10 Best Crime Drama Books Investigating Local Crimes!
Alright folks, brace yourselves because we're about to dive headfirst into the murky underbelly of the crime drama genre. We're prioritizing those masterpieces that zero in on local crimes, the ones that grip us with their depictions of our own communities caught in the crossfire. Bonafide page-turners, each one of them.
Now we're not talking about flashy high-stakes heists or international espionage. No, sir! These tales step away from the glamorous, boundless worlds of global criminality, and instead, they tumble us down the rabbit hole of criminal dens that lurk around the corner, right in our own backyards. Each narrative is entwined with a captivating sensation of familiarity, making these crimes-thrillers hit painfully close to home.
These smartly woven stories, filled with heart-stopping suspense and mind-bending mystery, will make your serene local settings—be it a tranquil countryside village or a bustling modern city—seem a whole lot shadier. Peppered with dark secrets, cold-blooded villains, and persistent detectives, they are as immersive as it gets. If you're a sucker for detective work, neighborhood mysteries, and hair-raising plot twists, then strap in! We're about to introduce you to a lineup of spine-tingling crime dramas that’ll keep you up all night!
『The Woman in White』
The Woman in White is Wilkie Collins' fifth published novel, written in 1859. It is considered to be among the first mystery novels and is widely regarded as one of the first (and finest) in the genre of "sensation novels".The story is sometimes considered an early example of detective fiction with protagonist Walter Hartright employing many of the sleuthing techniques of later private detectives. The use of multiple narrators (including nearly all the principal characters) draws on Collins's legal training,[1][2] and as he points out in his Preamble: "the story here presented will be told by more than one pen, as the story of an offence against the laws is told in Court by more than one witness". In 2003, Robert McCrum writing for The Observer listed The Woman in White number 23 in "the top 100 greatest novels of all time", and the novel was listed at number 77 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.PLOT:Walter Hartright, a young art teacher, encounters and gives directions to a mysterious and distressed woman dressed entirely in white, lost in London; he is later informed by policemen that she has escaped from an asylum. Soon afterward, he travels to Limmeridge House in Cumberland, having been hired as a drawing master on the recommendation of his friend, Pesca, an Italian language master. The Limmeridge household comprises the invalid Frederick Fairlie, and Walter's students: Laura Fairlie, Mr. Fairlie's niece, and Marian Halcombe, her devoted half-sister. Walter realizes that Laura bears an astonishing resemblance to the woman in white, who is known to the household by the name of Anne Catherick: a mentally disabled child who formerly lived near Limmeridge, and was devoted to Laura's mother, who first dressed her in white.Over the next few months, Walter and Laura fall in love, despite Laura's betrothal to Sir Percival Glyde, Baronet. Upon realising this, Marian advises Walter to leave Limmeridge. Laura receives an anonymous letter warning her against marrying Glyde. Walter deduces that Anne has sent the letter and encounters her again in Cumberland; he becomes convinced that Glyde originally placed Anne in the asylum. Despite the misgivings of the family lawyer over the financial terms of the marriage settlement, which will give the entirety of Laura's fortune to Glyde if she dies without leaving an heir, and Laura's confession that she loves another man, Laura and Glyde marry in December 1849 and travel to Italy for six months. Concurrently, Walter joins an expedition to Honduras.After six months, Sir Percival and Lady Glyde return to his house, Blackwater Park in Hampshire; accompanied by Glyde's friend, Count Fosco (married to Laura's aunt). Marian, at Laura's request, resides at Blackwater, and learns that Glyde is in financial difficulties. Glyde attempts to bully Laura into signing a document that would allow him to use her marriage settlement of �20,000, which Laura refuses. Anne, who is now terminally ill, travels to Blackwater Park and contacts Laura, saying that she holds a secret that will ruin Glyde's life. Before she can disclose the secret, Glyde discovers their communication and becomes extremely paranoid, believing Laura knows his secret and attempts to keep her held at Blackwater. With the problem of Laura's refusal to give away her fortune, and Anne's knowledge of his secret, Fosco conspires to use the resemblance between Laura and Anne to exchange their two identities. The two will trick both individuals into travelling with them to London; Laura will be placed in an asylum under the identity of Anne, and Anne will be buried under the identity of Laura upon her imminent death. Marian overhears part of this plan; but becomes soaked by rain, and contracts typhus.William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 - 23 September 1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and short story writer.
