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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 23%
    by Delia Owens
    £15.49

    Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Celeste Ng, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder.

  • Save 15%
    - The Prequel to The Pillars of the Earth, A Kingsbridge Novel
    by Ken Follett
    £10.99 - 43.49

    The thrilling novel from the No.1 Internationally bestselling author Ken Follett. An epic, addictive historical masterpiece that begins in 997 CE and is set against the background of the medieval church and one man's ambition to make his abbey a centre of learning.

  • Save 31%
    by Sarah J. Maas
    £54.99

    Throne of Glass Box Set (Paperback) by Sarah J. Maas is an extraordinary collection that should not be missed. Published by Bloomsbury UK in 2023, this set is a treasure trove for fans of the fantasy genre. Sarah J. Maas, an acclaimed author, weaves a captivating tale of adventure, intrigue, and magic in her signature style. The Throne of Glass series has been praised for its complex characters, intricate plotlines, and breathtaking world-building. This box set is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the world of Throne of Glass, whether you're a long-time fan or new to the series. Don't miss out on this incredible collection from Bloomsbury UK.

  • by Danielle Lori
    £13.99 - 14.49

    She fears the dark. He rules it. Her dresses are too tight, her heels too tall. She laughs too loudly, eats without decorum, and mixes up most sayings in the book. Little do most know it's just a sparkly disguise, there to hide one panic attack at a time. Nobody can crack Gianna's facade . . . no one anyway, until he comes along. Most see a paragon of morality; a special agent upholding the law. In the New York underworld, others know him as a hustler, a killer, his nature as cold as the heart of ice in his chest. Christian Allister has always followed the life plan he'd envisioned in his youth, beneath the harsh lights of a frigid, damp cell. With a proclivity for order and the number three, he's never been tempted to veer off course. But perhaps one should never say never . . . One winter night and their lives intertwine. She hates him-his stone-cold demeanor, his arrogance and too-perceptive eye-but over the years, even as their games consist of insulting each other's looks and intelligence, she begins to live to play with him. Nowhere in Christian's plans had he ever prepared for Gianna. She's chaos embodied, not his type, and married, but none of that can stop his eyes from following her wherever she goes. All along, she doesn't even know that she's his-his frustration, his fascination. His maddest obsession. *Can be read as a standalone

  • Save 10%
    by Richard Osman
    £8.99 - 18.99

  • Save 10%
    by M. L. Rio
    £8.99

    As a young actor studying at an elite conservatory, Oliver felt doomed to always be in his friends' shadows. But when a surprise casting turns a good-natured rivalry between two of them into something dangerous, their stage roles spill over into real life.

  • Save 14%
    - Red Rising Series 1
    by Pierce Brown
    £9.49 - 15.49

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, BUZZFEED, GOODREADS AND SHELF AWARENESSPierce Brown's heart-pounding debut is the first book in a spectacular series that combines the drama of Game of Thrones with the epic scope of Star Wars. **********'Pierce Brown's empire-crushing debut is a sprawling vision . . . Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow' - Scott Sigler, New York Times bestselling author of Pandemic'[A] top-notch debut novel . . . Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field' - USA Today**********Darrow is a Helldiver. A pioneer of Mars.Born to slave beneath the earth so that one day, future generations might live above it.He is a Red - humankind's lowest caste. But he has something the Golds - the ruthless ruling class - will never understand.He has a wife he worships, a family who give him strength. He has love.And when they take that from him, all that remains is revenge . . .

  • Save 10%
    by Ken Follett
    £8.99 - 18.99

  • Save 10%
    by Emily McIntire
    £8.99

    A dark contemporary romance from viral BookTok and USA Today bestselling author Emily McIntire, featuring reimagined characters from popular fairy tales and other stories.***He wants revenge, but he wants her more...James has always had one agenda: destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter's twenty-year-old daughter Wendy shows up in James's bar, he sees his way in. Seduce the girl and use her for his revenge.It's the perfect plan-until things in James's organisation begin to crumble. Suddenly, he has to find the traitor in his midst, and his plan for revenge gets murkier as James starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game.Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her wealthy and cold father, but a spontaneous night out with friends turns into an intense and addictive love affair with the dark and brooding James. As much as she knows James is dangerous, Wendy can't seem to shake her desire for him.But as their relationship grows more heated and she learns more about the world he moves in, she finds herself unsure if she's falling for the man known as James...or the monster known as Hook.Hooked joins the Never After series as a dark and sexy reimagining of a classic tale, twisting it into an enticing new shape for mature readers.TropesFractured Fairy TaleMafia RomanceEnemies to LoversAge Gap RomanceForbidden LoveDark RomanceSpicy RomanceTouch Her and DieThe Never After Series:HookedScarredWretchedTwistedCrossedHexed

  • by Bram Stoker
    £7.99 - 18.99

    Richard E Grant reads Bram Stoker's Dracula, one of the most powerful horror tales ever written, for Penguin Audiobooks.When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes a series of horrific discoveries about his client. Soon afterwards, various bizarre incidents unfold in England: an apparently unmanned ship is wrecked off the coast of Whitby; a young woman discovers strange puncture marks on her neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the 'Master' and his imminent arrival. In Dracula, Bram Stoker created one of the great masterpieces of the horror genre, brilliantly evoking a nightmare world of vampires and vampire hunters and also illuminating the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.

