Good Crime: The 25 most exciting thrillers and thrillers

1. Nele Neuhaus: In the forest

Nele Neuhaus proves in her eighth Taunus thriller that even an investigator whom one believes to know by heart can be a surprise package. "Im Wald", which reads as fluently as its predecessors, is Bodenstein's most personal case. Over 560 pages creates a picture of mutual entanglements in his hometown Ruppertshain. A stranger burns in a caravan, a woman is killed in a hospice. The village is silent, the investigations lead Bodenstein back to the '70s when his best friend disappeared.
The trauma of childhood returns, he suddenly has to ask awkward questions in a story involving many old acquaintances. And there are more and more dead. The commissioner begins to doubt many things, friendship, love and, ultimately, his job. Whether he throws it or not is one of the big questions in this book. Bodenstein fans will stay tuned for the sole reason - to see if their beloved commissioner disappears into the sunset.

(560 p., 22 Euro, Ullstein, also as audiobook)

2. Arne Dahl: Seven minus one

There are two series so far by Arne Dahl, both breathtakingly good. For as exciting as the Swede also writes, he is always at least as much concerned with taking a closer look at the weak points of our society. For ten volumes has he been internationally highly successful with the sympathetic "A-group"? The Stockholm police dissected the life in his homeland, then came the Europol books, in which the evil spread all over Europe.
Now Arne Dahl starts again fresh: "Seven minus one" has a new investigator team, this time they are only two, the rough Sam Berger and his colleague Molly Blom. It's the most refined book Arne Dahl has ever written.
Starting from the missing person case of a missing girl, he puts a gloomy trace down to the past and the memories of his investigator. Because there is something that connects Berger with this and other crimes. When we finally put the book out of our hands and exhausted, it remains a comfort: Berger and Blom come back. The new series has just begun.

(B: Kerstin Schöps, 416 p., 17 euros, Piper, also as an audiobook)

3. Joakim Zander: The brother

Previously, they were inseparable: Yasmine and Fadi, immigrant children from the Stockholm suburban ghetto Bergort. But now Yasmine lives in New York, and Fadi is for IS in Syria. Guilty feelings drive Yasmine back to Bergort, she wants to find Fadi and comes across a strange security company, which uses the suburban kids for their interests. Great is the accuracy with which the Swede Joakim Zander describes the migrant scene in Sweden. However, he overloaded the plot a little. Nevertheless, an exciting and up-to-the-minute book.

(T: Nina Hoyer, Ursel Allenstein, 464 p. 15 euros, Rowohlt, also as an audiobook)

4. Gregor Weber: Asphalt soul

There are writers who write that you can taste the atmosphere of their story. This, for example, exudes the aroma of beer, bad coffee, meatballs and rocked types. One of them is Commissioner Ruben Rubeck, who lives and works in the Frankfurt station district. The device gets into a shootout in which he injures a Kosovan underworld size. Not Rubeck's fault, but he does not want to trust anyone after that. And then his past as a soldier catches up with him. Gregor Weber builds his story like a good rock song, the furious finale is inclusive.

(240 p., 15 Euro, Heyne, also as audiobook)

5. Melanie Raabe: The truth

This woman is a sensation. In any case, for crime fans across the planet, because Melanie Raabe's debut "The Trap" was translated into pretty much any readable language of the Western world, the film rights has secured even before the publication of the book, a large American studio. All this happened in 2015, and a year later, the daughter of an academic from Jena and a man from Benin has to live with the pressure that such a strong first child brings with it.
But the 35-year-old, who lives in Cologne, is doing very well. "The truth" works through a similar dramaturgy as "The Trap": a man and a woman in a kammerspielartigen cat-and-mouse game, constant change in the question of who is both offenders and who is the victim, a leading actress, At whose mind doubts arise again and again. This woman's name is Sarah Petersen, she is in her late thirties, lives with her son in Hamburg, is a teacher and a single parent, because her husband Philipp was abducted seven years ago in Colombia.Gradually, Sarah finds her way back to life with her probable death, she cooks for friends again and falls in love very cautiously.
But then the Foreign Office suddenly calls: your husband lives and is free. When she picks him up at the airport, she notes in the hype about the return of the prominent, but shy entrepreneur: This is not Philip. But nobody wants to believe that. The stranger nests with her. And slowly drives her insane - especially when he reminds her of her darkest secret.
Raabe balances along the abysses of her figures and very skillfully beats several hooks. A (bloodless) and yet extremely annoying Psychothriller.?

