As the pandemic continues to spread, an unprecedented number of intelligent, well-read people are stuck at home. Working remote (for those of us lucky enough to still have jobs) can only fill up so much of the day, and crime fiction is a comfort in times in great stress, so we put out the call for our readers to send us all their recommendation needs.
As a former bookseller, I cannot emphasize enough how satisfying this project is for me. Most of the blurbs are by yours truly, but you’ll spot a few recommendations from my CrimeReads colleagues along the way (thanks, guys!), and for more recommendations, check out this massive list from our parent site, Literary Hub.
This is likely to be an ongoing series. Feel free to tag us on Twitter or email us at crimereads@lithub.com, and we’ll make sure to help out with all your book recommendation needs.
Jay A. loves:
Kiley Reed, Such a Fun Age
AJ Finn, Woman in the Window
Claire Beams, The Illness Lesson
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Jay! Sounds like you enjoy snark and deep thinking, so I’ll try to give you one of each. Since you enjoyed The Illness Lesson, I think you’d get a kick out of Megan Abbott’s The Fever, and you also might enjoy the upcoming novel Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit. And since you liked Such a Fun Age, you might like Leila Slimani’s The Perfect Nanny, which also uses childcare as a lens to examine issues of class, gender, and race. –Molly Odintz, CrimeReads Senior Editor
Linda Robinson loves:
Mallory’s Oracle, Carol O’Connell
August Snow, Stephen Mack Jones
The Dry, Jane Harper
CrimeReads recommends:
I think you’d love Marcie Rendon’s scrappy heroine Cash, who’s got a similar backstory to Carol O’Connell’s Mallory. Since you like Stephen Mack Jones, I want to recommend Tracy Clark’s new series, which also features a former cop turned PI.—MO
Michael Martin Garrett loves:
I love trippy, surreal, deconstructive takes on the crime genre, with Inherent Vice and The Man Who Was Thursday being two big examples
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Michael, you’ve gotta check out the meta-detective novels of Gordon McAlpine, they’re right up your alley (start with Holmes, Untangled). You should also check out Kawabata Chiaki’s Death Sentences, you can’t get more deconstructive and surreal than that one.—MO
Angela C. loves:
I’m so excited about this service. I’ll use it to buy books for my dad, who’s 80 with COPD and heart disease. He loves to read Lee Child, Michael Connelly, and Harlan Coben.
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Angela, It sounds like your dad has great taste in thrillers and could use a few good new series to start. First, we’d recommend two trilogies if he hasn’t read them already: (i) Don Winslow’s Cartel Trilogy (The Power of the Dog, The Cartel, and The Border), which covers the history of the War on Drugs in the most exhilarating, insightful way imaginable; (ii) Greg Iles’s Natchez Burning Trilogy (Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree, and Mississippi Blood), which follows a Mississippi prosecutor untangling some deep, dark family secrets, with a strong thread of Southern Gothic. He might also want to dive into the works of James Lee Burke and the Dave Robicheaux series, which is set in Louisiana and features some of the most soulful, searching writing you’ll find anywhere in crime fiction. If he’s already reading these books (they’re all very popular, so he may be), come back to us and we’ll give you a slightly more far-flung list and find some new series for him to enjoy. –Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads Managing Editor
Dean C. loves:
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Accident Man by Tom Cain
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Dean, if you liked The Accident Man, you’re sure to enjoy Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series (Into the Fire is the latest). And since you mention The Pillars of the Earth, check out Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series for even more conflict between 12th century royals Stephen and Matilda. –MO
Gregor Lewis loves:
Last Man Standing, David Baldacci
The Last Thing I Saw, Alex Sinclair
CrimeReads recommends:
Since you enjoyed Alex Sinclair’s The Last Thing I Saw, I must insist that you give S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep a try. You might also consider reading Marathon Man for the first time (or the first time in 30 years). It’s aging horribly, but in a hilarious way that will make you further appreciate how good action thrillers have gotten over the years. And, to contradict that last statement entirely, Geoffrey Household’s 1939 thriller Rogue Male just keeps getting better and better! –MO
Emma Sachsse likes….
Little Face, Sophie Hannah (have read all of hers).
Rivers of London, Ben Aaronovitch( reading the series now).
Guards, Guards, Terry Pratchett (read everything by him at least three times).
