CBTB's Best Crime Books of January 2022

February 2, 2022

It’s hard to believe we’re already more than a month into 2022—where has the time gone?! The first month of this year may have flown by, but it brought with it some outstanding new crime novels that deserve a moment of our time before we turn our attention fully to February. To that end, in today’s blog post, I’m rounding up my personal picks for best new crime books published in January 2022! From epistolary mysteries to dark Nordic serial killer thrillers and more, this month brought with it a terrific lineup of new crime stories for us to devour—and you can learn more about my four personal favorites in this post! Without further ado, let’s dive on in. Happy reading!

Book Review: UNHINGED by Thomas Enger & Jørn Lier Horst

January 9, 2022

Nordic Noir fans, listen up: if you’re not already reading the Blix and Ramm series, add it to your to-read pile immediately. Co-written by powerhouse Norwegian crime writers Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst, the Blix and Ramm series merges the best of its authors’ crime writing strengths to deliver a gripping blend of realistic procedural elements and character-driven, emotional suspense. Out last month in e-book and coming soon in paperback, the latest installment, UNHINGED, takes this already-excellent series to the next level. In UNHINGED, protagonists Alexander Blix and Emma Ramm face their most personal case yet when one of their colleagues is targeted in an execution-style killing. UNHINGED pushes this series’ endearing characters to their breaking points in a thrilling plot that is both gripping and deeply heartfelt. I do recommend reading at least this series’ first installment (Death Deserved) before diving into UNHINGED; while the case itself here is stand-alone, much of this story’s impact relies on our connection to its characters, and having a bit of background exposure to them will make readers all the more invested in their fates. Fans of Lars Kepler, Stefan Ahnhem, and Søren Sveistrup won’t want to miss this top-notch Nordic thriller series.

Book Review: RECKLESS GIRLS by Rachel Hawkins

January 4, 2022

Anyone else feel like they could use an escape to their own personal, private island paradise? No? Just me? If you too are feeling the urge to armchair travel somewhere idyllic right about now, allow me to introduce you to the perfect bookish escape: RECKLESS GIRLS, a wickedly entertaining thriller that blends Gothic atmosphere with an escapist, binge-worthy plot. In this seafaring suspense tale, a young woman and her boyfriend think they’ve finally found their golden ticket to embark on the sailing trip of their dreams when they’re hired by two wealthy strangers to sail the women to Meroe Island, a remote, deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But this island is shrouded in dangerous mystery and lore… and the group is about to find out that these stories might not just be the stuff of legend. This juicy, addictive paradise-turned-deadly suspense novel blends the page-turning entertainment value of a “popcorn thriller” with a dash of romance and the thrill of an adventure tale where no one’s survival is guaranteed. RECKLESS GIRLS is compulsively readable, wickedly fun suspense perfect for a weekend binge-read. Pick this one up if you want a lighter thriller that packs a majorly entertaining punch.

CBTB's Most Anticipated Early 2022 Crime Books

January 2, 2022

A new year is upon us, and there’s only one way to kick off 2022 here on CBTB: by celebrating some of the outstanding crime books that the year has in store for us!! To ring in 2022, I’m thrilled to share my picks for most-anticipated crime books releasing in January, February, and March 2022! As always, there are way too many crime books I’m excited about this year for me to put them all into one blog post, so I’ll be divvying the year up into a few different “most-anticipated” lists for you to peruse. Today I want to focus on crime books I’m particularly excited about that will be published in the first three months of this year—and boy oh boy, there are a lot of them. From the return of CBTB favorite authors (Lars Kepler! Camilla Sten! Stephanie Wrobel! and so many more!!) to the release of international crime books I’ve been online-stalking ever since I first heard of their publications overseas, from serial killer thrillers and cult stories to seafaring suspense and private investigator mysteries, there’s a little bit of something for everyone on today’s list. 2022 is already shaping up to be another outstanding year for new crime fiction, and I can’t wait to embark on a new year of crime fiction exploration with you all!

CBTB's 10 Best Crime Books of 2021

December 20, 2021

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!

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