(448 pp., 16 euros, btb, also as an audiobook)

6. Caroline Eriksson: The missing

Caroline Eriksson once rowed with husband and children on a beautiful lake in Sweden. They drove to an island, their family went ashore, they waited on the shore. Then a thought came to her: what if they did not come back now? That's exactly what her heroine Greta experiences, because her husband and daughter disappear on a shore leave. A mystery - but then Greta herself becomes a suspect. Eriksson has sold this book to 25 countries. No wonder: the nightmare that stumbles Greta develops an inevitable pull.

(T: Wibke Kuhn, 272 pages, 13 euros, Penguin, also as an audiobook)

Mark Billingham: The shame of the living

Self-help groups are such a thing: you know everything and yet almost nothing from each other. A great setting for a murder. Also found Mark Billingham and tells of five London addicts? who exchange once a week. Then a member is murdered and the police do not make headway because it is part of the group code to keep silent about the meetings. In terms of tension, Billingham relies entirely on the dynamics of the suspicions that the five get caught up in, because of course everyone has their own secret. Once inaugurated, you do not put this book away.

(B: Joachim Körber, 448 pp., 20 euros, atrium, also as an audiobook)

8. Tim Erzberg: Hellgoland

The Helgoland, which was cut off from the mainland for days due to a storm, is the setting for the first case of the young policewoman Anna Krüger. In her post she finds a severed thumb. A little later someone sends you a jar of blood. But who drives these games with Anna, who has only returned to the island of her childhood to overcome a trauma? Tim Erzberg - incidentally the pseudonym of the literary agent Thomas Montasser - has created a dark, oppressive chamber play that remains mysterious for a very long time.

(400 p., 16 euros, HarperCollins, also as audiobook)

9. Robert Wilson: The Hour of the Kidnappers

Six children and adolescents are kidnapped in London within 32 hours. All have rich parents ready to meet any demand. Only: you will not receive one. This is where Charles Boxer comes in, a specialist in kidnapping cases - and not very squeamish about finding victims. Even if he endangers his own environment ... Robert Wilson tells fast and straightforward, yet his investigator is not a macho, but a sensitive man with a private life on the border of disaster. An exciting character in an electrifying story.
(T: Kristian Lutze, 480 p., 17 euros, Goldmann)

10. Rebecca James: The truth about Alice

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"I was not at Alice's funeral": So begins this book. "Since I hated Alice already and was glad that she was dead, because Alice had done to me, Alice had destroyed my life ..." We already know pretty much. But a clever psycho-thriller can handle it, if betrayed right at the beginning that the villain gets his fair punishment in the end. Especially as in retrospect, the horror unfolds slowly. What the storyteller considered to be a soulmate became a nightmare: Alice, her best friend, the man to whom she herself confides her saddest secret, turns out to be a stalker. And do not stop tormenting her until her life is a shambles. A horror that every woman can understand immediately. Because we have all experienced this "in small": only in the beginning, often in puberty. But the fear is deep. That's why this theme and this thriller hit the nerve.

(B: Ulrike Wasel / Klaus Timmermann, 320 S, 16.95 euros, Wunderlich)

11. Anne Holt: God's Number

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The story: Fundamentalist faction kills anyone who does not fit into their fundamentalist splinter group world.

The figures: Dead bishop, dead hustler, dead sculptor - and the investigator-couple Inger Johanne Vik and Ingvar Stubø (Holt fans know the two from "In cold intention" and "What never happened").

