Celebrating World Book Day: The Best Crime Fiction Books
Happy World Book Day!
It’s the time to celebrate our love for all things reading, fictional worlds & incredible characters from book collections all across the world!
We couldn’t pass-up this opportunity to celebrate the occasion by sharing our favourite books and of course, they all have a certain theme: Crime!
There’s nothing more satisfying, than sinking your teeth into a crime novel, as you’re swept away from reality and enter a thrilling new fictional world.
Here are our top picks on some of the best crime books of all time - in no particular order!
We would love to hear what books you enjoy in the comments!
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
The first book of Andrea Camilleri’s wry, brilliantly written and compelling Sicilan crime series featuring Inspector Montalbano.
When a local and well-respected engineer is discovered in the Pasture, a rubbish site full of drug dealers and prostitutes is pronounced as dead from natural causes, this raises alarm bells for being refreshingly unusual for Sicily.
But Inspector Montalbano is not ready to close the case, despite the pressure from Vigata’s police chief, judge and bishop.
The novel see’s Montalbano pick his way through a labyrinth of high-comedy corruption, carefully planted false clues and other shenanigans! But with his determination to get to the heart of the case, nothing will stop Montalbano from his quest.
The Shape of Water is followed by a second installment called The Terracotta Dog.
The Manor by Jessie Keane
Charlie Stone and Terry Barton have been blood brothers since the cradle. They grew up in the East End skimming along the bottom of the underworld, until Charlie took over the manor from the local mob and a twist of fate put him and his best mate on the road to high life.
When Charlie and Terry both marry and have kids, everything is set. Both families have everything they ever wanted. But things begin to turn sour when Charlie’s adopted son Harlan starts to cause trouble.
It soon becomes clear that Harlan doesn’t just want to be number one son; he wants to be number one, full stop, and he wants Terry’s daughter Belle Barton by his side.
As the feud caused by Harlan spirals out of control it is left to Belle to pick up the pieces. Is she strong enough to take on Harlan Stone? And has she got what it takes to rule the manor…
Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter
Last Bus to Woodstock is the first of Colin Dexter’s phenomenally successful book series about Inspector Morse.
The death of Sylvia Kaye figured dramatically in Thursday afternoon's edition of the Oxford Mail. By Friday evening Inspector Morse had informed the nation that the police were looking for a dangerous man – facing charges of wilful murder, sexual assault and rape.
But as the obvious leads fade into twilight and darkness, Morse becomes more and more convinced that passion holds the key…
The book is then followed by the second Inspector Morse book: Last Seen Wearing.
Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
From the pleasure palaces and gin-shops of Covent Garden to the elegant townhouses of Mayfair, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s Daughters of Night follows Caroline Corsham as she seeks justice for a murdered woman whom London society would rather forget…
London, 1782. Desperate for her politician husband to return home from France, Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham is already in a state of anxiety when she finds a well-dressed woman mortally wounded in the bowers of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
The Bow Street constables are swift to act, until they discover that the deceased woman was a highly paid prostitute, at which point they cease to care entirely. But Caro has motives of her own for wanting to see justice done, and so sets out to solve the crime herself.
Enlisting the help of thieftaker Peregrine Child, their inquiry delves into the hidden corners of Georgian society, a world of artifice, deception and secret lives.
But with many gentlemen refusing to speak about their dealings with the dead woman, and Caro’s own reputation under threat, finding the killer will be harder, and more treacherous, than she can know…
Memory Man by David Baldacci
The first in the Amos Decker series - Memory Man is the sensational novel from blockbuster author David Baldacci.
When Amos Decker returned home eighteen months ago to find the bodies of his wife and only daughter, he didn't think he could carry on living. Overwhelmed with grief, he saw his life spiral out of control, losing his job as a detective, his house and his self-respect.
But when his former partner in the police, Mary Lancaster, visits to tell him that someone has confessed to the murder of his family, he knows he owes it to his wife and child to seek justice for them.
As Decker comes to terms with the news, tragedy strikes at the local school. Thirteen teenagers are gunned down, and the killer is at large. Following the serious brain injury Amos suffered as a professional footballer, he gained a remarkable gift – and the police believe that this unusual skill will assist in the hunt for the killer.
Amos must endure the memories he would rather forget, and when new evidence links the murders, he is left with only one option.
What crime fiction books are your favourites to read? Let us know!
