Our list of some of the best Crime Fiction books & series in recent years. Get inspired by one or more of the following books.
- Crime Fiction (The New Critical Idiom) (2005)
- Armed and Glamorous: A Crime of Fashion Mystery (2008)
- An Innocent Client (Joe Dillard Series) (2012)
- Ghost in the Machine (Detective Scott Cullen Mysteries) (2012)
- Crime Fiction: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (2015)
- The Life We Bury (2014)
- Crime and Punishment (2019)
- Seven Graves One Winter: Politics, Murder, and Corruption in the Arctic (Greenland Crime) (2018)
- Into Oblivion: An Icelandic Thriller (An Inspector Erlendur Series) (2017)
- Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (2019)
- Broadland: A chilling Norfolk Broads crime thriller (British Detective Tanner Murder Mystery Series) (2019)
Crime Fiction (The New Critical Idiom) (2005)
Crime Fiction provides a lively introduction to what is both a wide-ranging and hugely popular literary genre. Using examples from a variety of novels, short stories, films and televisions series, John Scaggs: Accessible and clear, this comprehensive overview is the essential guide for all those studying crime fiction and concludes with a look at future directions for the genre in the twentieth-first century.
Armed and Glamorous: A Crime of Fashion Mystery (2008)
Unchallenged and unappreciated, fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian slips on her trench coat and high-heeled gumshoes to pursue a course in private investigation and a shot at a better job. When a wealthy and erratic D.C. socialite is discovered quite dead outside the classroom, Lacey gets to test those sleuthing skills. Was the victim on her way to share a dangerous secret with Smithsonian? And what does it have to do with a missing Louis Vuitton vintage custom makeup case?
An Innocent Client (Joe Dillard Series) (2012)
A preacher is found brutally murdered in a Tennessee motel room.A beautiful, mysterious young girl is accused.In this Mystery Readers International finalist for "Best Debut Mystery," criminal defense lawyer Joe Dillard has become jaded over the years as he's tried to balance his career against his conscience. Savvy but cynical, Dillard wants to quit doing criminal defense, but he can't resist the chance to represent someone who might actually be innocent.
Ghost in the Machine (Detective Scott Cullen Mysteries) (2012)
‘Classic Scottish noir: bad food, bad moods, too much booze and tight plots’ @ey0k1, TwitterFor fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart McBride and Christopher Brookmyre, Ghost in the Machine is the novel that introduced readers to ambitious maverick Detective Constable Scott Cullen, whose series has set the bestseller charts alight.With a messy divorce behind her, Caroline Adamson’s future is finally looking up.
Crime Fiction: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (2015)
Crime fiction has been one of the most popular genres since the 19th century, but has roots in works as varied as Sophocles, Herodotus, and Shakespeare. In this Very Short Introduction Richard Bradford explores the history of the genre, by considering the various definitions of “crime fiction” and looking at how it has developed over time.
The Life We Bury (2014)
A USA Today bestseller and book club favorite! College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe’s life is ever the same. Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran–and a convicted murderer.
Crime and Punishment (2019)
Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in Saint Petersburg who formulates a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money. Before the killing, Raskolnikov believes that with the money he could liberate himself from poverty and go on to perform great deeds. However, once it is done he finds himself racked with confusion, paranoia, and disgust for what he has done.
Seven Graves One Winter: Politics, Murder, and Corruption in the Arctic (Greenland Crime) (2018)
In the remote Arctic community of Inussuk, seven graves are dug at the end of each summer, before the ground freezes. As winter approaches, the question is, will they be enough?When Constable David Maratse is invalided off the force, he moves to a small settlement to live the life of a subsistence hunter and fisherman.
Into Oblivion: An Icelandic Thriller (An Inspector Erlendur Series) (2017)
Into Oblivion, the follow-up to the gritty prequel Reykjavik Nights, gives devoted fans another glimpse of Erlendur in his early days as a young, budding detective.It’s 1979. A woman swims in a remote, milky-blue lagoon. Steam rises from the water and as it clears, a body is revealed in the ghostly light.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (2019)
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison.
Broadland: A chilling Norfolk Broads crime thriller (British Detective Tanner Murder Mystery Series) (2019)
“I bloody loved the book. Loved the twists and turns!” Ali Dunn “A COLD DENSE shadow fell over Jane Richardson as she hurried along the concrete towpath. To her left, moonlight danced over the River Bure’s untroubled surface as it slipped silently past, heading back the way she’d come. A low-hanging branch scratched at her face as she ducked underneath.
Best Crime Fiction Books to Read
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some crime fiction books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
British Murder Mysteries, 1880-1965: Facts and Fictions
Author(s): Laura E. Nym Mayhall, Elizabeth Prevost
ID: 3349706, Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, Year: 2022, Size: 4 Mb, Format: pdf
The Detective's Companion in Crime Fiction: A Study in Sidekicks
Author(s): Lucy Andrew (editor), Samuel Saunders (editor)
ID: 3099900, Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, Year: 2021, Size: 5 Mb, Format: pdf
Southern Cross Crime: The Pocket Essential Guide to the Crime Fiction, Film and TV of Australia and New Zealand
Author(s): Craig Sisterson
ID: 2517163, Publisher: , Year: 2020, Size: 3 Mb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not final. Some books are absolutely chart-busters according to Los Angeles Times, others are written by unknown writers. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.