A Good Thriller discussion

What is a crime thriller?
Crime thrillers revolve around the commission, investigation, or prevention of a crime.

Key characteristics of a crime thriller:
Detective or investigator as the protagonist
High stakes
Clues and red herrings
Criminal psychology
Action-packed sequences
Famous crime thriller examples:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson – A journalist and hacker investigate a woman’s disappearance.
In the Woods by Tana French – A detective confronts his past while solving a young girl’s murder.
Movie: “Se7en” – Detectives hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins.

Really Outstanding and Unknown Reads

His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae by Graeme Macrae Burnet: A Booker Prize-shortlisted "documentary" novel set in 1860s Scotland, presented as a true account of a murder by the perpetrator.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton: A genre-bending murder mystery with a time-loop premise where the protagonist inhabits different bodies to solve a murder.

The Appeal by Janice Hallett: A modern epistolary novel where the reader must solve a murder in a small-town theater group by reading emails, texts, and notes.

Mr. Bowling Buys a Newspaper by Donald Henderson: A classic, darkly humorous, and relatively unknown thriller about a serial killer who becomes obsessed with reading about his crimes.

The Conjure-Man Dies: A Harlem Mystery by Rudolph Fisher: A pioneering 1930s crime novel by a Black author, offering a unique perspective on the genre.

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell: A fast-paced modern satire and whodunit focusing on London's elite.

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby: A high-octane, emotional story of vengeance featuring two ex-cons (one Black, one white) searching for the killers of their gay sons.

These books are often highlighted by critics and avid readers as "hidden gems" in the crime thriller category.


True Crime Thrillers Outstanding & Unknown

The Last Stone by Mark Bowden: A deeply reported account of the 1975 disappearance of the Lyon sisters and the, eventually, break in the case decades later.

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich: A blend of memoir and true crime that investigates a murder case while grappling with the author's own history.

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy: An intense look at how homicides in underserved communities are investigated (or not).

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold: Focuses entirely on the victims rather than the killer, providing a social history of Victorian London.

The Grim Sleeper: The Lost Women of South Central by Christine Pelisek: Details the investigation into a serial killer who targeted women of color in LA, highlighting how their cases were neglected.

Burned: A Story of a Murder and the Crime that Wasn't by Edward Humes: A case study of a suspected murder that turned out to be a tragic accident, revealing flaws in arson investigation.

Angela Marsons, Karin Slaughter, Robert Bryndza.

There are crime thrillers where the protagonist is an amateur, too, or at least outside of the police procedural/PI category. Making the MC someone who isn't part of the law enforcement system gives authors a lot of latitude to be creative, and readers can more easily identify with the risky situations a normal person could encounter, without professional training. I'm thinking of plots where a sibling or spouse or reporter is trying to get to the bottom of a crime/mystery.

Examples:
The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan, where an academic is the murder mystery solver.

In The Intern by Michele Campbell, a law school student is the MC investigating the shenanigans.

Lisa Gardner and Lisa Jewell often have non-cop/non PI protagonists, as well. I can't recommend, One Step Too Far - it is dreadful - but the MC is the handler of a search dog and is hired by the parents of a missing guy to find him in a large national forest/park.

Crime and Police thrillers

Authors

Mel Sherrett

Linda Castillo

Karin Slaughter

Clare Mackintosh

Brian Freeman

Robert Bryndza

Angela Marsons

Patricia Gibney

Charlie Gallagher

Sharon Bolton

Lisa Gardner