The Five Best Crime Books of All Time 

Reading crime novels is a great way to lose yourself in a book. But not all crime novels are equal. Some of them are so good that you can’t stop talking about them to anyone who will listen. That is why we decided to list the five best crime books of all time. Keep reading to find out which five we chose. 

By choosing only five books, we have made this a difficult job. There are a lot of amazing crime novels and many of them will be left out. This is just what we think and other lists will differ. There is no one right answer and because people have different tastes, no one list will satisfy everyone. You can see out five picks below. 

The Five Best Crime Books of All Time
The Five Best Crime Books of All Time

The Five Best Crime Books of All Time 

Five Amazing Books 

These are five amazing reads and while I know that many people have their own preferences, this list is still pretty good. All of these books are exceptional and have aged well. All of them have been adapted into a movie and are popular works. That alone should justify their selections. 

The Godfather is often regarded as the greatest movie of all time. The novel is just as good and worth a read if you have only watched the movie. And who can forget about the queen of mystery? Agatha Christie is a phenomenal writer and nobody knows where her novels will take you. If you want a crime mystery to solve, look no further.  

Conclusion 

That is all for our five best crime books of all-time list. What books would you include in your top five list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading! 

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16 thoughts on “The Five Best Crime Books of All Time 

  1. Warren Miller says:

    Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” belongs on the “Five Best” list. I’d remove ” The Silence of the Lambs” to make room for it.

    Reply
  2. Lawrence Jordan says:

    Dostoevsky’s The Brothers karamazov above Tolstoys. Herman Melvilles Moby dick. Prousts Remembrance of things Past. James Joyce….all. the focus should always be on universal values and not subject to transcendental sociological or psychological values in any particular culture when putting forth the 5 best books. And finally Marquez s….100 years of solitude. And all by Albert camus.

    Reply
  3. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Anthony Berkeley’s The Poisoned Chocolates Case
    Carter Dickson’s The Judas Window
    Ellery Queen’s The Greek Coffin Mystery
    S.S. van Dine’s The Green Murder Case
    John Dickson Carr’s The Burning Court

    Reply
  4. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep
    Dashiell Hammett The Glass Key
    Francis Iles Malice Aforethought
    Patricia Highsmith The Talented Mr.Ripley
    Joel Townsley Rogers The Red Right Hand

    Reply
  5. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Wilkie Collins The Moonstone
    Erle Stanley Gardner The Case of the Terrified Tipist
    Margaret Millar The Iron Gates
    Agatha Christie The ABC Murders
    John Dickson Carr The Arabian Nights Murder
    Ellery Queen Calamity Town

    Reply
  6. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Elizabeth George A Traitor to Memory
    Barbara Vine A Fatal Inversion
    James Crumley The Last Good Kiss
    Charles Willeford Miami Blues
    Walter Mosley Devil in a Blue Dress

    Reply
  7. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Harry Kemelman Friday the Rabbi Slept Late
    James Ellroy L.A. Confidential
    Wilkie Collins The Woman in White
    Dashiell Hammett The Maltese Falcon
    Raymond Chandler The Lady in the Lake
    Francis Iles Before the Fact

    Reply
  8. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Agatha Christie Three Act Tragedy
    John Dickson Carr The Emperror’s Snuffbox
    Patricia Cornwell Post Mortem
    Ross Macdonald The Moving Target
    Charlotte Link At the End of Silence
    Ruth Rendell A Judgement in Stone

    Reply
  9. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Winston Graham Marnie
    C.S. Forrester Payment Deferred
    Anthony Berkeley Trial and Error
    Robert Bloch Psycho
    Helen Eustis The Horizontal Man

    Reply
  10. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Gaston Leroux The Yellow Room Mystery
    John Dickson Carr The Hollow Man
    Margaret Millar Beast in View
    Patrick Quentin The Man with Two Wifes
    Cornell Woolrich The Bride Wore Black

    Reply
  11. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Jim Thompson Pop. 1280
    Chester Himes For Love of Imabelle
    Horace McCoy No Pockets in a Shroud
    James M. Cain The Postman Always Rings Twice
    Dorothy B. Hughes In a Lonely Place

    Reply
  12. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    William Faulkner Intruder in the Dust
    Graham Greene The Third Man
    Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird
    Theodore Dreiser An American Tragedy
    Robert Traver Anatomy of a Murder

    Reply
  13. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    S.S. van Dine The Bishop Murder Case
    John Bingham Five Roundabouts to Heaven
    John Dickson Carr He Who Whispers
    Anthony Boucher The Case of the Seven of Calvary
    Manuel Vazquez Montalban Los Mares del Sur

    Reply
  14. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Alfred Bester The Demolished Man
    Patricia Highsmith Strangers on a Train
    Paula Hawkins Girl on the Train
    Hans Helmut Kirst The Night of the Generals
    David Goodis Shoot the Piano Player

    Reply
  15. Cesar Esteban Diaz Diaz says:

    Well, this is my definitive TOP 5 (in no particular order) :
    Patricia Highsmith The Talented Mr. Ripley
    Anthony Berkeley The Poisoned Chocolates Case
    Francis Iles Malice Aforethought
    Carter Dickson The Judas Window
    and Dashiell Hammett The Glass Key.

    Reply

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