The author: Anne Holt, 51, lived for a long time with the evil: She worked as a police lawyer, lawyer and Minister of Justice. Then she created the brittle commissioner Hanne Wilhemsen - and landed on all bestseller lists.

You have to go through: Conspiracy theories. Norwegian winter. Herbal tea.

That's what you get: Paranoia. Cold feet.Coffee thirst. What's worth it for this incredibly exciting thriller?

Perfect for: All fans of Scandinavian crime thrillers who love gorgeous normal investigator couples.

(B: Gabriele Haefs, 464 p., 19.95 euros, Piper)

12. Nick McDonell: A high price

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The expectations are high when a literary wunderkind makes a political thriller. Nick McDonell, now 26, broke all the critics with his debut "Twelve" in 2002 and immediately brought the readers along. At that time, the American told of his childhood in the New York upper class, and also parts of his new novel play in the world of the author: in Harvard, where McDonell has studied. There, the CIA advertises elite agents with preference, McDonell tells bitter and angry. And about how American intelligence agencies are trying to blame attacks on innocent tribal leaders in Africa. For example, the Somali Hatashil whose personal integrity is praised by Harvard professor Susan Lowell in a book for which she receives the Pulitzer Prize. She fights for the truth and reputation of Hatashil - and her own. McDonell manages a sometimes chilled behind-the-scenes look at Harvard. And a crime plot that meets the highest moral standards.

(T: Thomas Gunkel, 304 p., 22 euros, Berlin Verlag)

13. Fran Ray: The seed

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The idea for this book, says Fran Ray, came to her in Australia, where she first came into contact with genetically modified seeds and pesticides on a farm. From this, the German author (the name is a pseudonym, invented especially for the international market) has knitted an eco-thriller in which nothing less than the fate of humanity is at stake. In Genoa, a genetic researcher is murdered in Paris. In Uganda, many people are dying of an unknown brain disease - in general: there is much evidence that the world is facing the biggest environmental catastrophe in its history. And we owe that to unscrupulous corporations.

(512 p., 8.90 euros, Bastei-Lübbe)

14th Heinrich Steinfest: Batmans beauty

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We can not recommend this book to you without warning you at the same time. Although Heinrich Steinfest handles common crime ingredients - there is the (one-armed) private detective Cheng, who has already appeared in three other Steinfest thrillers, mysterious murders of actors, a villain with henchmen - but in the end questions remain unanswered, book reality mix and fiction. "Batman's beauty" is still great reading fun. This is ensured by weird types and even more slanted language images, Steinfest's humorous and enigmatic tone and his excursions into the everyday philosophical, in which, for example, the malignancy of designer furniture is discussed. Steinfest and his Cheng are sometimes reminiscent of Wolf Haas and his burner - which is not the worst thing.

(270 p., 8.95 euros, Piper)

15. Håkan Nesser: The perspective of the gardener

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We at ChroniquesDuVasteMonde consider Håkan Nesser to be one of the best living writers ever. His new book only reinforces our opinion. It's about the writer Erik Steinbeck and his wife Winnie, whose four-year-old daughter disappears. 15 months later, Erik and Winnie move to New York, Winnie suddenly behaves very strangely - and announces that her daughter is still alive ...

(Over: Christel Hildebrandt, 320 p., 19.99 euros, btb)

The audio book "The Gardener's Perspective" is also available on our download platform.

16. Ken Bruen: Jack Taylor goes to hell

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Yes, Ken Bruen writes wonderfully. But he is also fortunate that he has a German translator who transfers his snotty Irish whiskey philosophy into our language as congenially as Harry Rowohlt - two soul mates have found each other there. Tasting? "I'm well past my expiration date and I'm living on pumped-up time, little pumped time, I should have been over for a long time, and on many days I wish it was over." That's what Jack Taylor, ex-policeman and casual detective in Galway, Ireland, says. He is assigned to investigate the fate of a woman who lived on the notorious, partly sadistic Magdalenian order. So the drunkard Jack Taylor goes to the servants of the Lord - and ends up in the middle of hell.

