10 Chilling Crime Novels Written By Women

10 Chilling Crime Novels Written By Women

10 Great Crime Films

If you love reading about crime, you probably enjoy the genre in film as well. Here are ten movies that you should definitely watch (if you haven't already):

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. Scarface (1983)
3. Goodfellas (1990)
4. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
6. The Usual Suspects (1995)
7. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
8. Kill Bill (2003)
9. Sin City (2005)
10. Baby Driver (2017)

Popular Categories of Crime Fiction

• True Crime
• Detective Story
• Legal Thriller
• Spy Novel
• Police Procedural
• Caper Story
• Psychological Thriller

Pioneering Women Crime Writers

In Depth

Women have been writing crime stories for decades, and in the world of thriller fiction, they have created tales that have garnered them a crowd of loyal readers. These established novelists continue to entertain with their gripping, brilliantly told mysteries. In no particular order, here are ten chilling crime novels written by women that will keep you up all night.

#1. "Our Little Secret" by Roz Nay. A gripping psychological suspense novel about love, obsession, and retribution, this book highlights Angela Petitjean's investigation, which reveals a revenge story and a passionate love triangle. She doesn't understand why she's being interrogated as the authorities look into the case of a missing woman who happens to be the wife of Angela's ex-boyfriend, H.P. Parker.

As soon as Detective Novak steps in, Angela is obliged to tell her story from the very beginning. Her account of past events will keep readers guessing about whether she is a murderer or simply a woman who hasn't let go of her first love.

Her account of past events will keep readers guessing about whether she is a murderer or simply a woman who hasn't let go of her first love.

#2. "Dear Amy" by Helen Callaghan. Teaching at a prestigious school in Cambridge, Margot Lewis also runs a "Dear Amy" advice column for a local newspaper. When she is presented with a letter, supposedly from a teenage girl who disappeared in 1998 named Bethan Avery, Margot is frightened. As she continues to get letters, she becomes even more alarmed, especially since they remind her of the disappearance of one of her students at St. Hilda's.

#3. "A Double Life" by Flynn Berry. Written from the perspective of London doctor Claire Alden, this clever and promising thriller seeks answers many years after the horrifying day when Claire's nanny was murdered and her own mother almost died. Now leading a quiet life, Claire can't help but closely follow the wealthy friends and whereabouts of her father, the main suspect of the past crime.

She carries out her own investigation, looking through diary entries and other papers that could explain her parents' relationship. Befriending the daughter of one of her dad's closest pals, Claire's journey builds to a shocking and compelling conclusion, keeping readers hooked from start to finish.

Befriending the daughter of one of her dad's closest pals, Claire's journey builds to a shocking and compelling conclusion, keeping readers hooked from start to finish.

#4. "Follow Me" by Angela Clarke. This thoroughly entertaining mystery revolves around two women who work together to stop a brutal killer. Freddie Venton wants to get started on her journalism career while her friend Nasreen Cudmore, who she hasn't seen in years, has become a police officer.

Tagging along on one of Nasreen's visits to a crime scene, Freddie finds herself getting tangled in a web of online clues, dead bodies, and missing weapons. This well-written thriller keeps readers in suspense all throughout as the two women race against time to catch a murderer while confronting their own secrets.

#5. "Blood on the Tracks" by Barbara Nickless. This intense, fast-paced story puts the spotlight on railroad cop Sydney Rose Parnell and her efforts to prove the innocence of war veteran Tucker Rhodes. Tucker's fiance is found murdered, and the authorities have declared him as the main suspect.

Tucker's fiance is found murdered, and the authorities have declared him as the main suspect.

Sydney sets out to explore the world of violent rail riders, learning about shocking conspiracies and a series of brutal crimes. She and Tucker have shared experiences in the Iraq War, and the loyalty they owe to each other gets shaken up by these hard-hitting circumstances.

#6. "The Life I Left Behind" by Colette McBeth. Full of shocking plot twists, this haunting thriller revolves around the attempted murder of Melody Pieterson and a fatal attack on Eve Elliott. Despite secluding herself from the world after being left for dead and losing her trust in her friends, Melody can't help but involve herself in the new police investigation.

After learning more about the other woman's murder, she begins to wonder whether it's not her close friend who betrayed her, but an entirely different killer waiting to strike again. Alternating between Melody and Eve's perspectives, the novel seamlessly weaves together a dark past and a nightmare that is yet to be revealed.

Alternating between Melody and Eve's perspectives, the novel seamlessly weaves together a dark past and a nightmare that is yet to be revealed.

#7. "Yesterday" by Felicia Yap. In a world where society is divided by how much each class can remember, Claire and Mark find themselves in an unlikely marriage. Claire the housewife belongs to the Monos, only capable of remembering the last twenty-four hours. Aspirant politician Mark comes from the Duos, the elite thirty percent of the population who can remember the previous forty-eight hours of their lives.

This makes it difficult for Detective Richardson to investigate the death of a beautiful woman, Sophia. Based on her iDiary, she had an intimate affair with Mark, who's now declared the prime suspect in her murder. Told from multiple perspectives, this thought-provoking tale brings together intricate back stories to create one mind-bending conclusion.

#8. "The Perfect Neighbors" by Rachel Sargeant. This shocking story of dark secrets singles out an unusual neighborhood that Helen once thought of as a fresh and exciting one. She moves abroad and is thrilled to finally meet her fellow teachers from the local international school. However, she begins to question her new community after her husband Gary begins to behave strangely while a child disappears without any trace. Amidst tragic events, her neighbors begin to lose control and Helen realizes how difficult it is to really know someone inside and out.

Amidst tragic events, her neighbors begin to lose control and Helen realizes how difficult it is to really know someone inside and out.

#9. "Under a Dark Sky" by Lori Rader-Day. Since her husband Bix Wallace died, Eden has given up on work and photography and has often been terrorized by nightmares. When she finds out that her husband booked them a cabin at a dark sky park for their tenth anniversary, she decides to check it out despite her fear of the dark. Contrary to her expectation of a private retreat, she finds the guest suite filled with young people, catching up on their college friendships.

Before she is able to go home the next day, a murder takes place in the cabin and everyone becomes a suspect. The gripping plot with realistic characters and shrewd dialogue builds up to a shocking surprise that the brilliant protagonist had never seen coming.

#10. "Little Secrets" by Anna Snoekstra. Centered on the small town of Colmstock, this dark, mysterious thriller highlights Rose Blakey and her efforts in putting her writing skills to good use. An arsonist is making trouble in the grim suburb and the aspiring journalist wants to help the authorities in unfolding the real story behind the crimes.

Centered on the small town of Colmstock, this dark, mysterious thriller highlights Rose Blakey and her efforts in putting her writing skills to good use.

After a young boy dies in a huge fire, porcelain dolls begin popping up on doorsteps, dolls that look exactly like the daughters residing in these homes. As the clever story is revealed, readers are placed directly inside the lives of people who have their own horrible secrets in a slowly dying town.