The Ten Best Crime Books of All Time

Crime novels are a pleasure read and the best ones make the day fly by. There have been many classics in the crime genre and we will be listing the ten best crime books of all time. Keep reading to find out which books made the list!

We covered the best crime books of all time and without limitations, it was easier to make that list. But when only selecting ten, the job becomes much harder. That is why we will be making this list by counting a book’s impact as well as books that I enjoyed.  

The Ten Best Crime Books of All Time

• The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1902
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, 1965
• The Godfather by Mario Puzo, 1969
• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, 2003
• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, 1934
• The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, 1929
• The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, 1988
• Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, 1974
• The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver, 1997
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, 1939

The Queen of Myster

With two books on the list, Agatha Christie proves once again that she is the queen of mystery for a reason. And a few more of her books could have made the list. And Then There Were None is her most popular novel and should be read by fans of crime but Murder on the Orient Express is also a great novel that should not be overlooked.

Sherlock Holmes

When talking about crime novels and the best detective novels, Sherlock Holmes can’t be forgotten. And with m a bunch of books to his name, a few could have made this list. But the best book in the Sherlock Holmes series has to be The Hounds of the Baskerville. Even if Doyle loathed writing Sherlock Holmes novels, their impact on the crime genre cannot be ignored.

The Godfather

Everyone knows about The Godfather movies and rightfully so. The first movie is considered one of if not the best movie of all time. And it is one of the few times that the movie is better than the books. But that shouldn’t take anything away from the book that was adapted into the movie. Mario Puzo’s novel is impossible to put down once you read it and a must read for anyone that loves a good crime novel.

The Maltese Falcon

It has been almost a century since hardboiled fiction novels have had their heyday. But the classics that these era produced are still worth reading such as The Maltese Falcon It is a detective novel filled with lots of murder and blood. One of my favorite elements of a hardboiled fiction novel is the constant plot twists as if you are in a maze. There is never a dull moment and Dashiell Hammett’s novel delivers on all fronts.

The Silence of the Lambs

Is there a better thriller novel than Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris? When you are reading the novel, it doesn’t feel like there is. What makes this novel interesting is that it isn’t even the first novel in the Hannibal series. But it is definitely the best book partly because it centers around Hannibal. 

In Cold Blood

Lastly, I want to discuss In Cold Blood because it made the genre of true crime a thing with its success. Helter Skelter would not have existed if this book was never published. With that said, it needs to be mentioned that the book does add fictitious events to make the book feel more real. Capone was able to make a real-life murder into amazing book that raises important points.

Conclusion

This list is not trying to represent every crime book that has ever been published. Rather, it is a biased list that covers amazing crime books that deserve the label of the ten best crime books in my opinion. There will be other opinions that differ and that is okay. Until next time, happy reading!

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