(B: Harry Rowohlt, 304 p., 16 euros, atrium)

17. John Grisham: The Law

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Who writes? A lawyer from Mississippi. That was John Grisham, in fact, and his learned profession is the foundation of his success - he is the most successful author of justice thrillers of all time. However, he also proves that he can do something different with the seven short stories in this book, which by no means are all thrillers.

Who dies? Perhaps - we do not want to reveal too much - the masons Bailey in an accident at work, after which he urgently depends on blood donations. Maybe also Raymond, who sits on death row for murder and on the evening of his execution only hope for a miracle.Definitely Adrian, who has AIDS and returns to his small hometown in the south in the 80s to die.

Who determines? Oh, it does not matter this time. Grisham warmly tells of the people in his homeland, their fears, mistakes and hopes. A little thriller is in it. But also a lot of love.

(D: Kristiana Dorn-Ruhl, Bea Reiter, Imke Walsh-Araya, 384 p., 19.99 euros, Heyne)

The audio book "The Law" is also available on our download platform.

18. Elizabeth George: Who consecrated to death

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Who writes? Elizabeth George, 61, is American, that's what the passport says. But her heart beats British - her Lynley / Havers novels are English as mint sauce and chips with vinegar flavor. This is the 16th case of the popular London investigator duo, which brought the author world fame.

Who is dead? Based on a true case: a small boy who is kidnapped and murdered by three teenagers. And Jemima Hastings, a young woman from Hampshire, found in a cemetery in northern London. In this thriller is a concentrated load of social criticism, as so often in recent years with Elizabeth George.

Who determines? Legend returns: Inspector Lynley returns to work after the death of his wife, but is still marked by his loss. With him: his congenial partner Barbara Havers.

(B: Charlotte Breuer, Norbert Möllemann, 832 p., 24.90 euros, Blanvalet)

19. Peter James: And tomorrow you're dead

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Who writes? Peter James, 62, residing near Brighton, England. Son of the former royal glove-maker. Wrote in the 70s successful horror books, but found his fans too crazy and switched to crime thriller.

Who is dead? First of all three teenagers who are discovered at the bottom of the English Channel. They lack the important organs, that confuses the police, too, that no one misses them. Your trail leads to Eastern Europe. Who might die: Caitlin, a 15-year-old girl desperately waiting for a donor liver.

Who determines? As always with Peter James: Roy James, Head of Homicide in Brighton. An outstanding policeman and human being, on which there is still a shadow - the disappearance of his wife Sandy ten years ago.

(B: Susanne Goga-Klinkenberg, 528 p., 18.95 euros, joke)

The audio book "And tomorrow you're dead" is also available on our download platform.

20. Garry Disher: Rostmond

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The best thing about the novels of Garry Disher: The criminals build the biggest shit, but also the investigators are not without fault. And so there is no black and no white, but a very realistic story, which is always a description of the state of Australian society. Disher's commissioner Hal Challis and his team investigate in the small town of Waterloo near Melbourne. There, the chaplain of a private school was brutally beaten and a young woman murdered. Especially during the Schoolies Week, in which hordes of young graduates celebrate their graduation. Quite rightly, Disher has twice been awarded the German Crime Award.

(Over: Peter Torberg, 346 p., 19.90 euro, Union publisher)

21. Jussi Adler-Olsen: Desecration

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The story: A 20-year-old double murder has been committed to the police in Copenhagen. The then crippled offender seems to have been a pawn sacrifice. The search for the truth the Copenhagen police in the pinnacles of Danish society. There are more pleasant places to investigate.

The figures: The special investigator Carl Mørck, obstinate and allergic to authorities. His oblique assistant Assad. And their opponents, three sadistic members of the Danish high society.

Special guest: the homeless Kimmie - once a friend of the suspects, today's biggest threat. Reminiscent of Lisbeth Salander.

The author: Jussi Adler-Olsen, 60, is considered Danish Stieg Larsson. This is a bit unfair, the man finally has his own style. He is not that successful either. But who is that?

