We a good story
Quick delivery in the UK

Crime & Thriller

If you like crime, suspense or just a well written mystery you have come to the right place. At Tales you find a wide selection of crime novels and thriller books. The crime and thriller genres come in many forms. You can find everything from the most scary and bloddy murder to a mindblowing mystery written by some of the best crime writers. The crime and thriller books are very popular, because of their page-turner elements. Have you first started reading one, it’s hard to put it down again. Are you ready for a thrill?
Show more
Filter
Filter
Sort bySort Popular
  • Save 29%
    by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    £35.49

  • Save 10%
    by Jussi Adler-Olsen
    £8.99

    The master of the Nordic thriller returns with the seventh instalment of the gripping Department Q series.

  • Save 10%
    by Lisa Jewell
    £8.99

    THEN - She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. NOW - it's been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter. And then one day a stranger called Floyd walks into a cafe and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

  • Save 10%
    - Lord Peter Wimsey Book 4
    by Dorothy L. Sayers
    £8.99

    The fifth book in the classic British detective series featuring amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, with a new introduction by detective fiction writer Simon Brett.

  • Save 10%
    - The bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club thriller
    by Robert Harris
    £8.99

    Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world's most secretive election.________________Munich, Robert Harris's new spy thriller set in the days leading up to World War II, is available now.________________`Unputdownable' Guardian `Gripping' Sunday Times

  • Save 11%
    - The Brighton Mysteries 3
    by Elly Griffiths
    £7.99

    On the eve of the Queen's coronation, DI Stephens and Max Mephisto uncover an anarchist plot and a ticking bomb at the same time as solving the murder of a man close to them - from the author of the bestselling Dr Ruth Galloway mysteries

  • by Kerri Maniscalco
    £7.99 - 38.99

    In this spine-chilling gothic murder mystery set in gritty Victorian-era London, an intrepid society girl finds herself inescapably embroiled in the investigation of a ghastly serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.

  • Save 15%
    by James Ellroy
    £10.99

    Los Angeles has been a haven for loyal Japanese-Americans - but now, war fever and race hate grip the city and the Japanese internment begins. It is World War II as you have never seen it, and Los Angeles as James Ellroy has never written it before.

  • Save 10%
    - (Robert Langdon Book 4)
    by Dan Brown
    £8.99

    *NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING TOM HANKS AND FELICITY JONES*Florence: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there.

  • Save 10%
    by Donna Leon
    £8.99

    Granted leave from the Questura, Commissario Guido Brunetti decides to finally take a well-earned break and visit Sant'Erasmo, one of the largest islands in the Venetian laguna.

  • Save 21%
    - March Violets, The Pale Criminal, A German Requiem
    by Philip Kerr
    £14.99

    Ex-Policeman Bernie Gunther thought he'd seen everything on the streets of 1930's Berlin. And even after the war, amidst the decayed, imperial splendour of Vienna, Bernie uncovered a legacy that made the wartime atrocities look lily-white in comparison.

  • Save 14%
    by Janet Malcolm
    £9.49

    In 1970 Jeffrey MacDonald was accused of murdering his pregnant wife, and the journalist Joe McGinniss decided to write a book about it. Malcolm's celebrated book sheds a fascinating light on the conflict and controversy that followed, and asks whether all journalists are, ultimately, immoral.

  • Save 10%
    - (Jack Reacher 19)
    by Lee Child
    £8.99

    Jack Reacher walks alone. Once a go-to hard man in the US military police, now he's a drifter of no fixed abode. And Reacher is the one man who can find him.This new heartstopping, nailbiting book in Lee Child's number-one bestselling series takes Reacher across the Atlantic to Paris - and then to London.

  • Save 10%
    - (Jack Reacher 13)
    by Lee Child
    £8.99

    Featuring Jack Reacher, hero of the new blockbuster movie starring Tom Cruise, as he faces his most implacable enemy yet.Jack Reacher studies his fellow passengers.Four are OK.The fifth isn't.Will Reacher intervene, and save lives?

  • Save 10%
    by Gillian Flynn
    £8.99

    Your brother murdered your family. Your evidence put him away...the gripping second novel from the author of the mega-bestselling GONE GIRL.

  • Save 10%
    - (Jack Reacher 12)
    by Lee Child
    £8.99

    'A high-testosterone adventure . All Jack Reacher wants is a cup of coffee. What are the secrets the locals seem so determined to hide?Although the Jack Reacher novels can be read in any order, Nothing To Lose is 12th in the series.

