Police Mystery Books: 3 Top Recommendations
And who doesn't want to read while glancing over their shoulder each time to make sure there's no lurking psychopath killer? So let's take a look at some books that offer exactly that feeling!
1. Misery
Stephen King
I’m starting off very strongly, and one could say it’s unfair to the other books, but what can you do—weaknesses can’t be hidden…
When author Paul Sheldon is injured in a car accident, he is rescued by Annie, his self-proclaimed “No. 1 fan” — who quickly proves to be unstable and dangerous. Trapped in her house, with broken legs and addicted to painkillers, he is forced to rewrite a book just for her.
“He did not know who he was, nor where he was, and he did not care to find out. He would have liked to be dead, but in the fog that soaked his mind like the summer cloud that brings a storm, he did not perceive his wish.”
Misery is a gripping, dark thriller that literally made me hold my breath. I have a love-and-hate relationship with the author, but after reading this one I fully understood why he is considered the “king of horror.” It was so vivid that I thought I would step out of my room and see Annie waiting for me with an axe (not a pleasant thought at all). I recommend you add it to your list…if you dare!
A famous author is held hostage by his biggest fan due to her obsession with a fictional heroine he decided to "kill." Paul Sheldon once wrote to make a living. Now he writes to save his life. Paul Sheldon kills Misery Chastain—and does so with unspeakable relief. The protagonist of his highly successful romantic bestsellers has brought him money and fame, but limits his talent.
Now he can move on as a writer and write serious literature. However, after a car accident, he wakes up in unbearable pain in an unfamiliar bed, which, to his great surprise, is not a hospital bed. Annie Wilkes, who pulled him out of the wreckage of his Camaro, has taken him to her isolated mountain home and placed his broken legs in makeshift splints. The good news is that Annie, as a former nurse, has plenty of painkillers at home. The bad news is that Annie, for a long time his "Number One Fan," has realized what Paul did to Misery—and she doesn't like it at all…
What they said about the book: "A classic Stephen King book… full of twists, with a gradual escalation of suspense." –Boston Globe "Truly captivating." –Publishers Weekly "Impressively well-written." –The Indianapolis Star "King at his best!" –The New York Times
Trivia: In 1988, the book won the World Fantasy Award–Novel. The novel was adapted into a film in 1990 starring Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar for her role as Annie Wilkes. The author intended to use the pseudonym Richard Bachman to sign "Misery," but it was revealed before the book's publication. In addition to its film adaptation, the book was also adapted for the stage in 2015 starring Bruce Willis. Stephen King is one of the leading authors of our time. With 50 novels, 200 short stories, and essays, with sales exceeding 350,000,000 copies to his credit.
His works, many of which have been made into movies and series, include Salem's Lot, It, The Stand, The Dark Tower epic, The Shining, The Green Mile, Hearts in Atlantis, The Institute, The Outsider, Elevation, Sleeping Beauties (which he co-wrote with his son, Owen King). He has been honored with the Bram Stoker and Locus awards, by the British, American, and International Horror Writers Associations, with the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters and the National Medal of Arts of the USA, while in 2016 he was honored by the Library of Congress for his entire body of work and in 2018 he was awarded the prestigious PEN literary award. Also, The Outsider and The Institute won first place in the Goodreads Choice awards, in the mystery and thriller category, in 2018 and 2019 respectively. King lives in Bangor, Maine with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
2. My Good Child
Romy Hausman
I would also call this one “The book you can read in a day” because it has so much suspense that, honestly, you can’t put it down until you find out what happens.
A woman escapes from a cabin in the woods, where she was held captive with two children under the absolute control of a “father” who dictates everything. When she returns to the world, nothing is as it seems. The police and her family try to unravel a terrifying tangle of secrets, lies, and twists.
“He makes the day and the night. Like a god.”
From the moment I started reading this book, I kept saying to myself, “What on earth is going on?” I couldn’t put it down. It had all the makings of a great thriller, it was full of suspense and twists, and beyond that, it was also very easy to read. It’s an ideal choice!
He creates day and night. Like a God. A hut in the forest, without windows. Lena's life and that of her two children follows strict rules: meals, toilet, study, all follow a predetermined schedule religiously.
The father takes care of the food, protects them from the dangers of the outside world, and ensures that his children always have a mother — whatever the cost. But one day the mother manages to escape. And then the real nightmare begins.
Because many things indicate that the father wants to take back what belongs to him at all costs. What is really happening and what is a product of paranoia?
3. The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by
Joël Dicker
What can I say about this book? To be honest, I read it after some “pressure” from my dad, and I hate it when he’s right, but what can you do—it was a little gem.
The young writer Marcus Goldman visits his famous mentor, Harry Quebert, to find inspiration for his next book — just before Harry is accused of an old, unsolved murder. What follows is a labyrinthine novel within a novel, full of time jumps, twists, and secrets that unravel one by one.
I know that 700+ pages may seem intimidating and off-putting, but you’ll have to trust me and push that anxiety aside because this book is amazing. I distinctly remember it keeping me up until four in the morning, since every plot twist gave me a mini stroke. Smart, suspenseful, yet at the same time so enjoyable, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is one of those books you have to read!
In the spring of 2008, in New York, while the whole of America is moving to the rhythm of the presidential elections, Marcus Goldman, a young and successful writer, is going through his own ordeal: he is unable to write the new novel he must deliver to his publisher in a few months.
His deadline is about to expire when suddenly everything takes a different turn for him: his friend and former university professor, Harry Quebert, one of the country's most prominent writers, sees his past resurface and finds himself accused of murdering, in 1975, Nola Kellergan, a fifteen-year-old girl with whom he was said to have had a relationship.
Convinced of Harry's innocence, Marcus leaves everything to go to New Hampshire and conduct his own investigation. But very quickly the events overtake him: the investigation stalls and he begins to receive threats.
If he wants to exonerate Harry and save his writing career, he must answer three questions: Who killed Nola Kellergan? What happened in New Hampshire in the summer of 1975? And how does one write a successful novel?
The phenomenon book by the unknown young Swiss author that conquered France and the world. A love story and a mystery story, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is a unique book, one of those that make history...
[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]
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