THE BLOG

Crime by the Book is the result of one girl's ongoing exploration of crime fiction from around the world, by the book. This book review blog operates under the premise that there is a crime read for everyone. My favorite aspect of the crime fiction genre is how expansive and elastic it is: a crime book can include elements of classic literature, romance, historical fiction, action, drama... you name it, there's a crime book that has it. No matter your literary preferences, I can almost guarantee that there is a crime book that will reflect your particular tastes. This makes crime fiction an exciting, ever-changing genre to explore, and I'm thrilled to be connecting with and creating new crime readers every day. 

As you read through my blog, you'll notice that my particular crime fiction interests skew towards Scandinavia. When Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy hit the U.S., my whole literary world was flung open: suddenly, I found stories that just clicked with me. Reading THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO was a revelation for this reader, and I've spent the years since exploring this genre to the best of my ability. Now, through Crime by the Book, I am thrilled to be able to connect you with exclusive content to give new and seasoned Nordic Noir readers alike a glimpse into the incredible crime fiction hailing from Scandinavia. You will see Scandinavian crime fiction reviews and interviews interspersed throughout my blog; for a detailed discussion of the genre and a consolidated list of my exclusive Scandinavian crime fiction content, check out my dedicated page: EXPERT WITNESS: NORDIC NOIR.

So what's your role in this crime fiction experiment? Explore the blog, find new reads, and let me introduce you to your next favorite read!


the blogger

Photo Credit: Hannah Morrissey

Hi there! Welcome to Crime by the Book. I'm Abby, the blog’s creator.

I've been a crime fiction fan ever since I first discovered my mom's childhood collection of Nancy Drew books hiding in a dusty box in the attic of my childhood home. After going on one adventure with the strawberry-blonde sleuth, I was hooked. I've been exploring the crime fiction genre ever since.

I launched Crime by the Book right after I graduated college. With my years of reading for school behind me, I found myself wanting to rediscover my love of reading for fun. And when it comes to reading for fun, for me, there’s always been one genre I loved more than anything else: crime fiction. I decided to put this love to good use, and this blog is the ever-developing product. Fast forward almost a decade, and Crime by the Book has taken me to countless crime fiction events and festivals around the world, given me the opportunity to interview many of my favorite authors, and connected me with incredible readers and likeminded bookworms both online and in real life. I’m more grateful than I can possibly say for the opportunities this blog has afforded me, and look forward to more great adventures ahead!

By day, I work in publishing (in book publicity for a division of Penguin Random House, to be specific!). CBTB remains my passion project, not a part of my job—I’m just very fortunate to get to surround myself with books, both in my professional life and in my passion project. To keep up with my day-to-day bookish adventures, pop over to my Instagram account, where I regularly share little glimpses into my life in books.

Thank you for checking out Crime by the Book! Take a look around, read some reviews, drop me a line if you have any questions—and find your next favorite crime fiction read in the process.

xx Abby