  • Save 10%
    by Michael Crichton
    £8.99

    An old man is found wandering disoriented in the Arizona desert. He is miles from any human habitation and has no memory of how he got to be there, or who he is. The only clue to his identity is the plan of a medieval monastery in his pocket. So begins the mystery that will catapult a group of young scientists back to the Middle Ages.

  • Save 10%
    by Irvine Welsh
    £8.99

    With the festive season almost upon him, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson is winding down at work and gearing up socially - kicking off Christmas with a week of sex and drugs in Amsterdam.

  • Save 14%
    by Bill Buford
    £9.49

    What sort of man spends his Saturday afternoons with people named Bonehead, Paraffin Pete and Steamin' Sammy? Bill Buford's acclaimed Among the Thugs is a book about the experience, and the attractions, of crowd violence.

  • Save 11%
    - The Sunday Times Bestseller
    by Paula Hawkins
    £7.99

    Wondering if Into the Water could be as good as The Girl on the Train? It's better. A triumph. Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author of I Let You GoThe addictive No. 1 psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller and global phenomenon.*****Just days before her sister plunged to her death, Jules ignored her call.Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules must return to her sister's house to care for her daughter, and to face the mystery of Nel's death.But Jules is afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of this small town that is drowning in secrecy . . . And of knowing that Nel would never have jumped.***** Paula Hawkins does it again! Into the Water is a moody and chilling thriller that will have you madly turning the pages. A gripping, compulsive read! Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door Fans of Paula Hawkins The Girl on the Train rejoice: her second novel Into the Water is even better. A brilliantly plotted and fast-paced juggernaut of a read that hurtles to a heart-stopping conclusion. Good Housekeeping (Book of the Month) A twisting whodunnit that leaves you both gratified and surprised (also the best kind) . . . Not just a brilliant thriller but also a furious feminist howl . . . Stylist Dark, gothic and twisty as a snake in the grass. I read it in one sitting. Erin Kelly, author of He Said, She Said Into the Water is superb. Sinister layers, complex characters and a plot that'll keep you guessing. Ali Land, author of Good Me, Bad Me

  • Save 14%
    - Frey & McGray Book 3
    by Oscar de Muriel
    £9.49

    'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin1889. The Scottish Play is coming home.But before the darling couple of London theatre, Henry Irving & Ellen Terry, take their acclaimed Macbeth to the Edinburgh stage terror treads the boards. A grisly message found smeared across the cobbles in blood, foretelling someone's demise. As the bloody prophecies continue to appear Edinburgh's own beloved pair - Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray & Inspector Ian Frey - enter the scene. Frey scoffs at this blatant publicity stunt, while McGray is convinced of supernatural affairs. As they scrutinise the key players, they discover that Terry, Irving, and his peculiar, preoccupied assistant (one Bram Stoker) all have reasons to kill, or be killed...But one thing is clear. By occult curse or human hand, death will take bow the night the curtain rises.Praise for the Frey & McGray series:'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times'This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it. Oscar de Muriel is going to be a name to watch' Manda Scott'Fun to read and a fast page-turner. Love and murder - they go together like strawberries and cream' Independent'A brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written ... Everything you need in a mystery thriller' Crime Review'Fast-paced, well-researched and thoroughly spellbinding. The mismatched pair is as entertaining as Holmes and Watson at their best' Historical Novel Society

  • by David Downing
    £7.99 - 10.99

    THE HEART-STOPPING FINAL INSTALMENT OF THE BESTSELLING STATION SERIES Europe, 1948. The continent is once again divided: into the Soviet-controlled East, and the US-dominated West. John Russell and his old comrade-in-espionage Shchepkin need to find a way out of the dangerous, morally murky world they have both inhabited for far too long. But they can't just walk away: if they want to escape with their lives, they must uncover a secret so damaging that they can buy their safety with silence. In this dazzling conclusion to the series, Downing ratchets up the suspense with a superb plot involving psychopathic mass murderers, a snuff movie that leads to the highest ranks of Soviet power, and Russell and his girlfriend Effi's last-ditch attempt to gain freedom.

