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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?
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  • Save 24%
    by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    £18.99

    The perfect gift for the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fan, The Complete Sherlock Holmes is an elegant edition boasting the entire Sherlock Holmes catalog including 4 full-length novels and 56 short stories.

  • Save 14%
    by Caroline Lea
    £9.49

  • Save 10%
    by Lindsey Davis
    £8.99 - 15.49

    The next book in the gripping Flavia Albia series, by acclaimed author Lindsey Davis.

  • Save 10%
    by Kate Atkinson
    £8.99

    THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RETURN OF JACKSON BRODIE - 'LIKE ALL GOOD DETECTIVES, A HERO FOR MEN AND WOMEN ALIKE' (The Times)The perfect Christmas gift for any Kate Atkinson fan .

  • by Andrew MacDonald
    £23.49

  • - a serial sex attacker on the loose
    by L M Krier
    £12.99

    A serial sex attacker is spreading fear in Stockport and DI Ted Darling and his team are on the case. The man randomly targets young women and abducts them from busy supermarket car parks. He's armed with a knife and is clearly highly trained in how to handle it.Ever-dwindling police resources make the manhunt harder, even though the attacker clearly doesn't care whether or not he's caught. All his victims say he's dead behind the eyes.As the gripping thriller nears its climax, the dangerous predator becomes even more ruthless and his actions threaten the lives of more than one of the team members.

  • by Keith Dixon
    £10.49

    Edward Ransome is one of England's most famous artists - rich, a friend to celebrities and known for his devotion to his craft for almost fifty years.Then someone steals his favourite painting - the painting that set Ransome on course to fame and fortune but was never sold and rarely seen.Sam Dyke is hired to find the painting, and the thief, but quickly discovers that the loss of the painting is only one of the many losses suffered by Ransome, and his family. What's more, whoever stole the painting is keen to keep it a secret, and committing murder to do so is not out of the question. Soon Dyke finds he has more than a simple burglary on his hands - it's a case that spans generations and includes more than one ordinary crime.The Cobalt Sky is a subtle but exciting exploration of the ways in which families can hurt each other over time ... without even trying.From the two-time winner of the Chanticleer Reviews CLUE Award in the private eye/noir category, for The Bleak and The Innocent Dead.

  • Save 14%
    - The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
    by Hallie Rubenhold
    £9.49

  • Save 11%
    by Martin Edwards
    £7.99

    A Gothic remaking of the classic country house murder mystery.

  • Save 15%
    - Gangsters, Corruption and the London Olympics
    by Michael Gillard
    £10.99

    Award-winning journalist Gillard took up where they left off to expose the tangled web of chief executives, big banks, politicians and dirty money where innocent lives are destroyed and the guilty flourish. Gillard's efforts culminated in a landmark court case, which finally put the Long Fella and his friends on trial exposing London's real Olympic legacy.

  • Save 14%
    - Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties
    by Dan Piepenbring & Tom O'Neill
    £9.49

    In those two dark nights in Los Angeles, O'Neill finds the story of California in the sixties: when charlatans mixed with prodigies, free love was as possible as brainwashing, and utopia-or dystopia-was just an acid trip away.

  • by K L Smith
    £12.99

  • Save 15%
    - The Greatest Detective in the World
    by Mark Aldridge
    £10.99 - 18.99

    From the very first book publication in 1920 to the film release of Death on the Nile in December 2020, this investigation into Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot celebrates a century of probably the world's favourite fictional detective.

  • - A DCI Ryan Mystery
    by LJ Ross
    £7.99

    FROM THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF HOLY ISLANDHell has unleashed a demon - and he's coming for you...Detective Chief Inspector Ryan's worst nightmare has just become a reality. Notorious serial killer The Hacker has escaped prison and kidnapped one of his best detectives from her own home. His brutality is the stuff of legend - Ryan lost his sister and nearly his own life bringing the man to justice first time around. Can Ryan do it again to save his friend? There's a nationwide manhunt underway but the trail has gone cold and fear spreads like a virus. Ryan and his team must find The Hacker before he takes another life - but are they too late? The clock is ticking...Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. "A literary phenomenon" - Evening Chronicle"LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers" - The Times

  • Save 10%
    by Owen Matthews
    £8.99

    SUNDAY TIMES Crime Book of the Month - 'One of the best thrillers of recent years . Intricately researched, cunningly plotted and brilliantly told, Black Sun is a fast-paced and timely thriller set at the height - and in the heart - of Soviet power.

  • - A DCI Ryan Mystery
    by LJ Ross
    £7.99

    FROM THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF HOLY ISLAND AND DARK SKIESRyan''s most explosive case yet¿It''s been five months since a killer walked free and DCI Ryan is preparing to leave Newcastle to hunt him down - this time, for good. But Ryan''s plans are scuppered when events take a dramatic turn and he is forced to stay and face his past one last time, or watch a friend suffer the consequences. Amid the chaos, another killer is preparing to strike. When the Tyne Bridge explodes, Ryan''s team are faced with a frantic race to uncover a deadly foe who won''t stop until every bridge is burned, along with everybody on it...Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. ¿LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers¿ ¿ The Times¿A literary phenomenon¿ ¿ Evening Chronicle

  • Save 10%
    - The memoir of a forensic scientist and criminal investigator
    by Patricia Wiltshire
    £8.99

  • by Caimh McDonnell
    £11.49

  • - The Evermore
    by Jessica Sorensen
    £13.99

    A mysterious new job. A secret society. A dark family secret. Callie and Kayden's life is about to get complicated. Now in her last year of college, Callie feels like she wants to do something amazing with her life. When she gets a job offer to write for at an unconventional newspaper, she wonders if it's the change she's looking for...