Author | Wilkie Collins |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | |
Release Date | Mar 06, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『Dead Simple: a Roy Grace Novel 1』
It was meant to be a harmless stag-night prank. A few hours later Michael Harrison has disappeared and his friends are dead. With only three days to the wedding, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace - a man haunted by the shadow of his own missing wife - is contacted by Michael's beautiful, distraught fiancâee, Ashley Harper. Grace discovers that the one man who ought to know Michael Harrison's whereabouts is saying nothing. But then he has a lot more to gain than anyone realizes, For one man's disaster is another man's fortune... Dead Simple is the stunning first novel in the number one bestselling Roy Grace series from award-winning author, Peter James.
Author | Peter James |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Pan |
Release Date | Apr 23, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『Into the Dark』
THE PLACE: Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea. THE CRIME: The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - has vanished from the house without a trace. THE DETECTIVE: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade. One late autumn morning, Piper's best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene - the kettle is still warm, all the family's phones are charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted. In fifteen-year-old Riva Holden's bedroom, scrawled across the mirror in blood, are three words: Make Them Stop. What happens next?
Author | Fiona Cummins |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Pan |
Release Date | Feb 02, 2023 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Interview』
The Interview is a gripping thriller from C. M. Ewan, the acclaimed author of A Window Breaks and the half-a-million-copy bestseller Safe House. It’s 5pm on a Friday. You have been called to an interview for your dream job. In a stunning office thirteen floors above the city below, you are all alone with the man interviewing you. Everyone else has gone home for the weekend. The interview gets more and more disturbing. You’re feeling scared. Your only way out is to answer a seemingly impossible question. If you can’t . . . what happens next? Praise for C. M. Ewan: ‘Smashed my way through this . . . nerve-shredding’ – Tim Weaver author of No One Home ‘Brilliantly crafted, excruciatingly tense’ – Sharon Bolton author of Now You See Me ‘Starts at full throttle and never lets up’ – T. M. Logan author of The Holiday ‘Heart stopping . . .’ – Jo Spain author of The Confession ‘Almost unbearably tense and exciting’ – Mark Edwards author of Here To Stay ‘Fierce read, with heart, muscle and an out-of-sight twist’ – Mick Herron author of Slough House ‘Tense, fast-paced’ – Jenny Quintana author of The Missing Girl ‘Brilliant and almost impossible to put down’ – Andrew Taylor author of The Ashes of London
Author | C. M. Ewan |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Macmillan |
Release Date | Feb 22, 2022 |
Source | Google Books |
『My Sister, the Serial Killer』
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME • BOOKER PRIZE NOMINEE • “A taut and darkly funny contemporary noir that moves at lightning speed, it’s the wittiest and most fun murder party you’ve ever been invited to.” —MARIE CLAIRE Korede’s sister Ayoola is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola’s third boyfriend in a row is dead, stabbed through the heart with Ayoola’s knife. Korede’s practicality is the sisters’ saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood (bleach, bleach, and more bleach), the best way to move a body (wrap it in sheets like a mummy), and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures to Instagram when she should be mourning her “missing” boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit. Korede has long been in love with a kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where she works. She dreams of the day when he will realize that she’s exactly what he needs. But when he asks Korede for Ayoola’s phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and how far she’s willing to go to protect her.
Author | Oyinkan Braithwaite |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Vintage |
Release Date | Jul 30, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『Sixteen Horses』
“Dark, visceral and disturbing, this highly suspenseful and beautifully written thriller is totally gripping from start to finish. A hugely impressive debut.” —Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient and The Maidens A literary thriller from stunning new talent Greg Buchanan, Sixteen Horses is a story of enduring guilt, trauma, and punishment, set in a small seaside community the rest of the world has left behind. In Ilmarsh, England, local police detective Alec Nichols discovers sixteen horses' heads on a farm, each buried with a single eye facing the low winter sun. After Veterinary Forensics expert Cooper Allen travels to the scene, a pathogen is discovered lurking within the soil, and many of those who have come into contact with the corpses grow critically ill. A series of crimes comes to light—disappearances, arson, and mutilations—and in the dark days that follow, the town slips into panic and paranoia. Everything is not as it seems. Anyone could be a suspect. And as Cooper finds herself unable to leave town, Alec is stalked by an unseen threat. The two investigators race to uncover the truth behind these frightened and insidious mysteries—no matter the cost.
Author | Greg Buchanan |
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Price | $12.99 |
Publisher | Flatiron Books |
Release Date | Jul 20, 2021 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Murder Wall』
The Murder Wall: It's where you look death in the face. Months after discovering a double homicide in a sleepy village, detective Kate Daniels is still haunted by her failure to solve the crime. When a new murder gives Daniels her first case as officer in charge, she jumps at another chance to get it right. But even more shocking than the brutal killing is the fact that Daniels recognizes the corpse. Eager to prove herself, she decides to keep her connection to the dead man a secret from her team, putting her career in jeopardy as her personal and professional lives threaten to collide. As the killer continues to claim his victims, Daniels unearths baffling clues in her search for connections among the murders . . . and while she draws closer to finding the culprit, he is watching her.
