The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

It's that time again where everyone seems to be publishing their "best of" lists. Here are a few -- if you find some I don't have here, please feel free to add to the list:

1. Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...

2. New York Times best thrillers:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/bo...

3. Globe and Mail top ten mysteries
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/...

4. The Guardian best crime and thriller books
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

5. Bookpage best mystery and suspense
https://www.bookpage.com/features/bes...

I have to admit that I've read less newly published books than last year. Read a lot of older novels for the 3rd or 4th time this year. I have the feeling that less and less good thrillers are published, but maybe that's just me?

I read Linwood Barclay's last five thrillers and am rereading all 9 crime novels by Michael Allegretto now in December...unfortunately they don't write such compelling books anymore. :(

The only 2022 books I read this year that would qualify won't make it on those lists because they are marketed as sf/fantasy.

Something More Than Night by Kim Newman -- Newman is known as a fantasy author and this has weird s.f. elements (in the sense of 1930s-'40s mad scientist movies), a Hollywood setting and a narrator named Raymond Chandler who's working with his old school chum, William Henry Pratt (a.k.a. Boris Karloff) to solve a murder.

Better yet, The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter melds fairy tale-like fantasy with Gothic fiction in her Sourdough/Bitterwood setting. You don't need to have read any of her other work to read this, though. It stands alone quite well, with its echoes of Jane Eyre and Rebecca.

Randy wrote: "The only 2022 books I read this year that would qualify won't make it on those lists because they are marketed as sf/fantasy.

Something More Than Night by [author:Kim Newman|18879..."

The whole pigeonholing a book into a particular genre leaves so many out in the cold, meaning there are quite a few good crossovers. PS/ I can only deal with Kim Newman in small doses. Some of his work is fun but sometimes I find him just too silly.

Christine wrote: "I have to admit that I've read less newly published books than last year. Read a lot of older novels for the 3rd or 4th time this year. I have the feeling that less and less good thrillers are publ..."

There are some really good, recently-published translated mysteries/crime novels out there but you have to be willing to put in the research time to find them.

I can understand that. And the better of those two is the Slatter, anyway.

Nancy wrote: "Christine wrote: "I have to admit that I've read less newly published books than last year. Read a lot of older novels for the 3rd or 4th time this year. I have the feeling that less and less good ..."


If I knew HOW to research for them, I would be more than willing.
In 2021 and 2022 I requested more than a dozen thrillers which were praised on Goodreads from our library, but hardly any of them was interesting.

Christine wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Christine wrote: "I have to admit that I've read less newly published books than last year. Read a lot of older novels for the 3rd or 4th time this year. I have the feeling that less ..."

this should give you a start. Also, every now and then World Literature Today runs a feature on newly-translated crime.

https://www.tumblr.com/fictionfromafa...

https://pushkinpress.com/all-books/pu...

https://litreactor.com/columns/other-...

https://crimefictionlover.com/2021/11...

Thank you, Nancy. I will check these links out.

If I may, there are too many books that purport to be thrillers, but that are really uninteresting puzzles, and/or have an unreliable narrator. The stalwarts like Coben, Baldacci, Daniel Silva are now woefully off form - I'm speaking only for myself here - and there are no heirs to the old guard.

What compounds the problem is that poorly written thrillers are getting insanely hyped, sometimes to ridiculous levels, or very cynically. There probably are a lot of good thrillers out there but it seems to me that the best ones are invisible.

Unfortunately for me, even thrillers translated from foreign authors do not pass muster these days. I have, however, read the police procedural debut of Donna Leon, and she is great, but she too is older now and there are no heirs of her or of the others I have mentioned.

I have tried to distance myself from thrillers, and focus on other genres. I have had more success there, but not more consistency. I want to fall in love with mysteries again at least. People like Riley Sager have the right idea but their books are notoriously unrealistic.

Jo Nesbo
Fred Vargas
Helene Tursten
Adrian McKinty
Vaseem Khan
Antti Tuomainen

aren't part of the old crowd and I like their work

CBRetriever wrote: "Jo Nesbo
Fred Vargas
Helene Tursten
Adrian McKinty
Vaseem Khan
Antti Tuomainen

aren't part of the old crowd and I like their work"

I have only read the Harry Hole series. Didn't find it brilliant, but I will check out the others. Thanks!!

for brilliant, try Pierre Lemaitre's Camille: The Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy - it's pretty good

I'll take your word for it 😏 But of course I will give it atry.

