Masters of the criminal genre love to keep the intrigue for their readers, releasing several parts of one story. Many detective editions were filmed, thus gaining worldwide public acclaim.
The author of the criminal genre must have extraordinary ingenuity and logic, because compiling the plot requires thinking through many aspects and subtleties. In this article we will consider the best works from the most popular domestic and foreign authors.
Detectives: books. List of the best modern stories
This Norwegian author is able to create a truly exciting work that will not leave indifferent any fan of pulp fiction. This novel is by far the best work by Yu according to Norwegian critics. In his stories, Nesbe sharply condemns the existing foundations of society and human nature.
A criminal is a person whose circumstances led to the commission of the crime. It is this position that the author adheres to, creating the plots of his detectives. The protagonist of the novel has a rather obscure image and dynamic character. You can easily make friends with him, but at the same time you want to teach him a lesson and show how to behave.
In the center of the novel is Detective Hall, a man who abuses alcohol, not ashamed to do so even in the workplace. Feeling his impunity, he humiliates his wards and neglects the performance of official duties. All his achievements in solving cases are purely intuitive. The hero almost died in the previous part of the book, so this time decides to leave the service. Six months later, at the crime scenes that were uncovered thanks to Hall, the corpses of police officers began to appear one after another. The detective does not want to return to his previous activities and prefers to continue to continue lecturing at the local academy. However, soon Chole realizes that he is obliged to solve the crime, because it is he who can become the next victim.
The work tops the Norwegian list of the best detectives. Nesbe's books make the reader remain in suspense until the denouement, which makes the writer's work very popular.
- Joel Dicker - "The Truth About Harry Quebec."
The author of this book recently turned 28 years old. Despite his young age, Joel has achieved tremendous success in the modern writing industry. His books are sold in millions of copies and easily become bestsellers. The story has been translated into more than 35 languages ​​and won 8 awards.
This book is really worth paying attention to. The novel tells the story of the writer Marcus, who came to see his friend, driven into a creative crisis, the American writer Harry, who is in search of inspiration and new stories for his future works. In the garden of Harry they find the remains of a little ten-year-old girl who disappeared without a trace more than 30 years ago. In the purse with which she was buried, a manuscript of one of the most famous authors of novels at that time was found. Naturally, all suspicion falls on Harry, who admitted that he and the girls had a romantic relationship. Marcus, wanting to somehow help his friend, begins his own investigation of this crime. The novel tops the list of the best detectives (books of the 21st century).
- Kate Atkinson - Crimes of the Past.
The novel tells the story of a missing girl who disappeared in a matter of minutes from her father’s garden. In another family, another girl was found murdered that evening. None of the relatives understands why the child was killed, and even in such a cruel way. Two different families, but one grief. What connects them? A private detective-loser decided to find the answer to this question, but still does not manage to develop his ingenuity and begin to solve crimes. But for parents of children, he is the last chance to find out the truth and achieve justice. Further events of the book show that Jackson is not as hopeless as everyone thought he was, because he managed to understand exactly what event in the life of families connects everything that happened in one puzzle.
The novel has an exciting dynamic plot. He was added to the list of best detectives. Atkinson's books were judged by Stephen King himself, a guru of the crime genre.
- Nikolai Svechin - “Warsaw Secrets”.
Svechin is one of the most successful authors in the field of the Russian detective genre. At one time he was vehemently compared with Akunin, but thanks to critics, he managed to prove that his work was unique and worthy of praise. All of his criminal works have a historical connotation, which is why reading them becomes doubly interesting. The protagonist of the novel “Warsaw Secrets” is the nobleman Lykov, who is practically incompetent in his teaching activities, does not know a single foreign language, and this very often fails him. In the novel, he tries to get to the bottom of the truth in the case of the murder of Russian officers in Warsaw. Svechin's works are the best Russian detective stories. Books, a list of which can be found below in the article, have made the author a world famous writer.
- Jesse Kellerman - "Heat."
The title of the book fully justifies the general atmosphere of the work. The action takes place in modern Los Angeles, which is undergoing an earthquake. One of the office employees, Gloria, wants to go to her workplace and check if the collection of figurines of her boss is still intact. Having entered the reception room, she discovers a mass of incoming messages on the answering machine and begins to listen to them. The chef called, and judging by the tone of his voice, he was in danger. But what exactly happened to him is not clear. From the short and breaking messages, she only understands that he is somewhere in Mexico, where she decided to go.
What works today have an impressive rating? The detectives. Books, the list of which can be continued indefinitely, convey the author’s thought much deeper than numerous adaptations. After all, human imagination has no limits.
Detectives books. List of the best works of Rex Stout
Stout - a cult author of criminal prose, who began to create in the first half of the twentieth century. To this day, his books remain one of the most sought after in the world. Wulf and Goodwin, who are known to all, are the heroes of Rex's novels. However, besides them, in the arsenal of the author there are more than fifty books of a criminal nature. We list the most interesting and exciting of them:
- The Red Thread (1939).
- “Broken Vase” (1941).
- “Bad for business” (1940).
- “Prize for the Princes (1914) - headed the rating, which described the best foreign detectives (books), a list of which can always be found in any library.
- The Big Legend (1916).
Books of authors of the CIS countries
Alexandra Marinina is a popular author of exciting detective novels that are not inferior to eminent Western creations with their swirling and interesting plot. The writer's works literally scatter from the shelves of bookstores in the first month of sales. Marinina is one of the most successful women in Russia who write detective stories.
