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,
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Each month the CrimeReads editors make their selections for the best upcoming fiction in crime, mystery, and thrillers. * Caroline Kepnes, You Love Me (Random House) Kepnes keeps turning up the intensity with each new installment of the Joe Goldberg series, this time sending her protagonist-villain to an island in the Pacific Northwest, where he finds work, naturally enough for Joe, at a local library, and of course trains his attention (and delusions) on one of the librarians. In the past, Joe has been very much a creature and observer of cities, first New York and then Los Angeles. The move to a small-town adds a special, terrible intimacy to his crimes, not to men…
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“Be gay, do crime.” These four short words have become the new rallying cry at Pride demonstrations, but a glance at the canon of queer film suggests you might not hear this sentiment at the cinema. Classic films like The Children’s Hour and Suddenly, Last Summer often take up Gothic elements to convey the paranoia and sense of entrapment felt by queer characters, but their plots are focused on individual psychology rather than the detection of a crime, as are more overt crime films, such Harold Prince’s gay murder mystery Something for Everyone from 1970. This disconnect between queer cinema and crime film might be surprising, given that, until fifty years ago, to be g…
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New York Times bestselling author Michael Koryta got the call from the records office at Indiana University shortly before he was scheduled to graduate. Looking back, it’s easy to understand why he overlooked a single core prerequisite. Koryta was busy writing part-time for the Bloomington Herald-Times, he worked occasionally for a private detective and in what spare time he had left, he was writing novels. He did all of this while studying for a degree in criminal justice because he never lost sight of his goal to become a crime fiction writer. Koryta was a college sophomore when he sold his first novel. While shopping his manuscript, the 19-year-old didn’t tell anyone…
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Monday, June 29, 1992 A girl with dark brown hair jumped off the train at the same time as the four young men from the San Viator cuadrilla. The five teenagers spread out across the bare station at Cabezón de la Sal, a town in Cantabria famous for its salt flats. Their backpacks were full of supplies, and their hearts were full of expectations for the summer. Waiting for them was the project director, Saúl Tovar, a young professor dressed informally in a checkered shirt. He welcomed them and introduced several student assistants who had already attended summer camp there. There weren’t many: a few second- and third-year girls studying history who swarmed around Saúl, …
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Reading has always been a great escape in my life. Books gave me joy, taught me much, but mostly, they were entertainment. I had a good upbringing, raised by my mom and grandma. We weren’t rich or poor, I had what I needed. Books, however, were a luxury, an “extra” given to me as gifts or on special occasions because they weren’t in the budget. So I spent many hundreds of hours at the library. Free books! Thousands to choose from. Tastes change, and different people like different genres, but from the beginning, I gravitated toward mysteries and thrillers. My childhood favorites are similar to many writers in my genre: Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew; Agatha Christie and L…
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What is it that draws suspense authors to Texas settings? In a word: variety. From the sunbaked desert to the shadowy piney woods, from the rugged Chisos Mountains out west, to the sugary sand beaches down south, authors of Texas-based stories have a wide variety of dramatic settings to choose from. As America’s second-largest state, Texas encompassing nearly 270,000 square miles, offering storytellers an array of interesting places to set their adventures. And the people are just as varied as the topography. Across the sprawling Lone Star State, many different people and worlds collide, creating conflict and tension—two key ingredients in suspense fiction. The list of…
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“Well, that was fun, but it wasn’t at all realistic!” is an often shared opinion by readers after snapping closed an engrossing though twisty thriller. I always find those kind of assessments amusing because: Don’t we read fiction to escape reality? No matter how far-fetched the plot, I bet I could find a real-life example that is even more outlandish because “Truth is stranger than fiction,” as Mark Twain once said. When I decided to begin researching for my book The Three Mrs. Greys—a novel about Cyrus Grey, a conman who marries three different women and lies unconscious in the hospital room while his wives are left to unravel his secrets and solve his attempted murd…
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The old lady sits in her favourite rocker. To her listener it seems unyieldingly hard, softened for her fragile frame only by the thinnest of cushions at her back. Her hair, silver grey, has lost neither its lustre nor its abundance, but is pulled back into the severest of buns. The smooth, shiny-thin skin of her face is flushed from the heat of the fire, embers glowing in the blackened hearth of this vast cheminée that so dominates the end wall of the salon. Her voice, like her frame, is slight, and he finds himself realising that at seventy-five she is really only ten years older than he. Will the next ten years reduce him as it has her? But still, there is a clarity …