Maanav wrote: "If I may, there are too many books that purport to be thrillers, but that are really uninteresting puzzles, and/or have an unreliable narrator. The stalwarts like Coben, Baldacci, Daniel Silva are ..."


The only foreign thrillers that I enjoyed over the past 3+ years were the Marseille trilogy by Jean-Claude Izzo (excellent translation into English!) and Camilla Laeckberg's series.

I'm just finishing David Lagercrantz' third and last book on Lisberth Salander, but he's not as great as Stieg Larsson was.

Christine wrote: "Maanav wrote: "If I may, there are too many books that purport to be thrillers, but that are really uninteresting puzzles, and/or have an unreliable narrator. The stalwarts like Coben, Baldacci, Da..."

I'd say! Though I read only the first book in Larsson's series. Well, I have got quite a few reads. And something to think about.

Oops. Editing to remove non-2022 books.

Occurred to me that when I saw this thread I immediately thought of novels, but I also read a good story collection:

The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions by Kerry Greenwood -- fun stories, pretty much a throwback to Golden Age shorts; for some readers it might be better read a couple at a time, but I enjoyed reading it straight through.

and another one, from Novel Suspects:

https://www.novelsuspects.com/book-li...

Christine wrote: "Thank you, Nancy. I will check these links out."

also, World Literature today often highlights crime novels.

Maanav wrote: "If I may, there are too many books that purport to be thrillers, but that are really uninteresting puzzles, and/or have an unreliable narrator. The stalwarts like Coben, Baldacci, Daniel Silva are ..."

There are a LOT of good mystery/crime books in translation -- some of my best reading over the years has come from that category. Unreliable narrators are often fun -- especially when you don't realize how unreliable they are until late in the game. A good writer can make that happen.

Nancy wrote: "There are a LOT of good mystery/crime books in translation -- some of my best reading over the years has come from that category."

The AmazonCrossing publishing arm of Amazon has a lot of them. I read, a few years ago, that Amazon is the number one publisher for translating books into English from other languages.

Nancy wrote: "and another one, from Novel Suspects:

https://www.novelsuspects.com/book-li......"

Thank you, Nancy! ♥

I just finished my reading goal of 6 before 2022 as I was in the longest reading slump & staring back reallllly slow. But “The Final Hunt” by Audrey J Cole has been the best so far. Kept me interested even with having an idea of how it would end. Worth the read.

This one sounds interesting. I just requested it from our public library.
Thanks for the tip!

Chrissie

Nancy wrote: "Maanav wrote: "If I may, there are too many books that purport to be thrillers, but that are really uninteresting puzzles, and/or have an unreliable narrator. The stalwarts like Coben, Baldacci, Da..."

Thanks so much for your post! For many years I had been reading cozy mysteries. They no longer appeal to me but I have read Maurice Leblanc and the Belgian classic mysteries and generally felt disappointment. I can read in 3 languages apart from English, and for me the grass is not greener on the other side. I sampled Mcmanus to no avail. However I will be up for more risk taking if I get some concrete recs.

I also prefer puzzles to illusions in my crime thrillers. That is why I like Roger Ackroyd, whose unreliable narrator is elaborating puzzles for his benefit, while in, say, The woman in the window, the illusion is less subtle.

Christine said - "I have to admit that I've read less newly published books than last year. Read a lot of older novels for the 3rd or 4th time this year. I have the feeling that less and less good thrillers are published, but maybe that's just me? I read Linwood Barclay's last five thrillers and am rereading all 9 crime novels by Michael Allegretto now iDecember...unfortunately they don't write such compelling books anymore.

It's not just you - I have given up on more highly praised mysterie/thrillers than any other genre. I looked over my books review list and see that this year I think I read two 2022 five star books - most of my other 4/5 stars went to older books, nonfiction, anthologies. I don't know what it is, but I feel that I can't rely on big name reviewers anymore and my favorites are probably not on their radar - and I read maybe 3 books a week, though I review very few.
And as for major writers who aren't compelling anymore - one of them on my list is Lee Child (who now writes some with another writer) - the last Jack Reacher books have been way too long and not great.

One of my favorite books from 2022, Choice nominee:
Things We Do in the Dark / Jennifer Hillier.

Critics’ Top Picks from the Best Lists of 2022 – Deadly Pleasures
http://new.deadlypleasures.com/2023/0...