  • Save 10%
    by William Gibson
    £8.99

    The Hugo, Nebula and Philip K. Dick Award-winning novel that defined the Cyberpunk movement.

  • Save 14%
    by Freida McFadden
    £9.49

  • Save 14%
    by Robert Galbraith
    £9.49 - 18.99

  • Save 11%
    by Agatha Christie
    £7.99 - 12.49

    Ten invited guests on an island... Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide. The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again... and again...

  • Save 10%
    by Richard Osman
    £8.99

  • Save 19%
    by Scott Cawthon
    £12.99

    Step into the thrilling world of Scott Cawthon's 'Five Nights at Freddy's Character Encyclopedia (Media Tie-In)'. Published in 2023 by Scholastic Ltd., this book is an absolute must-have for fans of the genre. Cawthon, known for his gripping storytelling, takes you on a journey through the iconic characters of the popular game series 'Five Nights at Freddy's'. This encyclopedia not only provides detailed insights into each character but also weaves a narrative that keeps you hooked till the end. It's a perfect blend of information and entertainment that will leave you wanting more. So, dive into this amazing world and get to know your favorite characters like never before. Don't miss out on this exciting publication from Scholastic Ltd., a publisher renowned for its quality content and commitment to its readers.

  • Save 10%
    by Hugh Howey
    £8.99

  • Save 15%
    by Ken Follett
    £10.99

    A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, The Pillars of the Earth is Ken Follett's classic historical masterpiece.A MASON WITH A DREAM1135 and civil war, famine and religious strife abound. With his family on the verge of starvation, mason Tom Builder dreams of the day that he can use his talents to create and build a cathedral like no other.A MONK WITH A BURNING MISSIONPhilip, prior of Kingsbridge, is resourceful, but with money scarce he knows that for his town to survive it must find a way to thrive, and so he makes the decision to build within it the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.A WORLD OF HIGH IDEALS AND SAVAGE CRUELTYAs Tom and Philip meet so begins an epic tale of ambition, anarchy and absolute power. In a world beset by strife and enemies that would thwart their plans, they will stop at nothing to achieve their ambitions in a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother . . .The Pillars of the Earth is the first in The Kingsbridge Novels series, followed by World Without End and A Column of Fire.

  • Save 14%
    by Stephen King
    £9.49

    Combining the suspense of THE OUTSIDER with the childhood camaraderie in IT, THE INSTITUTE is a powerful new novel from Stephen King.

  • Save 10%
    by Paul Lynch
    £8.99 - 13.49

  • Save 10%
    by John Le Carre
    £8.99 - 18.99

  • Save 14%
    by Daphne Du Maurier
    £9.49 - 13.49

    Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . .Working as a lady's companion, the orphaned heroine of Rebecca learns her place. Life begins to look very bleak until, on a trip to the South of France, she meets Maxim de Winter, a handsome widower whose sudden proposal of marriage takes her by surprise. Whisked from glamorous Monte Carlo to his brooding estate, Manderley, on the Cornish Coast, the new Mrs de Winter finds Max a changed man. And the memory of his dead wife Rebecca is forever kept alive by the forbidding Mrs Danvers . . . Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the Other Woman. An international bestseller that has never gone out of print, Rebecca is the haunting story of a young girl consumed by love and the struggle to find her identity.I am reminded of how profoundly du Maurier changed the way I felt about myself, how she engaged and excited me with her writing.

  • Save 20%
    by Asako Yuzuki
    £11.99

  • Save 10%
    by Brandon Sanderson
    £8.99

  • by Shehan Karunatilaka
    £9.49 - 14.49

  • Save 10%
    - A True Account of a Multiple Murder and its Consequences
    by Truman Capote
    £8.99 - 9.49

    Reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer, his wife and both their children. In this title, the author's study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the effect it had on those involved.

  • by Agatha Christie
    £7.99 - 18.99

    Just after midnight, a snowdrift stopped the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train was surprisingly full for the time of the year. But by the morning there was one passenger fewer. An American lay dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.With tension mounting, detective Hercule Poirot comes up with not one, but two solutions to the crime.

  • Save 14%
    by Freida McFadden
    £9.49

  • Save 10%
    - John Grisham's latest no. 1 bestseller - the perfect Christmas present.
    by John Grisham
    £8.99

    The incredible new thriller from international bestseller John Grisham.

  • Save 10%
    by Don Winslow
    £8.99

    'He's a master' Michael Connelly

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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