926.” –The Washington Post Brian Selfon, The Nightworkers (Picador) “Electric, surprising, and tightly plotted . . . A compelling writer to watch.” –Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire emily m. danforth, Plain Bad Heroines (William Morrow) “Full of Victorian sapphic romance, metafictional horror, biting misandrist humor, Hollywood intrigue, and multipl…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 320 views
The CrimeReads editors pick the month’s best new books out in paperback. * Lucy Foley, The Guest List (William Morrow) “Lucy Foley has honed her unique brand of reverse-whodunit suspense down to a science—and thank goodness for that. … The Guest List—set at a ritzy wedding-gone-wrong on a remote Scottish isle—starts with a murder, and then plays a game of keep-away with the victim’s identity until the very last pages.” –Harper’s Bazaar Alex Pavesi, The Eighth Detective (Picador) One of the most innovative mysteries in recent memory. –The Wall Street Journal C.J. Box, Dark Sky (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) A suspenseful, action-packed yarn set in the vividly descri…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 335 views
The CrimeReads editors pick the month’s best new books out in paperback. * John Fram, The Bright Lands (Hanover Square Press) “John Fram delivers with his mix of Southern Texas humidity, mystery and dread — along with police corruption and toxic masculinity…[The Bright Lands] gives us the queer thriller in the age of Grindr we’ve been waiting for.” —Rolling Stone Lisa Lutz, The Swallows (Ballantine Books) “With a memorable cast of characters and more than a few secrets, Lutz’s latest is a turbocharged tale for our times.”—Newsweek Stuart Turton, The Devil and the Dark Water (Sourcebooks Landmark) “The locked room murder meets a Michael Bay movie, by way o…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 319 views
The CrimeReads editors pick the month’s best new books out in paperback. * S.A. Cosby, Blacktop Wasteland (Flatiron) “A roaring, full-throttle thriller, crackling with tension and charm.” –The New York Times Book Review Lisa Jewell, Before She Disappeared (Dutton) “A masterpiece of post-modern noir….A riveting stunner of a tale where the rare appearance of the sun shines down on what is certain to be one of the best thrillers of 2021.”—Providence Journal Shari Lapena, The End of Her (Penguin Books) “Shari Lapena’s latest thriller The End of Her will keep you guessing right up to the end . . . And so begins a nonstop page-turning that has become a hallma…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 203 views
The CrimeReads editors best new books out in paperback published in January, February, and March, because usually we do this every month but in January and February we were busy, okay?!? Anyway, here is a very long list of books out in paperback to make up for missing the first two months of the year. Enjoy these newly affordable favorites! * Alma Katsu, Red Widow (Putnam) “Terrific…Fans of FX’s ‘The Americans’ will recognize a world where professionalism can fall prey to sexism, careerism, and garden-variety klutziness. Duncan’s job is a lot ‘like juggling knives,’ and Katsu makes us care that she doesn’t bobble.” –The Washington Post Hank Phillippi Ryan, Her P…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 513 views
As we enter the second year of the pandemic, we’re launching a new monthly column to bring awareness to the great titles you might have missed the first time around. These new-in-paperback titles are some of the most exciting mysteries and crime novels around—plus, they won’t break the bank! Gytha Lodge, Watching from the Dark, Random House Trade (1/5) “Readers will enjoy the fast pace, red herrings, and intriguing characters in this British police procedural–slash-psychological thriller.”—Booklist Hank Phillippi Ryan, The First To Lie, Forge (1/5) “A taut, propulsive plot with twists that will take your breath away…book clubs will gobble up The First to Lie.” —Sa…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 290 views
The CrimeReads editors pick the month’s best new books out in paperback. * Roberto Saviano, Savage Kiss Translated by Anthony Shugaar (Picador) There’s not an ounce of Mario Puzo’s romanticism in this grimly riveting tale of crime and punishment. –Kirkus Reviews Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, The Scorpion’s Tail (Grand Central) “Preston and Child have designed an intricate thriller that takes several twists and turns, but never totally diverts from the crux of the story. This is a series that demands attention.” –New York Journal of Books Sophie Hannah, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (William Morrow) “Yet again, the d…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 208 views
The CrimeReads editors select the month’s best new crime fiction. * Delilah S. Dawson, The Violence (Ballantine) The Violence continues a trend in dystopian thrillers concerned with gendered violence, including Vox and The Power. In The Violence, a new pandemic arrives—this one with the power to infect its hosts into committing unstoppable acts of savagery against all those nearby. It isn’t long, however, before some begin to see their infection as their savior, for finally those with the Violence can fight back against those who are bigger and stronger than they are. Throw in a bat-shit professional wrestling plot arc, and this one is not to be missed. –Molly Od…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 266 views