CrimeReads recommends:
Congratulations! You have wonderful taste. I have also read everything by Terry Pratchett at least three times :). I think you’d quite enjoy Revolution, by W.L. Goodwater, a novel of Cold War espionage and magic; I also want to recommend Things in Jars by Jess Kidd.–MO
Steve Sanders likes…
The Last Good Kiss, James Crumley
Dare Me, Megan Abbott
Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn
CrimeReads recommends:
Since you like The Last Good Kiss, you should enjoy the new Santa Fe Noir anthology. You might also like Long Bright River by Liz Moore, since you enjoy hard-boiled fiction featuring tough women.–MO
M loves:
Lush Life, Richard Price
Every Man a Menace, Patrick Hoffman
IQ, by Joe Ide
CrimeReads recommends:
Great taste here. Normally someone mentions Richard Price and my go-to recommendation is…Patrick Hoffman. But you beat me there! How about this? Let’s go global. You might like the work of one of Colombian author, Santiago Gamboa, especially Night Prayers. Or how about some crime fiction set in Southeast Asia. Say Timothy Hallinan’s Poke Rafferty series, about a Bangkok-based travel writer, or since we’re there, John Burdett’s own Bangkok series (start at the beginning with Bangkok 8). –DM
Leslie L. loves:
Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow
Donna Tartt, A Secret History
My nine indoor cats—the only thing I love more than books (my husband ties for top status also)
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Leslie! I wish I had that many cats. One is pretty good, but nine would be even better! Since you enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow, I want to recommend What We Become, by Arturo Perez-Reverte, another elegant historical novel of lost worlds and by-gone rituals, as well as timeless romance. –MO
Matthew Happold loves:
Farthing, Jo Walton
Witchfinder, Andrew Williams
CrimeReads recommends:
Since you like alternative history mysteries about WWII, check out A Man Lies Dreaming by Lavie Tidhar, in which an alternate version of Hitler ends up as a private detective in Great Britain and proceeds to get beaten up an enormous number of times. Also, since you like espionage, check out Lauren Wilkerson’s American Spy. –MO
Lacey G. loves:
Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Frederik Backman, A Man Called Ove
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Lacey. Have you ever read Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn? It’s about a private detective/henchman with Tourette’s who has to investigate the murder of his mentor, but it’s really an exploration into the complicated history of a man who has lived peripherally for his whole life. It’s an extremely clever read, with one of the most memorable protagonists I’ve ever read. –Olivia Rutigliano, LitHub & CrimeReads staff writer.
Jan L. loves:
Maggie Hope mysteries
Some small beach town romances
Crystal Gardens, Amanda Quick (paranormal romance, but no vampires or other such creeps)
CrimeReads recommends:
How’s it going, Jan? If you like Maggie Hope, you’re in for a treat—there’s a ton of new historical fiction featuring women in espionage out there! If you like the WWII setting, try Kate Quinn’s The Huntress or Alisa Smith’s Speakeasy. I’d also recommend Anna Lee Huber’s Verity Kent series. Oh, and for a more classic turn, try Eileen Chang’s Lust, Caution. –Molly Odintz, CrimeReads Senior Editor
BklynBorn Likes:
The German Suitcase, Greg Dinallo
The November Man, Bill Granger
Redemption Road, John Hart
CrimeReads recommends:
Since you enjoy spy fiction, and novels that tie the present to the past, I think you’d enjoy Innocence, or, Murder on Steep Street by Heda Margolius-Kovaly, a novel of Cold War secrets and compromises by a woman who survived both Stalin and Hitler. You’d probably also enjoy the novels of Joseph Kanon—my personal favorite is Defectors, but you might enjoy Leaving Berlin as a good one to start with. –MO
Le grand pop likes:
Eight Perfect Murders, Peter Swanson
Heaven, My Home, Attica Locke
CrimeReads recommends:
Howdy! Hope you’re doing okay! Since you like modern updates to traditional mysteries and noir, I’d recommend Rachel Howzell Hall’s They All Fall Down and Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay. –MO
Adrienne Ericsson loves:
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
Dublin Murder Squad series, Tana French
anything by Jane Harper
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Adrienne! Hope you’re hanging in there! I recommend all of Liz Nugent’s books for you, and I think you’d also be big fan of the book Security by Gina Wohlsdorf—that one takes place in a large hotel named after Manderley. –MO
Dom Nolan loves:
Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg
GBH by Ted Lewis
The Blackbirder by Dorothy B. Hughes
CrimeReads recommends:
First off, you have excellent taste, love that you mentioned The Blackbirder. You might enjoy Simenon’s Dirty Snow, and here are some other crime books written during WWII.–MO
Nicole Tone loves:
Dublin Murder Squad series, Tana French
An Anonymous Girl, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
…everything by BA Paris
CrimeReads recommends:
I’m going to recommend one of my favorites for the year so far: you’ve got to check Helen Monks Takhar’s Precious You, it’s got one of the best looming confrontations between women that I’ve ever come across in a novel, plus it explores some of the same generational conflict that is present in An Anonymous Girl. Also, since you like B.A. Paris, check out Rena Olson for more twisted relationships and fascinatingly complex protagonists!—MO
Jenn Jenn loves:
The Chain, Adrian McKinty
Sunburn, Laura Lippman
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Jenn! Hope you’re doing well! I think you’d love Linwood Barclay’s Elevator Pitch as a high-concept thriller, and since you liked Sunburn, I want to recommend Miami Purity by Vicki Hendriks (although warning—it gets quite risque!). –MO
Shan Kelly loves:
The Crimson Lake series by Candice Fox
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Shan! I think you’d quite enjoy C.J. Tudor’s modern supernatural suspense novels. You should also check out Lisa Sandlin’s series about a hard-boiled PI in 1970s Beaumont, TX (The Bird Boys is the latest). –MO
Lindsey M. loves:
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet, the Stieg Larsson Millennium series, and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters 🙂
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Lindsey, sounds like you enjoy historical mystery fiction, and boy are you in for a treat! I want to recommend Jane Healey’s The Animals at Lockwood Manor and Sara Collins’ The Confessions of Frannie Langton; you might also enjoy Jess Kidd’s Things in Jars.—MO
Paddy Stevenson loves:
Scrublands, Chris Hammer
The Border, Don Winslow
CrimeReads recommends:
Without making the connections too explicit, I think you might like James McLaughlin’s recent debut novel, Bearskin. Also, another debut, Patrick Coleman’s The Churchgoer. I’m just following my gut here. –DM
Robert Williams loves:
Freefall by Robert Crais, How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny and Western Star by Craig Johnson (or frankly anything by any of the three of them).