  • Save 15%
    - The Japanese Monster Survival Guide
    by Matt Alt & Hiroko Yoda
    £10.99

    Yokai Attack! is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's traditional monsters and creepy-crawlies. Yokai are ethereal sorts of beings, like ghosts, nearly always encountered at night; everyone has their own take on how they might look in real life and what sorts of specific characteristics and abilities they might have. This book is the result of long hours spent poring over data and descriptions from a variety of sources, including microfilms of eighteenth-century illustrations from the national Diet Library in Tokyo, in order to bring you detailed information on almost 50 of these amazing creatures for the first time in English.Illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the potential appearance of each yokai. Alongside each illustration is a series of "e;data points,"e; with each yokai's important features at a glanceespecially handy for any potential close encounters.Yokai Attack! will surely convince you that Japan's tradition of fascinating monsters is a long oneyet far from being history.Book 1 of 3 in the Yokai Attack! series. Others include Ninja Attack! and Yurei Attack!.

  • Save 10%
    by Mark Greaney
    £8.99

    'Hard, fast, and unflinching-exactly what a thriller should be.' Lee ChildThe first in the Court Gentry all-action thriller series, from Tom Clancy's co-writer Mark Greaney.To those who lurk in the shadows, he's known as the Gray Man. He is a legend in the covert realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible and then fading away. And he always hits his target. But there are forces more lethal than Gentry in the world. Forces like money. And power. And there are men who hold these as the only currency worth fighting for. In their eyes, Gentry has just outlived his usefulness.But Court Gentry is going to prove that, for him, there's no grey area between killing for a living and killing to stay alive...***********************'Bourne for the new millenium' New York Times bestselling author James Rollins'A high-octane thriller that doesn't pause for more than a second for all of its 464 pages...For readers looking for a thriller where the action comes fast and furious, this is the ticket.' Chicago Sun-Times'Take fictional spy Jason Bourne, pump him up with Red Bull and meth, shake vigorously-and you've got the recipe for Court Gentry.' The Memphis Commercial Appeal'From the opening pages, the bullets fly and the bodies pile up. Through the carnage, Gentry remains an intriguing protagonist with his own moral code.' Booklist

  • Save 14%
    - DI Helen Grace 4
    by M. J. Arlidge
    £9.49

    THE FOURTH DI HELEN GRACE THRILLER BY BESTSELLING AUTHOR M J ARLIDGE'Helen Grace is one of the greatest heroes to come along in years' JEFFERY DEAVERIn the dead of night, three raging fires light up the city skies. It's more than a tragic coincidence. For DI Helen Grace the flames announce the arrival of an evil she has never encountered before.Because this is no firestarter seeking sick thrills, but something more chilling: a series of careful, calculating acts of murder.But why were the victims chosen? What's driving the killer? And who will be next?A powder keg of fear, suspicion and dread has been laid. Now all it needs is a spark to set it off . . .PRAISE FOR M.J. ARLIDGE:'The new Jo Nesbo' JUDY FINNIGAN'Fast paced and nailbitingly tense ... gripping' SUN'DI Helen Grace is a genuinely fresh heroine ... MJ Arlidge weaves together a tapestry that chills to the bone' Daily Mail'Chilling stuff' Fabulist 'A chilling read' My Weekly 'A grisly, gripping thriller' Sunday Mirror 'Gruesomely realistic, intriguing and relentless. Arlidge's fledgling army of fans is about to grow' Sunday Sport'Eeny Meeny debuts one of the best new series detectives, Helen Grace. Determined, tough and damaged, she must unravel a terrifying riddle of a killer kidnapping victims in pairs. Mesmerizing!' Lisa Gardner 'Expertly pulled off. It has a devious premise. DI Helen Grace is fiendishly awesome. It's scary as all hell. And it has a full cast of realistically drawn, interesting characters that make the thing read like a bullet' Will Lavender'A fast-paced, twisting police procedural and thriller that's sure to become another bestseller' Huffington Post