Boris Akunin is a cult author of the Russian detective genre. His series of books on the adventures of Fandorin has been read by over 5,000,000 people around the world. Thanks to this, his works were included in the rating “The Best Russian Detectives”. Books, the list of which is quite impressive, do not cease to amaze and fascinate their readers.
Natalya Perfilova is the author of action-packed novels and historical works, which skillfully weaves elements of the detective story into the storyline. Her books are quite popular in the post-Soviet space.
Simone Vilar - Ukrainian author of detective novels for women. Elements of her work will be considered in more detail later in our article.
Rating of authors of psychological detective stories
- John Le Caret. His works occupy a leading position in the ranking of "Psychological detectives." Books (the list of the best authors is impressive) are scattered in huge numbers.
- James Elroy
- Alexandra Marinina.
- Polina Dashkova.
- Agatha Christie.
Popular 21st Century Stories
- Sarah Waters - Delicate Work.
The scene of the novel is foggy and cold London. In the center of the plot is the girl Susan, whose parents died when she was several months old. A certain Miss Saksby, a child trafficker, is raising a girl. Despite this, Susan is happy with her life and tries to value what she has. One fine day, the girl receives the task of deceiving the rich heir to the throne.
In the section of the article we describe the best detective stories - books, the list of which is not so great. After reading them, you will definitely not be disappointed.
- Andrews Taylor - The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe.
The book was released in 2010. The narration comes from the face of school teacher Thomas, who meets Edgar. It was after this meeting that the teacher’s life changed dramatically.
- Cormac McCarthy - "The Old Men Can't Be Here."
This novel by a rather famous American classic has become popular among story buffs with an interesting plot. After all, the book is rightfully included in the top, which covers the best foreign detectives (books), the list of which is very diverse.
Popular works on which the film adaptation was shot
Dennis Lehane - The Secret River. The film received positive reviews from film critics, which is a rather rare occurrence for film adaptations. The film is sure to appeal to fans of action-packed American TV shows and action movies.
- Thomas Harris - Hannibal (2001).
- Thomas Harris - “Hannibal 2” (2006).
- Retner Brett - The Red Dragon.
- Thomas Harris - “The Silence of the Lambs” (1990). As you can see, in this list the author takes three honorable places, because his creations are cult examples of the world detective novel. It is no accident that his works led the list of the best detectives many times. The books of this writer were published in many languages.
- Flynn Gillian - “Before I Fall Asleep” (2002).
The best authors of detective prose
- Agatha Christie.
- Thomas Harris is an author whose works are known all over the world, because they were filmed and achieved stunning success at the box office. Even today, based on Thomas’s books, remakes and series are being shot.
- Boris Akunin.
- Sarah Waters
- Kate Atkinson is the author of more than fifty detective novels for women, which not only tell about love stories, but also drag the reader into a whirlwind of strange events and mysterious investigations. Her works have led the list of the best detectives many times. Books of this genre are very popular.
- Truman Capote is a famous American author of detective novels, who has become famous all over the world thanks to extraordinary and exciting stories that take the reader into the abyss of complicated events that subsequently have an unexpected outcome.
Detective books about love
- Simone Vilar - The Witch. These are four books that have a sharp plot and at the same time elements of a love story that will appeal to any girl.
- Simone Vilar - The Secret Castle.
- Sandra May - “Melodies of Spring”.
- Linda Medle - "Whisper of Flowers."
- Doris Mortman - True Colors. The work is included in the authoritative rating of "The Best Detectives." Books, the list of which is very impressive, are regularly updated with new interesting subjects.
- Ray Morgan - "Paradise Vacations."
- Karin Monk - “Your Tender Word”.
- Karin Monk - “The Prisoner”.
- Eva Modigliani - The Heiress.
- Eva Modigliani - "The Woman of His Life."
Dan Brown Detectives
Dan Brown is one of the most popular contemporary authors. Fans of his books are eagerly awaiting a new story about the adventures of Robert Langdon, a specialist in the symbolism of the Ancient World.
Almost all of his existing novels are filmed or are in the process of creating a film. All Brown’s stories have a powerful backstory that will be interesting to any reader. Agree, who will not be interested in long-standing legends about Masons and Illuminati? Below is a list of some of Dan's most successful books, along with a brief description of their storyline:
- "Angels and Demons" (2000). Despite the fact that this work was released back in 2003, it was filmed as the second part of the story of Robert Langdon. It describes the secrets of the two greatest secret orders - the Masons and the Illuminati, who opposed the Vatican in the Middle Ages. In the middle of the Vatican, a dead scientist is found, on whose chest a strange symbol is burned. Robert Langdon is invited to deal with the secret signs that accompanied this crime. As it turned out, the legend may well turn out to be a reality, and the Catholic Church is in real danger, because the Pope is suddenly dying. But is it his death? And who needed the assassination of the main man of the Vatican?
- The Da Vinci Code (2003). It was on this book that the first film adaptation of Dan's work was shot. In the work, Robert Langdon is looking for a secret code that should be hidden in one of the works of the great Leonardo da Vinci. The book is filled with interesting information about Christian shrines, and the story is not without killing people who could know about the location of the lost code.
- “The Lost Symbol” (2009).
- Inferno (2013).
Exciting detectives for children
There are many authors who aim to create detective books for children and adolescents. Of course, such works have a twisted investigative plot without any elements of cruelty. The best Russian detectives (books), a list for children:
- Sergey Task - “The Secret of the Ginger Cat”.
- Nikolai Trublaini - Columbus.
- Anatoly Rybakov - "Dagger".
The above children's books are more like adventure novels, but they contain elements of investigations, which is why they are referred to the genre of Russian children's detective literature.