Crime Books

In 1974, British politician Jeffrey Archer lost all his money in a con. As he tried to dig himself out of the financial hole, he wrote his first novel, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, about four men who fall victim to a stock market scam and take revenge on the con man behind it. The novel has never been out of print since its publication. As it celebrates its 50th anniversary, the bestselling author chooses his favourite books about heists and con artists, both fictional and all too real.

From police procedurals and traditional mystery books to thrillers that take us to a dystopian future, our editor, Sophie Roell,  talks us through some of her favorite crime novels of the past year.

Many well-loved American detective novels feature cynical private investigator protagonists facing down hardened criminals and deep-set corruption. We asked Dave Zeltserman, author of Small Crimes, to recommend five brilliant books from this popular genre, from a 1920s small town murder mystery to a 1980s postmodern trilogy.

Exploring a historical era through crime is a particularly interesting way to look at that society, says award-winning novelist Anna Mazzola. Here she recommends five fabulous works of fiction that bring to life the impact of crimes in historical settings, from Victorian Britain to 18^th-century Jamaica.

The crime book genre is massive and caters to all sorts of tastes, but once you find a detective or main character you love, there are few pleasures greater than reading the entire series. British journalist Stig Abell, author of Death Under a Little Sky, picks some of the best classic crime, books he's read over and over again.

From the latest detective novels and cozy crime to unsettling psychological thrillers, Five Books editor Sophie Roell does a round-up of some of her favourite crime novels of the past year.

Crime fiction told from the point of view of the police investigating a crime is hugely popular, with dozens of books published each year. Here British writer Louisa Scarr, author of a series set in Southampton and featuring DS Robin Butler and DC Freya West, talks us through some of her favourite police procedurals and explains why they're so fun to read and write.

Australian crime fiction—sometimes dubbed 'Outback Noir'—is enjoying a boom, and its authors are rapturously received overseas. Emma Viskic, the award-winning crime writer, selects five of the best crime novels by her compatriots: outstanding books that blur the line between 'literary' and 'genre' fiction.

Noir is as much an aesthetic as it is a genre of book or movie, explains the film director Simon Hawkins; and though it might be set anywhere, Los Angeles is its spiritual home. Here, he recommends five of the best noir novels—each defined by their strong settings, seedy atmospheres and suspenseful plotting.

The city of Oxford has been a popular location for fictional murders for nearly a century, the ancient university and its beautiful buildings also lending themselves to wonderful screen adaptations. Bestselling British novelist Cara Hunter—author of the DI Fawley series and Murder in the Family—talks us through some of her favourite crime novels set in the city of dreaming spires.