Author | Mari Hannah |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Witness Impulse |
Release Date | Mar 25, 2014 |
Source | Google Books |
『Last Bus to Woodstock』
The first intriguing case that began Colin Dexter’s phenomenally successful Inspector Morse series. ‘Do you think I'm wasting your time, Lewis?’ Lewis was nobody’s fool and was a man of some honesty and integrity. ‘Yes, sir.’ An engaging smile crept across Morse’s mouth. He thought they could get on well together . . . 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. But as the obvious leads fade into twilight and darkness, Morse becomes more and more convinced that passion holds the key . . . Last Bus to Woodstock is followed by the second Inspector Morse book, Last Seen Wearing.
Author | Colin Dexter |
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Price | $9.99 |
Publisher | Pan Macmillan |
Release Date | Aug 21, 2009 |
Source | Google Books |
『All Her Little Secrets』
“All Her Little Secrets is a brilliantly nuanced but powerhouse exploration of race, the legal system, and the crushing pressure of keeping secrets. Morris brings a vibrant and welcome new voice to the thriller space.” —Karin Slaughter, New York Times and international bestselling author In this fast-paced thriller, Wanda M. Morris crafts a twisty mystery about a black lawyer who gets caught in a dangerous conspiracy after the sudden death of her boss . . . A debut perfect for fans of Attica Locke, Alyssa Cole, Harlan Coben, and Celeste Ng, with shades of How to Get Away with Murder and John Grisham’s The Firm. Everyone has something to hide... Ellice Littlejohn seemingly has it all: an Ivy League law degree, a well-paying job as a corporate attorney in midtown Atlanta, great friends, and a “for fun” relationship with a rich, charming executive, who just happens to be her white boss. But everything changes one cold January morning when Ellice arrives in the executive suite and finds him dead with a gunshot to his head. And then she walks away like nothing has happened. Why? Ellice has been keeping a cache of dark secrets, including a small-town past and a kid brother who’s spent time on the other side of the law. She can’t be thrust into the spotlight—again. But instead of grieving this tragedy, people are gossiping, the police are getting suspicious, and Ellice, the company’s lone black attorney, is promoted to replace her boss. While the opportunity is a dream-come-true, Ellice just can’t shake the feeling that something is off. When she uncovers shady dealings inside the company, Ellice is trapped in an impossible ethical and moral dilemma. Suddenly, Ellice’s past and present lives collide as she launches into a pulse-pounding race to protect the brother she tried to save years ago and stop a conspiracy far more sinister than she could have ever imagined…
Author | Wanda M. Morris |
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Price | $13.99 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Nov 02, 2021 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Woman in the Window』
#1 New York Times Bestseller – Soon to be a Major Motion Picture starring Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, and Gary Oldman – Available on Netflix on May 14, 2021 “Astounding. Thrilling. Amazing.” —Gillian Flynn “Unputdownable.” —Stephen King “A dark, twisty confection.” —Ruth Ware “Absolutely gripping.” —Louise Penny For readers of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of the decade’s most anticipated debuts, to be published in thirty-six languages around the world and already in development as a major film from Fox: a twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house. It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening . . . Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare. What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems. Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.
Author | A. J. Finn |
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Price | $12.99 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Jan 02, 2018 |
Source | Google Books |
So there you have it, folks! An exciting compilation of gripping tales just waiting for you to dive in. If you're anything like me, you're always on the hunt for that next addicting read that blurs the line between fiction and reality. These crime drama novels unravel the mystery and intensity of local crimes, and I swear, at times, you'll forget you're reading and not actually detecting! Whether you're an avid reader looking to unravel criminal puzzles from the safety of your home, or you're a true-crime enthusiast fascinated by the gripping reality of local unlawful odysseys, you'll find these books incredibly magnetic.
Featuring compelling plots and gripping narratives, it’s hard not to get lost in these thrilling pages. These novels not only test your detective skills but also tug at your heartstrings and invoke a deeper sense of empathy and understanding. They not only entertain but also educate readers about the intricate procedures of criminal investigations. So go on, get to reading these masterpieces and become an armchair detective yourself. Happy reading, fellow bookworms! See you at the next ‘crime scene!’ Remember, every book is a new adventure waiting to be explored - and who knows, you might just find your next favorite among these hidden gems! Catch you on the flip side!
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