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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.

My Sweet Girl Amanda Jayatissa.jpg
Nice Girls Catherine Dang.jpg
Hello, Transcriber Hannah Morrissey.jpg
All Her Little Secrets Wanda Morris.jpg

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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Tags Nice Girls, Catherine Dang, Never Saw Me Coming, Vera Kurian, My Sweet Girl, Amanda Jayatissa, The Corpse Flower, Anne Mette Hancock, All Her Little Secrets, Wanda Morris, Hello Transcriber, Hannah Morrissey
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In My Dreams I Hold a Knife.jpg
Dark Roads Chevy Stevens.jpg
Where I Left Her.jpg

August 2021 Most-Anticipated Crime Books

August 3, 2021

Summer is here, and it’s bringing with it some incredible new crime fiction releases for us to devour! Summer 2021 is jam-packed with amazing crime books, some of which I’ve been lucky enough to read already and others that are still on my personal TBR pile. To help you plan your own reading lists, each month this summer I’ll be sharing monthly lists of my personal most-anticipated new crime fiction releases for that respective month. I can’t wait to share these books with you, and I hope they will catch your eye as much as they’ve caught mine! In case you missed it, you can check out my list of Most-Anticipated June 2021 Crime Books here, and Most-Anticipated July 2021 Crime Books here. August 2021 brings with it a number of suspense novels that look perfect for a late-summer vacation, including one of my top favorite books of the year, a returning “popcorn thriller” writer, a highly-anticipated new release by an acclaimed crime writer who hasn’t had a new book in a few years now, and more. August’s new crime fiction lineup looks twisty, binge-worthy, and thrilling, and I can’t wait to share these books with you. Read on for my picks for most-anticipated August 2021 crime fiction!

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In Book Recommendation, Summer Reading List Tags Ashley Winstead, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, Dark Roads, Chevy Stevens, Such a Good Wife, Seraphina Nova Glass, 56 Days, Catherine Ryan Howard, Where I Left Her, Amber Garza
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In My Dreams I Hold a Knife Ashley Winstead.jpg

Book Review: IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE by Ashley Winstead

August 1, 2021

Welcome to Duquette University, where a 10-year college reunion is about to take a dangerous turn in Ashley Winstead’s dark academia debut, IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE. Ten years ago, Jessica Miller and her friends—a clique known as the “East House Seven”—suffered a horrific tragedy when one of their own was brutally murdered in her dorm room, stabbed to death while she was sleeping. Now, Jessica is planning what is supposed to be her triumphant return to Duquette for her college reunion—an opportunity for her to prove to her college classmates once and for all that she has achieved the kind of success and status she always dreamed of. But an individual with close ties to the group has plans for Jess and her friends, and this college reunion is going to be about much more than reliving glory days gone by. Mystery and intrigue are on the weekend agenda, and Jess and her friends might just be walking unwittingly into a trap. Ashley Winstead’s immersive debut suspense novel IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE weaves an engrossing tale of murder, love, and obsession set against the backdrop of an elite southern university. Delve into the dark secrets and ever-shifting allegiances of the East House Seven in IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE, but watch your back—everyone in this friend group has something to hide, and some of their secrets are deadly. This page-turning debut suspense novel is perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and J.T. Ellison’s Good Girls Lie.

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In Book Review Tags In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, Ashley Winstead, Dark Academia
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Book Review: FOR YOUR OWN GOOD by Samantha Downing

July 20, 2021

Love a suspense novel set in the world of academia? Love books featuring villainous protagonists? Samantha Downing’s brand-new, wickedly fun suspense novel FOR YOUR OWN GOOD is the summer read for you. Enter the world of Belmont Academy: a prestigious prep school with a track record of excellence… and a pesky history of its community members dropping dead under suspicious circumstances. Could a killer be at work within the halls of Belmont Academy? Centering around a teacher who is willing to do anything – and I mean anything – to help his students and his school succeed, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD is a deliciously twisted, highly readable suspense novel that takes readers on a surprisingly playful journey into the mind of an antihero with psychopathic tendencies. Pick this book up for its academic setting, stay for its irresistible characters and wildly entertaining, dark-yet-fun reading experience. In FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, Samantha Downing has proven herself once again to be the queen of the thriller with plenty of darkness and an attitude that never takes itself too seriously—an irresistible combination that makes FOR YOUR OWN GOOD a summer 2021 must-read.

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In Book Review Tags For Your Own Good, Samantha Downing
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The Lost Village_Camilla Sten.jpg
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CBTB's Top 10 Crime Books of 2021 (So Far)

July 12, 2021

It’s hard to believe we are already more than halfway through 2021! This year has already delivered truly outstanding crime, mystery, thriller, and suspense books for us to devour, and today I wanted to round up a list of my favorite crime books published in the first half of the year! Whether you’re in the market for a chilling suspense story, a clever locked room mystery, or an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller, this list has a little something for you. From new releases by returning favorites (Riley Sager, C.J. Tudor, Ragnar Jonasson, and more!) to thrilling debuts and new-to-me authors, 2021 has given me some absolutely incredible crime books to sink my teeth into - and I hope that this list will help you find a new favorite crime book or two for yourself, too! As you can imagine it was very difficult to narrow this list down. When making my selections here, I focused on books that I haven’t been able to stop recommending to others and thinking about myself—books that have had the kind of staying power for me that we all look for in favorite reads. The books included on this list were published from January 1, 2021 through July 6, 2021; stay tuned, because I’ll be rounding up a list of my favorite crime books from the second half of 2021 - plus a definitive list of my favorite crime books of the whole year - when 2021 comes to a close. Without further ado, let’s dig into this rundown of my favorite crime books of 2021 so far!

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In Best Crime Books of 2021 Tags 2021 Crime Books, Best Crime Books 2021, Jess Lourey, Bloodline, Allie Reynolds, Shiver, Sarah Pearse, The Sanatorium, C.J. Tudor, The Burning Girls, Camilla Sten, The Lost Village, The Girl Who Died, Ragnar Jonasson, Bath Haus, P.J. Vernon, The Maidens, Alex Michaelides, Survive the Night, Riley Sager, Razorblade Tears, S.A. Cosby
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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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