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CBTB's Top 10 Crime Books of 2022

December 31, 2022

I can hardly believe we’ve come to the end of 2022—and what a year it’s been! I’m pretty sure I say this every year, but 2022 has truly been another outstanding year for crime fiction readers. As I reflected on my year in books while writing this blog post, it felt nearly impossible to narrow down my picks. I genuinely think we might be in the golden age of crime writing; the books crime writers had in store for us this year were nothing short of superb. From the return of fan-favorite authors to thrilling new voices being published for the first time, the crime fiction genre was in top form in 2022—making it all the more challenging to pick just 10 books from the year to highlight here! But tough choices had to be made, and made they were. Without further ado, I’m so excited to share with you my personal picks for the Top 10 Crime Books of 2022 in today’s blog post! More than any other criteria, the key thing these books have in common is simple: they are all books I’ve continued to think about since I finished reading them. These are stories that entertained me, challenged me, thrilled me, and kept me on the edge of my seat; in this list you’ll find Gothic horror, Nordic Noir, psychological suspense, and much more; a wide array of crime fiction subgenres, but all excellent books that stood out from the pack for me in 2022.

CBTB'S MUST-READ SUMMER 2022 CRIME BOOKS

July 4, 2022

I have a confession to make: this blog post was originally supposed to be my “Most-Anticipated” summer books list…but then life got really busy! Before I knew it, I looked up and it was July, and not only had a bunch of the books on the list already been published, but I realized that I had actually already read all of the books I wanted to include in this list anyway. So instead of making this a “most-anticipated” list, I’ve culled my initial list a little bit and converted it into a “must-read” list, highlighting my picks for the best new crime fiction that Summer 2022 has to offer. In a way, I hope that this new format might actually be even more helpful for you; these aren’t just books I’m anticipating, they’re all books I’ve read and loved and highly recommend! From returning favorites to new-to-me voices, from twisty psychological thrillers to “book within a book”-style stories and more, Summer 2022 has some absolutely incredible new crime fiction releases in store for us. Whether your idea of a perfect “beach read” is a page-turning domestic suspense novel or a dark, visceral horror story, I’m betting (and hoping!) you’ll be able to find it on this list. Without further ado, let’s dive on in to my picks for Summer 2022’s Must-Read Crime Books!

Cover Reveal + Excerpt: YOU'RE INVITED by Amanda Jayatissa

March 24, 2022

If you’ve been around Crime by the Book since last year, you will no doubt remember how completely obsessed I was (and, let’s be honest, still am!) with Amanda Jayatissa’s debut thriller MY SWEET GIRL. Ever since I devoured that outstanding book last fall, I’ve been not-so-patiently waiting for more information on Amanda’s next book—and the wait is over!! I am so incredibly honored to reveal the cover for Amanda’s 2022 thriller YOU’RE INVITED, and to give CBTB readers an exclusive sneak peek into the book today. YOU’RE INVITED falls into a crime fiction subgenre that I have a particular soft spot for: the wedding thriller. In this book, Amanda Jayatissa invites readers to attend a lavish Sri Lankan wedding—one which not every guest will survive. I simply cannot wait to see what Amanda does with this book’s instantly-appealing premise; based on how utterly original, dark, and gripping her debut MY SWEET GIRL was, I have no doubt YOU’RE INVITED will be another instant-hit! YOU’RE INVITED will hit US bookstores on August 9, but you can get an early glimpse into the book right here in today’s blog post! Read on to check out the book’s stunning cover, learn more about its plot, and read an exclusive, early excerpt. Huge thanks to Amanda’s US publisher Berkley for allowing me to do this reveal today—I am a huge Amanda Jayatissa fan, and it’s an absolute honor to be able to share this reveal with the CBTB community today! Happy reading!

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September 2021 Most-Anticipated Crime Books

September 4, 2021

September is here, and what an incredible month it is for us crime fiction readers! This month is bringing with it an almost too-good-to-be-true lineup of new crime, mystery, and thriller books for readers to devour—and in today’s blog post, I’m rounding up the (many!) books releasing this month that are on my personal most-anticipated list. This month sees the return of fan-favorite authors including Lisa Jewell, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Alice Feeney, and it also includes a number of my most-anticipated debut crime novels of the entire year (of particular note: debuts by authors Amanda Jayatissa and Catherine Dang, among many more!). It’s got chilling Nordic crime novels, stories involving serial killers, psychological suspense that will make you suspicious of everyone, dark revenge stories, and lots more—in short, this September is a crime fiction reader’s dream. Many of the books on today’s list I’ve already been fortunate enough to read, and others are still on my TBR list for the fall season, but all of them look exceptional. Dig into today’s blog post and clear your calendar—we’ve got some amazing books in store for us this month!

CBTB's Fall 2021 Most-Anticipated Crime Fiction Debuts

August 10, 2021

What an absolutely amazing year it’s been for crime books—and it’s far from over! This fall is bringing with it incredible new crime fiction releases from returning favorites and genre newcomers alike. Today I wanted to take a moment to celebrate some of the very exciting new voices in the crime genre whose first thriller novels will be published this fall! In today’s spotlight on buzzy fall crime fiction debuts, I’m rounding up six thrilling debut crime novels that I can’t wait for readers to get their hands on this fall! Some of these books I’ve been lucky enough to read already and others are still on my personal TBR list, but all of them look poised to deliver truly unique, compelling, twisty crime stories for us to devour in the months ahead. From new psychological suspense to legal thrillers, Nordic Noir, and beyond, this list has a little something for everyone. Read on for my picks for most-anticipated crime fiction debuts publishing from September - December 2021, and make space on your fall TBR for these thrilling new releases!

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