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Crime by the Book

A girl investigates crime fiction from around the world, by the book.
  • Blog
  • Quick Reviews
  • Nordic Noir
    • Introduction
    • Background
    • Book Recommendations
    • By Country
    • Interviews
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  • #ReadWithCBTB
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the cbtb blog

One girl's ongoing investigation of the crime fiction genre.

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Book Review: SURVIVE THE NIGHT by Riley Sager

June 29, 2021

The day is finally here: SURVIVE THE NIGHT, the highly-anticipated new thriller by bestselling author Riley Sager, is available now—and it is entirely worth the wait. In his newest thriller, Sager invites readers into the passenger seat for a car ride you’ll never forget. The year is 1991, and college student Charlie has just accepted a ride from a stranger she met on her campus ride board. Charlie is desperate to leave school and get back home to Ohio, and Josh is heading that way, too. What could possibly go wrong? Not long after the two have departed, Charlie becomes suspicious of her traveling companion… and before the night is over, Charlie will have reason to believe that she is in the car with a serial killer. In SURVIVE THE NIGHT, Riley Sager delivers a gripping, just-one-more-page thriller that begins with a simple premise, and unfurls into one of the most memorable suspense stories of the year. SURVIVE THE NIGHT has all the key ingredients readers expect from a Sager suspense novel: an endearing, independent protagonist, a horror-movie-worthy premise, and a masterful command of plot and pacing that will keep readers glued to the pages. Add in a jaw-dropping, earth-shattering final reveal in the book’s last few pages and you’ve got yourself a surefire winner in SURVIVE THE NIGHT. Sly, immersive, and wildly original, SURVIVE THE NIGHT is Riley Sager’s best book yet.

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In Book Review Tags Riley Sager, Survive the Night, Final Girls, Home Before Dark, The Last Time I Lied, Lock Every Door
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CBTB's Halloween 2020 Reading List

October 6, 2020

Friends, it’s the most wonderful time of year: spooky season!! Halloween is my favorite time of year (yes, I consider it a time of year—not just a single day!), and it’s the perfect time to cozy up with an extra-chilling crime, suspense, or thriller read. I’m so excited to share with you a blog post that has been quite a while in the making: my Halloween 2020 Reading List! While many (if not most!) of the books I read and cover here on Crime by the Book could fit on a Halloween reading list, the books I’ve chosen for this blog post have that little something extra that will make each of them perfect for Halloween reading (think: ghosts, supernatural sightings, extra-creepy villains, and more!). Dive on in and find your perfect Halloween read!

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In Reading List Tags Halloween Books, Halloween Reading, Riley Sager, Home Before Dark, The Turn of the Key, Ruth Ware, C.J. Tudor, Kill Creek, Scott Thomas, Simone St. James, The Sun Down Motel, Final Girls, Halloween 2020, Rachel Harrison, The Sandman, Lars Kepler, Birdman, Mo Hayder, The Nesting, C.J. Cooke, The Craftsman, Sharon Bolton, The Silence of the White City, Catherine House, Elisabeth Thomas, In the Vines, Shannon Kirk
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CBTB's Guide to Riley Sager Thrillers

February 22, 2020

You know those authors whose work just instantly clicks for you? That’s me with Riley Sager’s thrillers. Over the past few years, Riley Sager has quickly cemented himself as one of my absolute favorite writers working in the psychological thriller space. His books are an irresistible blend of compelling characters, can’t-stop-reading plots, and ode to horror film and fiction, and he’s one of those rare authors whose novels truly seem to just get better and better. I’m basically always waiting for the next book that Riley will release, and if you haven’t tried his books yet, consider this blog post your sign that it’s time to give them a try! I promise, time spent in any of Sager’s books is time well spent. In today’s blog post, I’ll be sharing my personal story and experience with Sager’s books, plus giving you a rundown of what kind of reader I think will best appreciate each of his fantastic previous releases. Sager is one of those authors I just can’t stop cheering for—he is so deserving of the success that has come his way over the past few years, and I can’t wait to hopefully get a few more readers hooked on his work today! Read on for my personal anecdotes on Sager’s books, and a guide to his thrillers so far.

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In Reading List, Recommendation Tags Riley Sager, Final Girls, The Last Time I Lied, Lock Every Door
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Book Review: LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager

July 1, 2019

If you pack one book in your beach bag this summer, make it Riley Sager’s razor-sharp take on gothic suspense: LOCK EVERY DOOR, available July 2nd. You know those authors who just seem to get better and better with each new book? Sager is one of them, and LOCK EVERY DOOR cements him as a staple of any psychological thriller reader’s library. Blending horror tropes with spine-tingling suspense and juicy, just-one-more-page intrigue, LOCK EVERY DOOR invites readers inside one of New York’s most exclusive addresses—a place that might never let its readers - or its residents - go. Enter the Bartholomew: a (fictional) high-end apartment building overlooking Central Park. When down-on-her-luck protagonist Jules secures a position as an apartment-sitter in the Bartholomew, she can hardly believe her luck. But as Jules settles in and befriends a fellow apartment-sitter, she begins to worry that this beautiful building hides within its walls secrets darker than she could have ever imagined. In LOCK EVERY DOOR, Sager crafts a page-turning story of gothic suspense worthy of a place alongside the horror classics that inspired it. Protagonist Jules is a relatable and compelling millennial: a young woman struggling against the odds to make a life for herself, who just so happens to accept a job that might be her last. In the Bartholomew, nothing is as it seems. Enter at your own risk.

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In Book Review Tags Riley Sager, Lock Every Door, Psychological Thriller, Final Girls, Rosemary's Baby, Ira Levin
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Cover Reveal Lock Every Door Sager.png

Cover Reveal: Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

October 30, 2018

You heard it here first: Riley Sager has a new book releasing next year, and it looks fantastic. LOCK EVERY DOOR will release on July 2nd, 2019, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to help reveal its gorgeous cover today! In this post, you can see the stunning cover of LOCK EVERY DOOR, learn more about the book’s plot, and pre-order it! A huge thanks to Dutton Books for letting me participate in this cover reveal—it’s a genuine honor to help celebrate the newest book from one of crime fiction’s hottest rising stars. Happy reading - and the countdown to LOCK EVERY DOOR begins now.

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In Cover Reveal Tags Riley Sager, Lock Every Door, Final Girls, The Last Time I Lied
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View fullsize My personal crime fiction collection 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 aka my favorite corner of my apartment. 📚🙌🏻 If anyone feels so inclined, I’d love to see what YOUR bookshelves look like! Snap a pic, share in your stories, & tag me - I’d love to
View fullsize I can never say no to a creepy read with a gorgeous black & white cover. 🕵🏻‍♀️🤍🖤 next on my TBR: THE SHADOWS by Alex North, available on my birthday, 7/7!!😉🔎 (huge thank you to @celadonbooks for this review copy!🤓) •
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View fullsize Being stuck at home isn’t so bad when you’ve got a massive stack of books to read. 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 What’s on your social-distancing TBR?! 📖
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View fullsize Happy Monday, friends! 🖤 Back in NYC and back to work after an amazing (if much too short) visit to Oslo 🇳🇴 annnd currently drinking a cold brew ☕️ at my desk & hoping it keeps me awake this afternoon 😂 jet lag + not enough sleep last night =
View fullsize Last looks at beautiful Oslo 🇳🇴 for this trip. ❤️ So very sad to leave, but I’m bringing wonderful memories & a suitcase stuffed with books 📚 back to NYC with me. 😉 See you soon, Oslo... you know I can’t stay away for long. 🥰❤️
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