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Crime by the Book

A girl investigates crime fiction from around the world, by the book.
  • Blog
  • Quick Reviews
  • Nordic Noir
    • Introduction
    • Background
    • Book Recommendations
    • By Country
    • Interviews
    • Reviews
    • Features
  • #ReadWithCBTB
  • Features
  • Reading Lists
  • Events
  • Go-to Book Recs
  • As Seen In
  • About
  • Connect

the cbtb blog

One girl's ongoing investigation of the crime fiction genre.

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CBTB's Halloween 2020 Reading List

October 6, 2020

Friends, it’s the most wonderful time of year: spooky season!! Halloween is my favorite time of year (yes, I consider it a time of year—not just a single day!), and it’s the perfect time to cozy up with an extra-chilling crime, suspense, or thriller read. I’m so excited to share with you a blog post that has been quite a while in the making: my Halloween 2020 Reading List! While many (if not most!) of the books I read and cover here on Crime by the Book could fit on a Halloween reading list, the books I’ve chosen for this blog post have that little something extra that will make each of them perfect for Halloween reading (think: ghosts, supernatural sightings, extra-creepy villains, and more!). Dive on in and find your perfect Halloween read!

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In Reading List Tags Halloween Books, Halloween Reading, Riley Sager, Home Before Dark, The Turn of the Key, Ruth Ware, C.J. Tudor, Kill Creek, Scott Thomas, Simone St. James, The Sun Down Motel, Final Girls, Halloween 2020, Rachel Harrison, The Sandman, Lars Kepler, Birdman, Mo Hayder, The Nesting, C.J. Cooke, The Craftsman, Sharon Bolton, The Silence of the White City, Catherine House, Elisabeth Thomas, In the Vines, Shannon Kirk
2 Comments
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Crime Books to Get You Hooked on Nordic Noir

August 2, 2020

If there’s one request I’ve been getting most frequently on Crime by the Book lately, it’s for Nordic Noir books for newcomers to the genre - and you can imagine how happy that makes me! Nordic Noir (aka Scandinavian crime fiction) is my all-time favorite crime fiction subgenre, and it’s a subgenre overflowing with talented writers for you to discover. But, like with anything, figuring out where to start can be tricky. To help solve that dilemma, I’ve put together a blog post designed to be your launching point into the world of Nordic Noir. Here you’ll find recommendations suitable for readers who are totally new to the Scandinavian crime fiction subgenre: this list includes books by many of the biggest names in Scandinavian crime writing, books that will give you the perfect introduction to the genre and its most prominent characteristics. If you’ve been hoping to dig into Scandinavian crime fiction but weren’t quite sure where to start, let this list be your guide!

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In Book Recommendation, Scandinavian Crime, Reading List Tags Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Jo Nesbo, The Redbreast, Sara Blaedel, The Forgotten Girls, Lars Kepler, The Sandman, Asa Larsson, Sun Storm, Camilla Lackberg, The Ice Princess, Jorn Lier Horst, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Helene Tursten, Nordic Noir, Scandinavian Crime Fiction, The Snowman
11 Comments
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Your Early 2019 Nordic Noir Reading List

January 23, 2019

Nothing beats a great Scandinavian crime novel in the chilly winter months, and this winter is brimming with fantastic Nordic Noir for you to devour. Whether you’re a fan of paperbacks or hardcovers, series installments or standalones, there’s a Nordic crime novel for you releasing this winter—and you’ll find my personal picks for highly-anticipated early 2019 releases right here! In this post, I’m rounding up the most exciting Scandinavian crime fiction releasing from January 2019 through March 2019. Some of these titles are paperback releases of hardcovers I’ve already read (and loved!), some are brand-new hardcovers that I haven’t even read yet—but they’re all highly-anticipated releases that I’m so excited to share with you! If you’re looking for a new Nordic Noir release (or two!) to devour this winter, look no further: your early 2019 Nordic Noir reading list is right here.

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In Reading List Tags Nordic Noir, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Ragnar Jonasson, The Chestnut Man, The Silver Road, Stina Jackson, Sara Blaedel, Her Father's Secret, Hunting Game, Helene Tursten, After She's Gone, Camilla Grebe, The Legacy, The Reckoning, Rupture, The Sandman, Lars Kepler, Stalker
5 Comments
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Best Scandinavian Crime Novels of 2018

December 30, 2018

Dark atmospheres, richly developed characters, vivid sense of place, complex plots—these are just a few of the qualities that the Scandinavian crime fiction genre boasts, and they are all qualities that shine in the books I’ve selected for my Best Scandinavian Crime Novels of 2018. As CBTB readers well know, there’s nothing I love more than a really great Nordic crime read, and the Scandinavian books I read in 2018 absolutely blew me away. From new series launches to the return of old favorite characters and everything in between, I loved every moment spent in these books’ pages - and I’m so excited to share them with you today, too! Read on for my favorite Scandinavian crime fiction releases of the year—and make sure you’re all caught up on the best Nordic Noir of 2018 before 2019 arrives!

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In Book Recommendation, Recommendation, Reading List, Scandinavian Crime Tags Nordic Noir, Scandinavian Crime Fiction, Lars Kepler, The Sandman, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, The Legacy, Sara Blaedel, The Silent Women, Ragnar Jonasson, The Darkness, Thomas Enger, Killed, Antti Tuomainen, The Man Who Died, Alex Dahl, The Boy At the Door, Joona Linna, Henning Juul, Louise Rick
3 Comments
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CBTB's Recommended March 2018 Releases

March 28, 2018

This March is absolutely brimming with fantastic new crime fiction! From dark and gripping Nordic Noir to twisty and unputdownable psychological thrillers to a story exploring female friendship set in Morocco, there’s truly a little something for everyone releasing this month. It’s going to be hard to top this month’s stellar lineup - so grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a rundown of the best crime fiction releasing in March 2018!

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In New Releases Tags New Releases, Crime Fiction, Psychological Thriller, The Sandman, Lars Kepler, Tangerine, Christine Mangan, Sometimes I Lie, Alice Feeney, The Broken Girls, Simone St. James
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View fullsize My personal crime fiction collection 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 aka my favorite corner of my apartment. 📚🙌🏻 If anyone feels so inclined, I’d love to see what YOUR bookshelves look like! Snap a pic, share in your stories, & tag me - I’d love to
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View fullsize Being stuck at home isn’t so bad when you’ve got a massive stack of books to read. 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 What’s on your social-distancing TBR?! 📖
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View fullsize Early afternoon light & a large latte ☕️ & a gripping crime read 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 aka the perfect combination 🙌🏻
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This right here is my usual Sunday tradition 👆🏻 BUT I’ll be spending this Sunday (and this coming week, and probabl
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View fullsize Happy Monday, friends! 🖤 Back in NYC and back to work after an amazing (if much too short) visit to Oslo 🇳🇴 annnd currently drinking a cold brew ☕️ at my desk & hoping it keeps me awake this afternoon 😂 jet lag + not enough sleep last night =
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    RT @TheMysterious: We’re making plans to head out to @HamptonsWhodun next month, Long Island’s exciting new crime fiction festival. Se… https://t.co/ra7RPgf7Fv
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    RT @TheMysterious: Love mystery fiction? We’re hiring a part-time bookseller, beginning immediately. Email info@mysteriousbookshop.com… https://t.co/AJrBLH0Q1t
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