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A look at the month’s best reviewed crime novels, mysteries, and thrillers. Elizabeth Brooks, The Whispering House (Tin House) “… atmospheric and creepy, and as needy, nostalgic Freya is pulled deeper and deeper into its shadows, the reader’s worry for her grows—and, with it, the novel’s suspense. Freya is haunted by words she wishes she could take back, the sister she lost, the love that never was, the hopes for the future that she couldn’t attain; all of these materialize in the deep shadows and shifting portrait-eyes of Byrne Hall. Brooks has crafted a slow-simmering, psychological, gothic novel about grief and longing.” –Leah Von Essen (Booklist) Viet Than…
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The 1920s—roaring as they were—were quite an evocative time period. So much so that when I sat down to write my debut novel Murder at the Mena House (followed by Murder at Wedgefield Manor, releasing March 30th), there was no question about when I would set the Jane Wunderly Mystery series. After all, what period paints a mental picture more easily than the 1920s, with its flappers, cocktails, and jazz? It’s been suggested, especially recently, that the social flavor of the 1920s was a reaction to the Spanish Flu pandemic that swept the globe in 1918 and 1919. Millions of people worldwide died, and when it was safe to congregate again, they did so in style. Combine that …
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Several years ago, I was hired to write an animal trafficking movie for Leonardo DiCaprio, who was hoping to shine a light on that particular issue. The elation of getting the job was soon followed by panic at the discovery that almost is nothing is known about how animals are actually trafficked. This was surprising, because animal trafficking is one of the largest illicit markets in the world, along with drugs and guns. But unlike drugs and guns, animals are not a law enforcement priority, so what little is known about poaching/trafficking is limited to stories in magazines like National Geographic about poachers in sub-Saharan Africa and ivory markets in Asia. But bare…
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The 2008 documentary Have You Seen Andy? is, sadly, not a unique true crime story. An unsolved mystery, a missing child, a devastating family tragedy… it fits neatly into the seemingly endless list of heartbreaking disappearances that leave families lost and broken. What snagged the fabric of my attention in this tale was the narrator: the filmmaker, Melanie Perkins, had been Andy’s childhood friend when he disappeared at age 10. His disappearance was written into her being, and she couldn’t leave Andy behind. She was a nine-year-old girl when her best friend went missing, and I’m sure her part of the story was remembered by her parents, and perhaps Andy’s mother thought …
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Another week, another batch of books for your TBR pile. Happy reading, folks. * Victoria Helen Stone, The Last One Home (Lake Union) “Stone gradually reveals her multifaceted characters’ secrets as the intricate, fast-paced plot builds to a surprising conclusion. Fans of dark, twisted tales of dysfunctional families will be satisfied.” –Publishers Weekly Paula Munier, The Hiding Place (Minotaur) “The sequel to Blind Search is a riveting, fast-paced story of family and small-town secrets. Tension builds quickly in the emotional story involving unforgettable working dogs and the people who love them.” –Library Journal Allison Brennan, Tell No Lies (MIRA)…
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Bangalore, officially now called Bengaluru, is the capital city of the Indian state of Karnakata in south west India. Eleven million people in what is now India’s third largest city. The country’s ‘Wild South’ and also one of India’s ‘Garden Cities’. But, of course, most people now think of Bangalore as ‘India’s Silicon Valley’, home to an estimated 7,700 millionaires and eight billionaires with a total wealth of US$320 billion. And, as we all know, where there are that many millionaires and billionaires with that much money there will be some crime too just as night follows day. If any book has made English language readers more aware of Bangalore then it’s probably Ar…
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In crime and mystery novels, predictability is one of the most complicated elements of the narrative—but balancing it correctly is often essential for the page-turning, satisfying read that I’m always craving. Predictability is a tightrope walk; if I guess the twists too soon, that can make the lead up feel hollow or the climax feel low-stakes, but if the set-up doesn’t accurately reflect the reveal, the twists or ending seem totally bonkers. My favorite twists are ones I didn’t see coming, but seem obvious (or, at least, reasonable) when I look back on what I’ve read. I don’t mind guessing a twist if the characters are engaging and the scenes are still full of delicious…
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When I set out to write my first mystery, I knew two things: 1) There would be dogs—my admittedly lofty ambition was to be “Julia Spencer-Fleming with dogs”; and 2) The dogs would not be golden retrievers. Why not? Because everyone writes about golden retrievers. Goldens are one of America’s favorite dogs, ranking #3 in popularity in the AKC’s list of 195 breeds. Only Labrador retrievers and German shepherds are more popular—and you wouldn’t know that by looking at our entertainment, as goldens predominate on TV and film and in books. From to Air Bud and Golden Winter to Homeward Bound and Marley & Me, the media are gaga about goldens. To be fair, they are nice dogs…