  • Save 10%
    - DI Helen Grace 3
    by M. J. Arlidge
    £8.99

    Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller The Doll's House is the new twisting and terrifying thriller in the Detective Inspector Helen Grace series from M.J. Arlidge. Arlidge is the author of Eeny Meeny and Pop Goes the Weasel, and has been dubbed 'the new Jo Nesbo'.'Detective Inspector Helen Grace is one of the greatest heroes to come along in years.' Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Skin Collector and Solitude Creek 'The third instalment in the DI Grace series is as fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense as the first two. Taut and gripping, book four cannot come soon enough' Sun***************A young woman wakes up in a cold, dark cellar, with no idea how she got there or who her kidnapper is. So begins her terrible nightmare. Nearby, the body of another young woman is discovered buried on a remote beach. But the dead girl was never reported missing - her estranged family having received regular texts from her over the years. Someone has been keeping her alive from beyond the grave. For Detective Inspector Helen Grace it's chilling evidence that she's searching for a monster who is not just twisted but also clever and resourceful - a predator who's killed before. And as Helen struggles to understand the killer's motivation, she begins to realize that she's in a desperate race against time . . .PRAISE FOR M.J. ARLIDGE:'Page-turningly chilling' The Times'DI Helen Grace is a genuinely fresh heroine ... MJ Arlidge weaves together a tapestry that chills to the bone'Daily Mail'M.J. Arlidge is the new Jo Nesbo' Judy Finnigan'Taut, fast-paced, truly excellent' Sun'Chilling stuff' Fabulist 'A chilling read' My Weekly 'A grisly, gripping thriller' Sunday Mirror 'Dark, twisted, thought provoking, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Take a ride on this roller coaster from hell--white knuckles guaranteed.' Tami Hoag, number one New York Times bestselling author'Gruesomely realistic, intriguing and relentless. Arlidge's fledgling army of fans is about to grow' Sunday Sport'Eeny Meeny debuts one of the best new series detectives, Helen Grace. Determined, tough and damaged, she must unravel a terrifying riddle of a killer kidnapping victims in pairs. Mesmerizing!' Lisa Gardner 'Expertly pulled off. It has a devious premise. DI Helen Grace is fiendishly awesome. It's scary as all hell. And it has a full cast of realistically drawn, interesting characters that make the thing read like a bullet' Will Lavender 'A fast-paced, twisting police procedural and thriller that's sure to become another bestseller' Huffington Post

  • Save 14%
    - DI Helen Grace 1
    by M. J. Arlidge
    £9.49

    *** Start a new crime series... now at this special price for a limited time only ***'This is going to be as big as Jo Nesbo' Judy Finnigan 'What a great premise!' Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Skin Collector and Solitude Creek Eeny Meeny is the rocket-paced serial-killer thriller debut from M. J. Arlidge. Eeny Meeny was a Richard and Judy Book Club Summer 2014 pick. ******** The girl emerged from the woods, barely alive. Her story was beyond belief. But it was true. Every dreadful word of it. Days later, another desperate escapee is found - and a pattern is emerging. Pairs of victims are being abducted, imprisoned then faced with a terrible choice: kill or be killed. Would you rather lose your life or lose your mind? Detective Inspector Helen Grace has faced down her own demons on her rise to the top. As she leads the investigation to hunt down this unseen monster, she learns that it may be the survivors - living calling cards - who hold the key to the case. And unless she succeeds, more innocents will die . . . Introducing M. J. Arlidge's Detective Inspector Helen Grace, Eeny Meeny is an electrifying d but, with the nerve-shredding intensity of Saw and Along Came a Spider. Fans of James Patterson and Mo Hayder should pay attention. Praise for M.J. Arlidge and the DI Helen Grace series: 'M. J. Arlidge has created a genuinely fresh heroine in DI Helen Grace' Daily Mail 'Taut, fast-paced, truly excellent' Sun 'Detective Inspector Helen Grace is one of the greatest heroes to come along in years.' Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Skin Collector and Solitude Creek 'Gruesomely realistic, intriguing and relentless' Sunday Sport 'Eeny Meeny debuts one of the best new series detectives, Helen Grace. Determined, tough and damaged, she must unravel a terrifying riddle of a killer kidnapping victims in pairs. Mesmerizing!' Lisa Gardner'A gripping debut ... D.I. Helen Grace is a flawed but winning heroine ... and, boy, the pages fly by' USA Today'A fast-paced, twisting police procedural and thriller that's sure to become another bestseller' Huffington Post

  • Save 17%
    - Oregon Files #3
    by Jack du Brul & Clive Cussler
    £9.99

    Juan Cabrillo and the Oregon crew return in Clive Cussler's Dark Watch.A deadly band of pirates is terrorizing the waters of the Far East - and the crew of the Oregon may be the only people who can stop them...Juan Cabrillo and his expert team on the Oregon are used to working dirty, dangerous jobs. While thwarting terrorist missiles, Cabrillo and the crew stumble on pirates in the seas of China - men who are more concerned with destroying ships with their Shock and Awe attacks than plundering their valuables. When the team grows desperate for all the information they can get, one of Juan's best men risks everything to get closer to the truth.Soon, the Oregon team will discover that the pirates are hiding a much more deadly power: an international conspiracy of slavery that will rock the very foundations of the world banks. Millions of dollars and thousands of lives are at stake - and Juan Cabrillo is their only hope...Praise for Clive Cussler:'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily Mail