We have to go through this: Sadists are up to mischief here. And Adler-Olsen describes what sadists do. Sometimes very heavy.

We have it: A moral thriller of the extra class.

Perfect for: Intrepid. And people who like to be scared.

(T: Hannes Thiess, 460 p., 14.90 euros, dtv premium)

The audiobook "Desecration" is also available on our download platform.

22. Meg Gardiner: Repentance

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Jo Beckett, the heroine Meg Gardiner, is a forensic psychologist. We have the record of the victim's first soul autopsy in her new case:

Duty forensic scientist: Jo Beckett

Death: Tasia McFarland, 42, successful pop star, ex-wife of current US President Thomas McFarland

Cause of death: Shot from a Colt close up in the neck. Unclear are the circumstances. Neither an accident, suicide or third party debt can be excluded after the first investigation.

Time of the crime: The beginning of a performance of the victim.The Colt was a prop of the stage show.

Place: Ballpark of San Francisco.

witnesses: About 50,000.

Pre-existing conditions: The victim was manic-depressive for more than 20 years and therefore permanently in treatment.

Other remarks: The victim felt threatened. People close to him say that the victim had the feeling that "the state" was seeking his life.

Further investigations are being undertaken by Jo Beckett, forensic psychologist, and Officer Amy Tang, SFPD.

(B: Friedrich Mader, 496 p., 19.99 euros, Heyne)

23. Arnaldur Indriðason: Frevelopfer

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This is a thriller that's just a thriller, and not so: social analysis, sociogram of an investigative group or portrait of a commissioner looking for meaning. Arnaldur Indriðason Investigator Elinborg does nothing but investigate! She also has enough to do with this, because she has to clear up the murder of a man who tilts young women K. drops into the drink, then rape her. The case is puzzling, because there are no witnesses, hardly any traces, and the victims can not remember anything. So Commissioner Elinborg is following her instinct and puzzle the truth together. The story captivates with its perfect timing, contentwise it is solution-oriented: The outcome is not, as so often, just a necessary evil, but a real dissolution.

(B: Coletta Bürling, 381 p., 18.99 euros, Lübbe)

24. Joe Hill: Devil stuff

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Okay, kids want to differentiate themselves from their parents, sure. Joseph Hillstrom King has taken a pseudonym consisting of parts of his two first names. But otherwise? The son of Stephen King still lives in the same area of ​​New Hampshire as his famous father, he practices the same profession. And if he goes on like this, the 38-year-old could also be similarly successful with his surreal, laconically and humorously written horror novels. In "Teufelszeug" Ig Perrish, richly born and largely carefree, loses his great love: Merrin is brutally murdered. He himself is under suspicion. One morning, he wakes up with two devil horns that give him uncanny abilities. And awaken his thirst for revenge ... That's how the book sounds: "The idea that he would die was accompanied by a sense of relief, as if he would emerge and breathe, after staying underwater too long." As a child, Ig would be He almost drowned once, and he was suffering from asthma, he knew he had a good strangle and appreciated every breath. "

(T: Hannes Riffel, 544 p., 19.95 euros, Heyne)

25. Ann Rosman: The daughter of the lighthouse master

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The author: Ann Rosman, 37, lives on the somewhat snooty, but beautiful island Marstrand in front of Gothenburg. Sailing is her passion, also in the colder north. She has it together with her life-like character Karin Adler.

The heroine: Karin Adler is investigating Gothenburg for the Kripo and has lived on her sailboat ever since separating from her fiancé, who has never bought milk.

The corpse in the cellar: A young man, lovingly buried 45 years ago and walled in airtight, is found during construction work in the storage cellar of the lighthouse of Hamneskär. And brings Karin a case in which she can drive a lot of boating and scammers, smugglers and old Nazis causes a lot of trouble. She unravels the secret of the lighthouse master's family with understanding and empathy - with important witnesses she drinks her coffee black if necessary.

(Over: Gisela Kosubek, Rütten & Loening, 349 p., 19.95 euros)

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