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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
    • Reviews
    • Features
  • #ReadWithCBTB
  • Features
  • Reading Lists
  • Events
  • Go-to Book Recs
  • As Seen In
  • About
  • Connect

the cbtb blog

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

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5 Nordic Thrillers to Read This Halloween

October 10, 2021

It’s the best time of year: spooky season!! The stretch of the year from Halloween through Christmas is always my favorite, and, coincidentally, I also think it’s the perfect time of year to dig into a great Scandinavian crime novel. While we may gravitate towards the chilling, snowy atmosphere of Scandinavian crime fiction during the winter months, the genre also has a lot to offer when it comes to sinister, supernatural-ish books that make for great Halloween reading! In today’s blog post, I wanted to combine two of my favorite things—Nordic Noir and Halloween—into one reading list perfect for spooky season. All the books featured in today’s blog post have an element of supernatural-ish chills to them, whether hints of ghosts and hauntings or elements of the occult and more. If you’re a fan of dark, brooding, slow-burning crime fiction and are looking for a book that ups the chill factor for your Halloween reading list, these books will be right up your alley. Read on for my picks for Nordic thrillers perfect for your spooky season to-read pile!

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In Halloween Reading List, Scandinavian Crime Tags Nordic Noir, Halloween Books, Halloween Reading, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, I Remember You, The Undesired, Max Seeck, The Witch Hunter, The Girl Who Died, Ragnar Jonasson, Camilla Sten, The Lost Village
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Book Excerpt: THE ICE COVEN by Max Seeck

September 28, 2021

Nordic Noir fans, listen up: if you haven’t yet explored bestselling Finnish crime writer Max Seeck’s page-turning thrillers, today’s post is for you! Last fall, I devoured Seeck’s gripping debut THE WITCH HUNTER, and this month, he’s back with his next dark crime novel featuring investigator Jessica Niemi. In THE ICE COVEN, available in the US today, protagonist Jessica finds herself caught in a race against time to find a link between a body bearing cryptic markings that has washed up on the shore in Finland, and the puzzling disappearances of two Instagram influencers. Seeck’s first thriller THE WITCH HUNTER blended page-turning plotting with a dark serial killer plot and elements of the occult—it was one of my personal favorite Nordic thrillers I read last year, and I’m so excited to see what his next crime novel has in store for us! Fans of Nordic crime writers like Lars Kepler and Søren Sveistrup, as well as any reader who’s in the market for extra-chilling serial killer stories, won’t want to miss Max Seeck’s dark and engrossing work. In today’s blog post, I’m thrilled to give CBTB readers the chance to read an excerpt from Chapter 1 of Max Seeck’s newest thriller, THE ICE COVEN! I’ll be digging into this new thriller today, and I’m so excited to give you the chance to start reading along with me. For more information on Seeck’s first thriller THE WITCH HUNTER, you can find my full review on the CBTB blog here. Read on for more information on THE ICE COVEN, and to sample an excerpt from the book’s first chapter!

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In Excerpt Tags The Ice Coven, Max Seeck, The Witch Hunter, Jessica Niemi
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CBTB's Frequently Recommended Supernatural-ish Mysteries & Chillers

March 19, 2021

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.

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In Book Recommendation, Reading List Tags Supernatural Thriller, Ghost Stories, Haunted House, CJ Tudor, Riley Sager, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Alex North, The Shadows, The Whisper Man, Home Before Dark, The Burning Girls, The Sun Down Motel, Simone St. James, The Lingering, SJI Holliday, Theme Music, T. Marie Vandelly, The Nesting, C.J. Cooke, The Witch Hunter, Max Seeck
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Nordic Noir November: Spotlight on Finnish Crime Fiction

November 29, 2020

Happy Sunday, readers! Welcome back to our final spotlight on Scandinavian crime fiction this year! If you’re new to CBTB, every Sunday this November, I’ve been spotlighting crime fiction from a particular Scandinavian country, and sharing with you a rundown of my personal favorite crime writers from that country. We’ve “traveled” (virtually!) to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland, and today we’re going to be exploring crime fiction from Finland! Of all the Nordic crime fiction traditions, I am the least familiar with Finnish crime fiction—but I’m on a mission to change that! As always, in today’s blog post I will share with you a rundown of the Finnish crime writers whose work I’ve read and loved. But given that I’m still in the learning-what’s-out-there phase of exploring crime fiction from Finland, I’m also going to give you a little sneak peek into another Finnish crime book that’s on my TBR list. I hope this will be a helpful resource for anyone else who wants to start on their own journey into Finnish crime fiction!

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In Book Recommendation, Reading List, Scandinavian Crime Tags Finland, Finnish Crime Fiction, Max Seeck, Antti Tuomainen, The Witch Hunter, Leena Lehtolainen
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Book Review: THE WITCH HUNTER by Max Seeck

November 29, 2020

Looking for a serial killer thriller with an extra-chilling edge this winter? Look no further than Finnish crime writer Max Seeck’s US debut, THE WITCH HUNTER. In this thoroughly entertaining—and thoroughly chilling—serial killer tale, a shadowy group is bringing the horrific crimes of a bestselling trilogy of books to life, and it’s up to a detective with secrets of her own to crack the case. Roger Koponen has made his fortune writing the Witch Hunter trilogy, a gruesome and terrifying fiction series. When Roger’s wife is found brutally murdered, her body displayed in a manner eerily similar to one of the crimes depicted in Roger’s books, investigator Jessica Niemi is assigned to the case. But the deeper Jessica digs into the murder, the more unusual the case becomes. And when more bodies start piling up, and it becomes clear there must be more than one villain responsible for these brutal acts, Jessica finds herself drawn into a web of conspiracy and sinister intrigue. THE WITCH HUNTER is a page-turning, entertaining Nordic thriller with plenty of appeal for fans of Nordic Noir and serial killer thrillers alike. Laced with elements of witchcraft and the occult, THE WITCH HUNTER delivers a seriously chilling read perfect for the winter months ahead. Max Seeck’s US debut has positioned him as an author to watch.

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In Book Review Tags The Witch Hunter, Max Seeck, Nordic Noir, Finnish Crime Fiction
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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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I went WAY overboard with books I brought home to CT for my self-isolation TBR list. ?
View fullsize Early afternoon light & a large latte ☕️ & a gripping crime read 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 aka the perfect combination 🙌🏻
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This right here is my usual Sunday tradition 👆🏻 BUT I’ll be spending this Sunday (and this coming week, and probabl
View fullsize My last day in the city for a while calls for a lunch break coffee stop ☕️🖤 with my totally gripping current read 🕵🏻‍♀️
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Today is my last day in Manhattan for a while 😔 we’re all transitioning to working from home to try and preve
View fullsize In the midst of a crazy week, my brain needs a quick, binge-worthy read, and I think this beauty right here is just the ticket. 👌🏻🖤 NO BAD DEED by Heather Chavez is on sale now, and I can’t wait to dive in! 🕵🏻‍♀️
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Friends, I can&
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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View fullsize Spent today doing all my favorite things in Oslo, so obviously a coffee stop was included. ☕️🖤 How are you spending your Saturday?! •
Okay I used to always think the phrase “living your best life” was SO cheesy but if I’m bein
View fullsize *Years* of admiring this Norwegian edition of my favorite book (THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesbø) have finally resulted in this. 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 Best. Purchase. Ever. 🙌🏻
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Does anyone else collect books by a favorite author?! 📚 I don’t have

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