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CrimeReads editors select the month’s best new nonfiction crime books. * Dirty Gold: The Rise and Fall of an International Smuggling Ring By Jay Weaver, Nicholas Nehamas, Jim Wyss, and Kyra Gurney (PublicAffairs) Dirty Gold is an eye-opening, compulsively readable investigation into the world of illegally-mined gold and the business networks that prop that system up. From a team of Miami Herald reporters who first exposed the South Florida businessmen trafficking in gold taken out of illicit Peruvian operations, this book will change the way you look at the precious metal, which fuels an underworld trade more lucrative than cocaine, with devastating humanitarian c…
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The Anderson Tapes is a heist movie, there’s no doubt about that. It depicts the typical thrills and shenanigans of the genre, beginning when a charismatic ringleader assembles a colorful crew of criminal masterminds with varied skills, to pull off one last job. It is, to say the least, a good time at the movies. When it was released in 1971, it did quite well at the box office, grossing $5 million. But it received mixed reviews, and if it is remembered today at all, it is for presenting the world with the first mainstream film performance of Christopher Walken. But, if you really listen to The Anderson Tapes, then you will learn that it is bolder than a traditional heis…
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At the start of his career, Christopher Nolan directed three films that embraced the tropes and spirit of noir. Beyond the shifty characters and underhanded betrayals and sudden violence, he imbued these works with a sense of neurotic fear and fatalism that harkened back to the great originals of the 1940s and 50s. Filmed for an ultra-low budget, the black-and-white “Following” (1998) is about a young writer who follows strangers around London; he’s soon noticed by Cobb (Alex Haw), a slick criminal who quickly becomes a mentor figure—but a double-cross awaits. Nolan’s next film, “Memento” (2000) is a twisty mind-bender about a brain-damaged man (Guy Pearce) pursuing his …
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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…
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CrimeReads editors select the month’s best debuts in crime, mystery, and thrillers. * Nicole Glover, The Conductors (HMH) Glover’s debut is a captivating blend of genres, tapping into strands of historical fiction, mystery, and fantasy. The Conductors tells the story of Hetty Rhodes, a former conductor on the Underground Railroad, now settled in Philadelphia, practicing magic and taking on unsolved cases the police won’t touch. A new job takes her through some mysterious corners of postwar Philadelphia and offers up startling revelations about the city’s new order and the lingering effects of community trauma. –Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads Editor-in-Chief Alexandra An…
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When U.S. Coast Guard cutters shelled and sank the Canadian rumrunner I’m Alone in the Gulf of Mexico in March 1929, one of its crewmen perished. Meet Captain Jack Randell, the scrappy smuggler whose daring exploits turned deadly—and sparked an international incident. ___________________________________ Rifle and machine-gun bullets ripped through the sails and rigging of the booze-laden Canadian schooner I’m Alone on a March morning in 1929. Shells from the deck gun of a U.S. Coast Guard cutter blasted holes in the rumrunner’s hull and it began to sink, bow-first. Skipper Jack Randell, struggling to stand on the sloping deck, remained defiant. “No, damn you!” he shout…
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By ten a.m. on the morning of Saturday, October 18, 1947, the awful word had gotten round among the other fifty-nine first-class passengers sailing aboard the Durban Castle, an ocean liner situated off the coast of equatorial Africa that was en route to the English city of Southampton from Cape Town, South Africa. Gay Gibson had disappeared! Gay Gibson, the vanished young woman, was an enchanting auburn-haired, milky-skinned stage actress, only twenty-one years old, who had left her home in South Africa aboard the Durban Castle in order, she told people, to find her fame and fortune strutting upon the boards in England, where she had originally resided with her peripatet…
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HUGHIE MCLOON WALKED OUT of the speakeasy at a quarter to two in the morning with a hoodlum on each arm. Here he was, the most recognized and popular little guy in Philadelphia—hadn’t they asked him to hold up the round cards at the Dempsey-Tunney fight with 130,000 people in the stands?— and now he was running his own café at Tenth and Cuthbert, five short blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and life should have been, as they said in those days, the berries. McLoon was serving sandwiches, “light lunch,” and bootleg ale and whisky ladled from buckets secreted behind the counter when two wise guys with names off a Hofbrau menu, Meister and Fries, imposed …
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Spring has arrived, the clocks have moved forward, and we’re all one step closer to being about to travel for real, but as we wait for the world to open up, there’s still plenty of international crime novels to tide us over. March’s line-up features eerie Scandinavian folk horror, a thrilling Nigerian mystery, an elegant investigation in Italy, and new historicals from Poland and France. Camilla Sten, The Lost Village Translated by Alexandra Fleming (Minotaur) The folk horror wave continues! Thank god for Midsommar and all the many wonderful works that are now able to be compared to it. In The Lost Village, a documentary filmmaker is drawn to uncovering the secrets …
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