I can hardly believe it, but we’re coming to the end of 2021… and that means that it’s time to celebrate the incredible crime books that this year has given us! Let’s be honest, every year is a great year for new crime fiction, and 2021 was no exception. This year saw the return of some of my personal all-time favorite authors and introduced me to debut and new-to-me crime writers whose work I will be following for years to come. From atmospheric mysteries to page-turning thrillers to Nordic crime fiction and everything in between, 2021 had so much to offer us crime fiction readers. In today’s blog post, I’m thrilled to share my picks for the best of the best that this year had to offer! Today’s blog post is dedicated to rounding up my 10 Best Crime Books of 2021 (and a few bonus selections at the end of this blog post as well!). In keeping with a tradition I started last year, I’ve given each of my selections in this blog post a superlative—everything from “Best Book of 2021” to “Best Plot Twist” to “Best Setting” and more. Whether you’re someone who has been closely following the books I’ve been reading and loving this year or someone who’s just stumbled upon CBTB and is curious what my favorites from the year were, I hope this blog post will be useful! I am so thankful for all of the amazing authors whose books kept us readers company this year, and I hope you’ll find a book or two on this list that catches your eye!
Read MoreCBTB's 10 Best Crime Books of 2021
READING LIST: Halloween Reads with Riley Sager and Jennifer Hillier
This evening, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting over Instagram Live with two of my favorite authors—Riley Sager and Jennifer Hillier—about Halloween reads!! Riley and Jennifer joined me for an IG Live where we all took turns recommending books that we think are perfect for your to-read list during this, the spookiest time of year. From horror novels to thrillers to mysteries and more, we covered a lot of ground during this chat, and had so much fun doing so! If you’re interested in watching a recording of our conversation, you can do so on my IGTV, here. In this blog post, I wanted to provide a one-stop shopping list for all of the books we recommended in tonight’s Instagram Live. Read on for a recap of the books that Riley, Jennifer, and I recommended, and get ready for a month of spooky reading ahead!
Read MoreREADING LIST: 5 Nordic Thrillers to Read This Halloween
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!
Read MoreREADING LIST: CBTB's Frequently Recommended Supernatural-ish Mysteries & Chillers
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 Best Psychological Thrillers of 2019
What a year it has been for new crime fiction!! At the end of the year, there’s nothing quite as fun as reflecting on all the incredible books we’ve been able to read thanks to the hard work of so many talented authors. Today I want to kick off a series of “Best of 2019” posts with a roundup of the best psychological thrillers and psychological suspense of the year! This year saw the release of so many exciting new debut novels and the return of tons of CBTB-favorite psychological thriller authors, and I am so excited to share this list with you all. It’s always so challenging to narrow down lists like this, but I had to cut this list off at 11 titles - otherwise I would have kept adding to it forever. Read on for my picks for best psychological thrillers of 2019!
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