Spice up Your Bookshelf: Crime

Crime has a factor of morbid fascination that draws people to it like moths to a flame. Dozens of television shows and books cater to those who love the suspense and mystery that surround criminals and their actions, from both the point of view of the people trying to catch the criminals and the criminals themselves. If you’re looking for a good crime novel to get your teeth stuck into, you should check out these five novels for your fix of danger and intrigue.

Open Season by Archer Mayor

Battlebro, Vermont, has a problem — a big one. Citizens of the town are being killed left, right and centre, and the clues point to people who nobody would ever believe could harm a fly. Lieutenant Joe Gunther suspects a set up, and a dirty one at that. Open Season serves as an introduction to Joe’s world, and the more and more he looks into the case, the more and more he suspects a link with an old murder trial is integral to solving the case.

Déjà Vu by Ian Hocking

Saskia Brandt knows little about her own history. Returning from her holiday with little more to show for it than a sour face and a longing to simply get back to work, she is forced to delve into her own past when her receptionist is found dead and she is suspected of the murder. Meanwhile, in a different country entirely, David Proctor is being blackmailed into revisiting his own past; a past that involves the death of his wife in more than suspicious circumstances.

Triptych by Karin Slaughter

One crime is bad enough, but when a serial rapist is found to be terrorising the city of Atlanta, Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is forced to step in. As the city’s slums begin to leak out into the sunlight, Will is forced to deal with his own personal demons as he races to find his perpetrator in this first installation of Karin Slaughter’s Atlanta series.

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

Leo Demidov has always been a loyal follower of Stalin’s Soviet empire, and he would have continued to be were it not for a spate of child murders that leave him angered and determined to find justice. However, in an administration where admitting there is a crime is a state-sponsored crime in itself, Leo finds himself exiled and forced to investigate in secret, risking his life just to gather more pieces of the puzzle.

Virals by Kathy Reichs

Having a world-renowned forensic anthropologist as your great-aunt isn’t an easy thing to live with, but Tory Brennan manages just fine. However, curiosity runs in the family and as Tory and her friends are adventuring around their tiny, secluded island home they find themselves thrown into a world of experimental viruses and death. As they band together to solve the mystery, they find themselves changing into something far more than they’ve ever been — virals.

Special thanks to isak valtersen and losing control. for editing!