I honestly canβt believe itβs already Novemberβbut Iβm not complaining! I (obviously) believe that thrillers and mystery novels can (and should!) be read year-round, but thereβs something undeniably perfect about cozying up with a great crime novel as the weather gets colder. This month has an amazing lineup of new crime novels in store for us, and today Iβm rounding up my picks for most-anticipated new crime, mystery, and suspense novels publishing in November 2022! This month sees the return of a couple of my longtime favorite authors, plus new installments in Nordic crime series Iβm loving, a chilling isolated location thriller, and more. Whether youβre hoping to keep the spooky season Halloween vibes going a little bit longer or are ready to dive into a wintry, chilling crime story, this monthβs selection of new releases has you covered. A few of the books on this list Iβve already been lucky enough to read, and the rest of them are all on my personal to-read pile for the weeks aheadβbut Iβm excited about all of them. Read on for my picks for November most-anticipated crime fiction!
Read MoreCBTB's Top 10 Crime Books of 2021 (So Far)
Itβs 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 youβre 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 havenβt been able to stop recommending to others and thinking about myselfβbooks 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 Iβll 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, letβs dig into this rundown of my favorite crime books of 2021 so far!
Read MoreCBTB's Most-Anticipated Early 2021 Crime Books
A new year is upon us, and itβs bringing with it some very exciting new crime, mystery, and thriller releases to devour! In todayβs blog post, Iβm rounding up my most-anticipated crime fiction releases publishing between January and March 2021. A few of these books Iβve already been fortunate enough to read, and the others are all on my TBR list as we head into the new year! From new psychological thrillers to suspense novels with horror movie-worthy plots to Nordic Noir and more, the first few months of 2021 have so many thrilling reads in store for us, and I hope this list will help you find a new book (or two, or three!) to look forward to in the coming months!
Read MoreBook Review: BLOODLINE by Jess Lourey
If βsmall-town suspense-meets-horrorβ were a genre, Jess Lourey would be its queen. The author of 2020 standout UNSPEAKABLE THINGS returns on January 1 with her next work of dread-inducing rural horror, BLOODLINE. Set in 1960βs Minnesota, BLOODLINE draws readers into the heart of a picture-perfect town harboring unthinkable secrets. For pregnant journalist Joan Harken, her fiancΓ©βs hometown of Lilydale represents a bright future: a place where their unborn child can grow up with all the safety and security that a tight-knit community has to offerβthe kind of safety and security that was missing from her own upbringing. But as Joan settles into her new home, she canβt shake the feeling that something is just a bit off. Her neighbors have taken a keen interest in every aspect of her life, her fiancΓ© is growing distant, and she swears someone is following her in the town. Joan is right to be suspiciousβbut even her wildest imaginings could never have prepared her, or the reader, for what is in store. Evil is lurking in the town of Lilydale, and Joan is going to have to rely on all her wits and inner strength to make it out with her life. BLOODLINE is a spine-tingling, up-all-night-reading psychological suspense novel-meets-horror story worthy of the comparisons to Rosemaryβs Baby that it is receiving. If small-town scares are your cup of tea, BLOODLINE belongs on your 2021 reading list.
Read MoreBook Review: UNSPEAKABLE THINGS by Jess Lourey
Some books terrify with blood and gore, others with the realities of lifeβs darkest corners. Jess Loureyβs stunning suspense novel UNSPEAKABLE THINGS falls into the latter camp. Inspired by a true story from the authorβs hometown, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS explores exactly what its title suggests: the unspeakable horrors of a small town with unthinkable secrets. Something is rotten in the town of Lilydale, Minnesota. Young boys are disappearing, and then theyβre returningβ¦ changed. For protagonist Cassie, the world is a strange and dangerous place; threats both outside and inside her own home make her young life a treacherous one. Told through the eyes of a girl on the brink of becoming a teenager, struggling to understand the dangers lurking on the periphery of her life, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS is an exceptional piece of suspense fiction. This book is sure to provoke strong reactions on both sides of the fence, in large part owing to the challenging themes explored within its pages, but it was a home-run for me. Vivid, atmospheric, and genuinely unsettling, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS is a coming-of-age story as youβve never read it before.
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