The CrimeReads editors select the month’s best new crime fiction. * Kellye Garrett, Like a Sister (Mulholland) Kellye Garrett’s Like a Sister is an early contender for breakout novel of the year, with Garrett delivering a twisty, compelling gut-punch of a story. After the body of a reality TV star is found in the Bronx, everyone seems content with the explanation of an overdose, except the deceased’s estranged sister, who goes on a personal odyssey in search of the truth about what really happened that fateful night. Garrett is an immensely talented rising star in the world of crime fiction, and with Like a Sister she’s delivered a deeply searching, deeply felt …
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 206 views
The CrimeReads editors select their favorite new fiction this month. * Katie Gutierrez, More Than You’ll Ever Know (William Morrow) In Katie Gutierrez’s powerhouse debut, a woman with two husbands loses one to the violence of the other, and a true crime writer uncovers shocking secrets decades after. I love this book more than Delores “Lore” Rivera loves both her families and now you have to read this book to understand what I mean. –Molly Odintz, CrimeReads Senior Editor Chris Offutt, Shifty’s Boys (Grove) Offutt’s powerful follow-up to The Killing Hills is just as rich in atmospherics and a master-class in the craft of crime fiction. Mick Hardin is back in th…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 228 views
The CrimeReads editors select their favorite new fiction this month. * Deon Meyer (Transl. K.L. Seegers), The Dark Flood (Atlantic) Meyer brings readers another tense thriller with meticulous plotting, delving into corruption in South Africa’s power structures, police abuses, and land schemes. Detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido, facing exile, go on the search for a missing university student and computer programer, a case that will once again send them down the mean streets of a broken system. Meyer is one of today’s most skilled crime craftsmen. –DM Isabel Cañas, The Hacienda (Berkley) Isabel Canas takes the gothic novel to the haciendas, just as Sy…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 225 views
A look at the best new crime nonfiction books released in February and March. Susan Jonusas, Hell’s Half-Acre (Viking) The many murders committed by some members of the Bender family in late 19th century Kansas remain one of the most confounding, unsettling cases in American history, in no small part because the killers seem to have escaped into oblivion, lost to history. In Hell’s Half-Acre, Susan Jonusas goes deep into the period’s archives to uncover previously unknown pieces of the story, focusing in large part on the Bender’s escape across the frontier, aided by communities of outlaws and tracked by incompetent detectives at the center of a sudden public maelstro…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 174 views
The CrimeReads editors select the month’s best new fiction in crime, mystery, and thrillers. * Jennifer Hillier, Things We Do In The Dark (Minotaur) I’ve been obsessed with Jennifer Hillier’s sly psychological thrillers since her breakout hit Jar of Hearts, and Things We Do In the Dark promises to showcase her characters’ signature slippery grasp on morality once again. Paris Peralta is found at the center of a shocking crime scene, but she’s not afraid of the police: she’s afraid of the woman from her past who will recognize the crime and come calling. I cannot wait to read this book. –MO Daniel Silva, Portrait of an Unknown Woman (Harper) Every Daniel Silva h…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 186 views
The CrimeReads editors select the month’s best new fiction in crime, mystery, and thrillers. * Winnie M. Li, Complicit (Emily Bestler Books) Winnie Li stunned the crime and literary worlds with her intense debut, Dark Chapter, based around a traumatic incident in the author’s own life and nominee for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Now she’s back with another story that mines her own experiences, this time centered on the toxicity of the film industry. Complicit is both a # thriller and a complex literary achievement that sheds an important light on Hollywood’s darkest secrets and brings an essential and underrepresented perspective—that of an Asian-American fi…
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 164 views
It’s just about October, which means your streaming services are going to be packed full of horror, but for the avid crime watcher there’s still quite a bit to look forward to, as long as you don’t mind a tinge of fright in your weekly viewing, or else you’re a fan of British mystery in particular, in which case you’re in luck, because there are some gems headed across the Atlantic in the weeks ahead. Here, a few highlights on the calendar. Sherwood (Britbox / Premieres October 4) Set in a Nottinghamshire mining village, Sherwood tracks an investigation into two murders in a community still processing the legacy of a miners’ strike decades before. Clues point to one …
Last reply by Admin_99, -
- 0 replies
- 107 views
After a deep run of new shows premiering in March, and with Succession still only two episodes into its final season, you may feel like your plate is relatively full, but I’m urging you to make a bit more room because if nothing else we’ve got Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons in an adulterous affair that leads to murder coming this month, and don’t forget Barry is making its swan song, too. I’m just kidding. I’ll be clearing everything for the NBA playoffs and will probably end up watching most of these worthy new shows in July/August. The Good Mothers (Hulu / Premieres April 5th) Based on the nonfiction book by Alex Perry, this story follows two women from ‘Ndrangh…
Last reply by Admin_99,