It’s hard to believe that summer is coming to an end! I, for one, am so excited about the encroaching autumn - can you say perfect mystery reading weather?! But before summer comes to an end, there’s still time to grab a few end-of-summer (and totally fantastic) reads. My August recommendations list has a whole variety of new crime fiction for your consideration: from claustrophobic Icelandic crime fiction to a modern spin on the police procedural to binge-worthy “popcorn reads.” There are some genuinely unique and very exciting new reads to add to your TBR this month, and I'm so excited to share this list with you today!
Read More
6 Reasons to Read Scandinavian Crime Fiction This Summer
When you think “summer reading,” what kinds of books pop into your head? Something light and feel-good, maybe an inspiring memoir, or, if you want to venture into crime, a twisty domestic suspense novel... now, I love a good “beach read” as much as the next person, but today I want to make the case for why your summer reading list needs - or, dare I say, why it deserves - a dark and gritty Scandinavian crime novel, too. With each of the six reasons listed below, I’ll also provide an accompanying book recommendation that exemplifies that particular quality!
Read More
If You Like That, Read This: Friday the 13th Edition
Happy Friday the 13th, CBTB readers!! Whenever a Friday the 13th rolls around, I always find myself in the mood to revisit some of my favorite horror movies—and in today’s blog post, I’m doing exactly that! I’m pairing a few of my personal favorite horror movies with crime novels that involve some of the same themes, topics, or tropes. Since CBTB is a crime fiction-focused blog, the books recommended here will primarily be crime fiction, rather than straight horror - though they’ll each have a certain element of something particularly chilling or even horror-inspired to them.
Read More
Recommended Weekend Binge-Reads
It’s Friday, which can only mean one thing: it’s time to set your weekend reading list! If you’re like me, weekends are the perfect time to get cozy and bury your nose in a totally addictive, genuinely unputdownable read. Thankfully, crime fiction has (in my humble - and totally biased) opinion, some of the most accessible, most entertaining binge-reads out there - and today, I’m rounding up a few of them for your weekend TBR!
Read More
A Crime Fiction Valentine's Day
If you’ve looked just about anywhere this week - online, on TV, on social media, maybe even at your favorite coffee shop - it’s pretty darn clear that one thing is on everyone’s mind: Valentine’s Day. Now, whether or not you actually like this holiday, it sure does make the perfect excuse to revisit some favorite “Book Boyfriends” and “Book Girlfriends” in crime fiction—including some of the most twisted examples of love gone very, very wrong. Today’s roundup will highlight a few of the best (and worst!) relationships in crime fiction - from the tragic and endearing to the darkly funny and disturbing.
Read More