  • Save 14%
    - DI Helen Grace 2
    by M. J. Arlidge
    £9.49

    The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Pop Goes The Weasel - the furiously fast-paced new thriller from M J Arlidge, read by Elizabeth Bower. The body of a middle-aged man is discovered in Southamptons red light district - horrifically mutilated, with his heart removed. Hours later - and barely cold - the heart arrives with his wife and children by courier. A pattern emerges when another male victim is found dead and eviscerated, his heart delivered soon afterwards. The media call it Jack the Ripper in reverse; revenge against the men who lead sordid double lives visiting prostitutes. For Grace, only one thing is certain: theres a vicious serial-killer at large who must be halted at all costs . . .

  • Save 21%
    by Arthur Conan Doyle
    £14.99

    'It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'Sherlock Holmes, scourge of criminals everywhere, whether they be lurking in London's foggy backstreets or plotting behind the walls of an idyllic country mansion, and his faithful colleague Dr Watson solve twelve breathtaking and perplexing mysteries.In The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the first collection of the great consulting detective's cases, we encounter some of his most famous and devilishly difficult problems, including A Scandal in Bohemia, The Speckled Band, The Red-Headed League, The Blue Carbuncle, The Five Orange Pips and The Man with the Twisted Lip.

Crime
The crime genre is one of the most popular literary genres among readers around the world. The characteristics of a typical crime novel is first and foremost that a crime is committed. The crime begins the plot and from this point the investigation starts. Here we meet the investigator that will solve the mystery of the crime that was committed. In the investigation process the reader is introduced to a gallery of characters and during the crime book the crime writer gives the reader some clues to who the offender or murder could be. Another crucial factor here is the motive of the crime. Lastly the crime is solved and all the clues are unravelled in the end of the crime novels. 

The Nordic Crime tradition
In Scandinavia we have a proud tradition of writing crime novels especially in the form of nordic noir. What is special about the nordic noir genre is it’s way of mixing the investigation of a crime or murder with socialrealistic problematics often describes through the main characters. Another special feature found in these crime novels is that the main character is mostly female. The female investigator or journalist comes in the form of an anti-hero that is brilliant at solving a crime mystery, but struggles with problems in her personal life. She is often an outsider and socially changed, but good at her work. She has an assistant or helper, that often is her complete contrast.
Another characteristic of the nordic crime books is the weather. The often cold, harsh, and dark autumn weather in Scandinavia creates a gloomy, melancholic and mysterious backdrop of the story. Some of the crime books best sellers are found in Scandinavia.

Classical mysteries 
The crime genre goes a long way back and is said to have started or had its broad appeal with the stories of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in an english newspaper. The popular stories were later turned into a crime books series, and the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is still some of the most beloved crime stories on the market. The genius main character Sherlock Holmes and his likeable helper Doctor Watson solve some of the most puzzling mysteries in the history of crime novels, and the gallery of characters is really well described. The whole crime book series have been adapted to the screen and the popular crime stories are found in multiple tv-serieses and movies today, but the books are always the best.
You will also find all the classics by the famous and beloved crime writer Agatha Christie in our selection. You can find the whole very popular crime books series with the brilliant Hercule Poirot including the classic The Murder on The Orient Express. You can also find the beloved crime novel character Miss Marple, who is one of the most genius old Ladies in the history of books. You can also find some of Agatha Christies’ plays in our wide selection of crime books.

Thriller
The thriller books are some of the most intense. They are hard to describe, because of their diversity, but they always give you thrill. The plot often deals with a mystery that needs solving, but different from the crime book is the high level of intensity and suspense making it hard for the reader to put the book down again. All the thriller books are page-turners and are highly loved by its readers, because the high level of intensity and excitement makes the reader feel like he is part of the thriller book’s plot. 
In our wide selection of crime and thriller you can find all the thriller books best sellers including the Dan Brown classics The Da Vinci Code and Inferno. If you like a good shiver you should take a look at the nerve wracking thriller books by Stephen King if you dare. 

Join thousands of book lovers

Sign up to our newsletter and receive discounts and inspiration for your next reading experience.