Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl are two of the successful crime novels in recent memory. Here are five crime interesting thrillers to read this 2020.

5 Crime Novels to Check This 2020

The Knock by Jessie Keane

The Knock is Jessie Keane’s latest crime novel. Published last January, the book is about a young girl named Dora. Dora O’Brien used to live a good life until she got mixed with the wrong company of thugs and gangsters. Things took a turn for the worst when she got pregnant by her gangster lover. Dora started living in the streets under the protection of a crooked cop, Donny Maguire. When her daughter Angel is born, Dora is already hooked on drugs and alcohol. Growing up in the shadow of her mother’s abusive relationship, Angel is nothing like her mother, Dora. However, the dire situation forced them to feign for themselves. Angel is forced to grow up fast to survive the harsh neighborhood. The Knock is a gripping crime thriller from bestselling author Jessie Keane.

Blood in the Water by Jack Flynn

Published last year, Blood in the Water is Jack Flynn’s debut novel. An action-packed thriller, Blood in the Water features a harbor chief named Cormack O’ Connell who finds himself in the middle of a raging war between an international crime boss named Vincente Carpio and FBI Special Agent Kit Steele. Also known as The Hunter, Steele is hell-bent in going after one of the world’s most dangerous criminals and aims to lock him up for good. If you are looking for a police drama with gang violence on the side, Blood in the Water is a recommended read. The book features unforgettable characters and a peek at Boston’s interesting harbor community. Author Jack Flynn is a lawyer and lives south of the city of Boston. 

The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

Published just last year, Sara Collins’ historical crime thriller about a former slave accused of murdering her employer and his wife is gaining popularity and at times compared with Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace. The Confessions of Frannie Langton follows the trial of Frannie at the Old Bailey. During the trial, Frannie recalls her childhood spent in a Jamaican plantation, her apprenticeship under a mad scientist as well as the circumstances that led her to London to serve another scientist- George Benham and his wife Marguerite. The Confessions of Frannie Langton takes readers to the dark parts of history. Sara Collins combined crime, drama, and history creating a unique and riveting mystery thriller, the kind that we have not encountered in quiet a long while. 

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

This best-seller recently made waves after USA Network announced that a TV series adaptation is in the work. An Anonymous Girl follows the story of a struggling Manhattan makeup artist named Jessica after she signed up for a psychology study to earn quick cash. The said study is conducted by the mysterious Dr. Lydia Shields. What follows next is a series of more intense and invasive sessions. Jessica soon learns some disturbing information about Dr. Shields’s former assistants. An Anonymous Girl is a unique crime thriller that will leave readers haunted. A truly electrifying psychological read. 

The Witness: Unfolding the Anatomy of a Killer by Dr. Wanda Draper

Dr. Wanda Draper shares her experience as a professional behavioral witness to murder trials through her nonfiction work The Witness. The Witness is a compilation of some of the most memorable court cases involving the death penalty that Dr. Draper attended during her career. One of the highlights of Dr. Draper’s work is the question of whether there is justice for the murder victims? And which is the more just punishment, death penalty or a life sentence with no parole? In this book, the author does not give her personal bias but rather allows readers to form their own opinions based on the evidence provided. Dr. Wanda Draper’s The Witness: Unfolding the Anatomy of a Killer provides a glimpse of the not-so-familiar aspects of the justice system. Furthermore, the books offer a peek inside each convicted killer’s mind and what drove them to commit murder.