  • Save 10%
    by George Alagiah
    £8.99

    The exhilarating debut political thriller from BBC broadcaster George Alagiah

  • Save 20%
    - A Judge John Deed Novel
    by GF Newman
    £11.99

    John Deed is an ambitious judge. He has made many enemies during his career both as a QC and on the High Court bench, a lot of them in Government; people waiting for an opportunity to pull him down. A new story based on the television series by its author.

  • by Christopher Kerr
    £9.99

  • - A DCI Ryan Mystery
    by LJ Ross
    £7.99

    FROM THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF HOLY ISLAND AND SEVEN BRIDGESHe thought he was invincible, but he was wrong... When an old man is found dead inside the ancient hermitage at Warkworth Castle, Northumbria CID are called in to investigate. With no apparent motive, it's their job to unravel why he was murdered - and this time they're forced to do it without their star detective... DCI Ryan is thousands of miles away. He's tracked a killer across Europe and has sworn not to return until he has his man in custody. Nathan Armstrong is a dangerous psychopath but there's just one problem - he's also an international celebrity; a world-famous thriller writer with money and connections. Ryan is a stranger in a foreign land, but he knows one thing - he'll never give up. Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular landscapes of Northumberland and Tuscany. "LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers" - The Times "A literary phenomenon" - Evening Chronicle

  • Save 24%
    by Garry Rogers
    £18.99

    The book gives a unique, first-hand account of the undercover police operation targeting the violent hooligans who followed the England football team around the world in the 1990s.

  • - A DCI Ryan Mystery
    by LJ Ross
    £7.99

    Between the devil and the deep blue sea...Viking treasure is discovered beneath the icy waters of the North Sea and local historian Doctor Anna Taylor is called in to help catalogue the most exciting hoard in living memory. But when a shipwreck diver washes up dead, she's soon out of her depth. Luckily, she knows just the person to call...When DCI Ryan arrives at the picturesque fishing town of Seahouses, he''s faced with an impenetrable wall of secrets and lies. As he juggles marine archaeology and the cutthroat world of shipwreck diving, another murder blows the case wide open. To uncover the truth, Ryan must delve deeper into the hearts of those around him to find what lies beneath...Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. "LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers" - The Times"A literary phenomenon" - Evening Chronicle

  • Save 14%
    by Laura Morelli
    £9.49

    'Historical fiction at its best' Reader review The Tattooist of Auschwitz meets Girl with a Pearl Earring in this gripping, dual-timeline historical novel about one of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous paintings and the woman who fought to save it from the Nazis.

  • Save 10%
    by Richard Osman
    £8.99 - 15.49

    'Such a beacon of pleasure' KATE ATKINSON'So smart and funny. Deplorably good' IAN RANKIN'A gripping read' SUNDAY TIMESTHE FIRST BOOK IN THE #1 BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY TV PRESENTER RICHARD OSMANIn a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?__________________________________WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB'Thrilling, moving, laugh-out-loud funny' MARK BILLINGHAM'A great read, I really enjoyed it' GRAHAM NORTON'As the bodies pile up, and more is revealed of the lives and loves of Joyce, Ibrahim, Ron and Elizabeth, you can't help cheering them on - and hoping to meet them again soon' THE TIMES, CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH'Mystery fans are going to be enthralled' HARLAN COBEN'Pure escapism' THE GUARDIAN, BEST CRIME AND THRILLERS OF 2020'One of the most enjoyable books of the year' DAILY EXPRESS'Smart, compassionate, warm, moving and so VERY funny' MARIAN KEYES'As gripping as it is funny' EVENING STANDARD'Funny, clever and achingly British' ADAM KAY'An exciting new talent in crime fiction' DAILY MAIL'A warm, wise and witty warning never to underestimate the elderly' VAL MCDERMID'Delight after delight from first page to last' RED MAGAZINE'I completely fell in love with it' SHARI LAPENA'This is properly brilliant. The pages fly and I can't stop smiling' STEVE CAVANAGH'Charming, clever debut' STYLIST'I laughed my arse off' BELINDA BAUER'A witty and poignant tale' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Clever, clever plot' FIONA BARTON'An absolutely delightful read' PRIMA MAGAZINE'Utterly charming' SARAH PINBOROUGH'Funny and original' THE SUN'Properly funny and totally charming...steeped in Agatha Christie joy' ARAMINTA HALL'This is one of the most delightful novels of the year' DAILY MIRROR'A bundle of joy' JANE FALLON

  • - A DCI Ryan Mystery
    by LJ Ross
    £7.99

    The circus is in town¿ When a ten-year-old girl turns up on DCI Ryan¿s doorstep to tell him she¿s witnessed a murder, he has no idea he¿s about to step into his most spellbinding case yet. The circus has rolled into Newcastle upon Tyne, bringing with it a troupe of daring acrobats, magicians, jugglers¿and one of them is a killer. Ryan and his team must break through their closed ranks to uncover a secret which has lain buried for eight years, before the killer strikes again¿this time, to silence the only living witness¿ Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. ¿LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers¿ ¿ The Times ¿A literary phenomenon¿ ¿ Evening Chronicle

  • - A DCI Ryan Mystery
    by LJ Ross
    £7.99

    When you sell your soul, the devil gives no refunds... When an old man is burned alive in a sleepy ex-mining village, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan is called in to investigate. He soon discovers that, beneath the facade of a close-knit community, the burn from decades-old betrayal still smoulders. When everyone had a motive, can he unravel the secrets of the past before the killer strikes again? Meanwhile, back at Northumbria CID, trouble is brewing with rumours of a mole in Ryan¿s department. With everyone under suspicion, can he count on anybody but himself? Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. ¿LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers¿ ¿ The Times ¿A literary phenomenon¿ ¿ Evening Chronicle

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. 

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