If you had told me when I started this blog that I would someday be writing a blog post recommending a few of my personal favorite crime books with some supernatural elements to them, I would have never believed you. I used to be staunchly opposed to crime books with any supernatural touches, but as time has gone on, and thanks to the work of very talented authors including Yrsa Sigurdardottir, C.J. Tudor, and many more, I’ve not only become open to books in this category… I’ve actually begun actively seeking them out. While I think it will always be important to me as a reader that the crime novels I read, even the supernatural-ish ones, have an earthly, logical solution to the mysteries at their core, I’ve come to discover just how much fun a thriller with a dash of the supernatural can be. Today, I’m so excited to share a roundup of my frequently recommended supernatural-ish mysteries and thrillers! Some of these books have true supernatural elements to them, while in others, the supernatural is more of a suggestion or a question to be answered over the course of the story. No matter what, all of these books have an extra-creepy edge to them that will have you reading with all the lights on. To help you guide you through this list and narrow down which books might be of interest to you, I’ve divvied this list up into three categories: Ghosts & Haunted Houses, Folklore & The Occult, and Possessions & Inexplicable Events. The books in this list exemplify that delicious blend of earthly mystery and supernatural touches that I’ve come to love so much, and I’m so excited to share this rundown of books in this category that I recommend most frequently with you today! Grab your coziest blanket, turn on all the lights, and dive in to my frequently-recommended supernatural-ish mysteries & thrillers.
Read MoreCBTB's Halloween 2020 Reading List
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!
Read MoreBook Review: THE SUN DOWN MOTEL by Simone St. James
Confession time: I used to hate mysteries with supernatural elements. Then I started reading Simone St. James. I’m a latecomer to St. James’ work, but in the relatively brief time I’ve been following her, she has transformed my reading habits. Beginning with St. James’ breakout novel The Broken Girls, and similarly reflected in her brand-new suspense novel The Sun Down Motel, St. James’ trademark blend of very earthly intrigue and otherworldly suspense has utterly won me over. In St. James’ hands, the psychological thriller gets a welcome makeover: her books are fresh, utterly addictive examples of the very best in mystery-meets-ghost story, and The Sun Down Motel is my favorite book of hers yet. Masterfully straddling two timelines, The Sun Down Motel drops readers into a small town in upstate New York—a place where time seems to have stood still, and the ghosts of the past might be a bit more literal than you’d imagine. Following a young woman who travels to Fell, New York in pursuit of the truth about her aunt’s mysterious disappearance in the same town, The Sun Down Motel will entrance with a rich sense of place, 80’s nostalgia, and an utterly gripping - and genuinely creepy - mystery. Here we have a compelling family drama, a modern ghost story, and a gripping mystery all wrapped up in one irresistible package. I loved The Sun Down Motel, and I’m betting you will, too.
Read MoreExclusive Excerpt: The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
You know that feeling when you pick up a book by a new-to-you author, and realize that it’s so perfectly up your alley, you just can’t believe you haven’t read the author’s work sooner? That was me in 2018, when I picked up Simone St. James’ chilling suspense novel The Broken Girls. I was completely swept up in the novel’s rich atmosphere, spine-tingling thrills, and compelling dual-timeline mystery - and I’ve been not-so-patiently waiting for a new Simone St. James novel ever since. If you, like me, are one of the thousands of readers who fell in love with The Broken Girls, you’re in luck: Simone St. James has a new suspense novel on sale in February 2020! THE SUN DOWN MOTEL by Simone St. James releases February 18th, 2020, and thanks to her publisher, CBTB readers can read an exclusive excerpt from the book right here!
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