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Robert, I assume you’re probably already familiar, but it might be a good time to revisit the works of William Kent Krueger, and I think you’d also love Terry Shames’ Samuel Craddock series and Attica Locke’s Darren Matthews series.—MO
Joanne Flood loves:
The Woman in the Window, AJ Finn
The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Joanne, hope you’re holding up okay! Since you like The Nightingale, I’d recommend two other books about heroic female spies: The Spies of Shilling Lane, by Jennifer Ryan, and A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell. –MO
Laurie Oakes loves:
Peace, Gary Disher
Bitter Wash Road, Gary Disher
CrimeReads recommends:
Since you like Gary Disher, you probably already know that we’re living in a new golden age of Australian crime fiction (or “Sunburnt Noir” as the publicists are calling it these days). If you haven’t already read Jane Harper and Peter Temple, you must do so immediately; you might also be partial to Kiwi crime writer Nalini Singh’s A Madness of Sunshine and the books of Aussie Emma Viskic. –MO
Dean Dailey loves:
Out of Range, C.J. Box
Old Bones, Preston & Child
CrimeReads recommends:
Hi Dean, Have you ever tried Sharyn McCrumb’s excellent ballad series? It’s set in Appalachia and features lots of archaeological digs turned murder sites, and every crime connects into history. Check out The Ballad of Tom Dooley to start with! –MO
Brent Huiberts loves:
Without Sanction, Don Bentley
The Crime Trade, Simon Kernick
Short Range, Stephen Leather
CrimeReads recommends: We see that you, good sir, are looking for some action novels. Have you read David Ricciardi’s Warning Light, or K.J. Howe’s Thea Paris series? I’d also recommend that you check out The Real Book Spy’s column on CrimeReads, where you can find many more recommendations for action-packed thrillers. –MO
Craig Terlson loves:
The Last Good Kiss, James Crumley
Black Cherry Blues, James Lee Burke
Darker than Amber, John D. MacDonald
CrimeReads recommends:
A reader after my own heart. You just named three of my all-time favorites. I suspect you’ve already read most of what I could recommend, but how about James Sallis’s New Orleans-based Lew Griffin series? Start at the beginning with The Long-Legged Fly and work your way forward to Ghost of a Flea. In between, Bluebottle is a special favorite. –DM
Control+Alt+Music loves:
The Kill Club, Wendy Heard
Framed, S.L. McInnis
CrimeReads recommends: Since you liked The Kill Club, I think you’ll also enjoy Amy Gentry’s Last Woman Standing, which is also a tech-driven feminist revenge thriller, and since you like Framed, you’re going to love The Passenger by Lisa Lutz and What Remains of Me by Alison Gaylin. –MO
Bonnie Kistler loves:
The Descent, Tim Johnston
Bearskin, James A. McLaughlin
CrimeReads recommends:
So, you like terrifying outdoor thrillers, do you? Have I got some recommendations for you! Check out the works of Stephen Graham Jones and Paul Tremblay for endless thrills and chills, or take a few days to dive into Dan Simmons’ The Terror. –MO
Sarah Prescott loves:
The Dark Corners of the Night, Meg Gardiner
Final Girls, Riley Sagar
CrimeReads recommends:
Have you read Gina Wohlsdorf’s Security? That’s a fantastic slasher novel that I think you’d really dig. You should also check out Rachel Howzell Hall’s Detective Elouise Norton series, since you like Meg Gardiner’s Caitlin Hendrix books. –MO
Pursuit Magazine loves:
Dublin Murder Squad series, Tana French
Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
CrimeReads recommends:
Since you like Irish crime writing, check out Michael Hughes’ Country and Ian McGuire’s upcoming book The Abstainers. For fans of Bluebird, Bluebird, I recommend Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay, another noir tale of racism, vengeance, and the long shadow of history. –MO
Speaking of Mysteries loves:
The Holdout by Graham Moore
Hide Away by Jason Pinter
Don’t Look Down by Hilary Davidson
The King’s Justice by Susan MacNeal
CrimeReads recommends:
If you like Don’t Look Down, check out Andrea Bartz’s The Herd and Amina Akhtar’s #FashionVictim for more murder in the beauty and wellness industries. Also, if you like The Holdout, check out Attica Locke’s Black Water Rising for a similarly complex and epic tale of race and justice. –MO
