10 Gripping Thrillers & Mysteries About Journalists

Police detectives and hard-boiled private investigators aren't the only ones who can bring dangerous criminals to justice. Journalism is full of intrepid reporters who are willing to go the extra mile to dig up the truth. The ten thrilling novels listed here feature determined journalists overcoming obstacles and discovering facts. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

Mystery Novels That Feature Journalists: Our 10 Picks

Title Author
1. Delivering Death Julie Kramer
2. Homecountry T.W. Lawless
3. Front Page Fatality LynDee Walker
4. How Far She's Come Holly Brown
5. Invisible City Julia Dahl
6. Six Suspects Vikas Swarup
7. 7 Grams of Lead Keith Thomson
8. The Writer D.W. Ulsterman
9. The Veritas Deception Lynne Constantine
10. Burning Meredith Elizabeth Gunn

8 Great Journalism Movies

  1. The Insider (1999)
  2. The Parallax View (1974)
  3. Infamous (2006)
  4. Foreign Correspondent (1940)
  5. All the President's Men (1976)
  6. Runaway Jury (2003)
  7. Syriana (2005)
  8. Capote (2005)

The History of Freedom of the Press

In Depth

From Bob Woodward to Ida Tarbell, history is full of investigative journalists who dug past the surface, followed the money, and changed the world forever. Aside from influencing reality, the press has also inspired countless exciting works of fiction. If you crave stories about intrepid reporters searching for a scoop, here, in no particular order, are some tales about sleuths and correspondents with a passion for finding facts.

In the #1 spot is Julie Kramer's "Delivering Death." Investigative reporter Riley Spartz has seen just about everything Minneapolis's seedy underbelly has to offer. When she receives a package full of human teeth at work, however, she quickly realizes that she's dealing with some next-level psychopaths. Plus, the prime suspect in the case happens to already be behind bars. So who's really behind the gruesome murder and why? Riley's mission to find out will take her to the most unlikely of places: the Mall of America.

#2 is "Homecountry" by T.W. Lawless. Newspaperman Peter Clancy has plenty of reasons not to return to his hometown. For starters, his abusive father died there and his presence is still felt in the cold atmosphere of Clarke's Flat. After Clancy's mother dies, however, the journalist is left without a choice. He's used to the hard drinking that comes with a reporter's lifestyle, but no amount of booze can prepare him for all the racism, violence, and backwards thinking that still defines his small Australian hometown.

After Clancy's mother dies, however, the journalist is left without a choice.

At #3 is LynDee Walker's "Front Page Fatality." When a pair of rookie cops meet a fiery end on the road, Virginia reporter Nichelle Clarke doesn't see anything odd or out of place about the incident. Then, she looks deeper. What was made to look like an accident was clearly part of a killer's plan. Not only that, but the evidence Nichelle finds is starting to vanish, along with everyone connected to the case. With a criminal this deadly, she's going to have to find answers fast, before he decides to make her disappear as well.

#4 is "How Far She's Come" by Holly Brown. Cheyenne never thought her personal vlog would land her an amazing position at a promising news start-up. Sadly, her dream job isn't all it's cracked up to be. Rampant sexism has already overtaken the workplace, and the only way Cheyenne can hold onto her sanity is by reading a diary from the 90s that seems to have been written as a warning of things to come. When the events of Cheyenne's own life and the world of the diary begin to merge, she starts to see just how dangerous her position really is.

#5 is Julia Dahl's "Invisible City." Rebekah Roberts may be an aspiring journalist, but her new beat is about to challenge everything she knows about her history, her past, and her present. Shortly after Rebekah was born, her mother abandoned their family to return to her Jewish roots. Now, it's Rebekah's job to cover a story about the murder of a Hasidic woman in the same community. This killing isn't an isolated event. What Rebekah learns about the corrupt police force could end up making her career, if it doesn't tear her apart in the process.

What Rebekah learns about the corrupt police force could end up making her career, if it doesn't tear her apart in the process.

Coming in at #6 is "Six Suspects" by Vikas Swarup. Years ago, playboy millionaire Vicky Rai murdered a waitress in plain sight simply because he could. Now, on the eve of his acquittal, it's Rai who ends up dead. Six guests invited to his party showed up carrying weapons, and it's up to ace reporter Arun Advani to figure out which of the suspects actually pulled the trigger. As Advani digs deeper, he finds that nothing is as simple as it looks, especially not a revenge killing.

At #7 is Keith Thomson's "7 Grams of Lead." Being one of Capitol Hill's most distinguished reporters will get you far in Washington. It will also put a target on your back. Russ Thornton knows this, and he takes his job seriously. So when a White House staffer gets murdered right after promising to show Thornton some top-secret info, he knows he has to pursue the story. The problem is, there are a lot of powerful people who would rather he stop digging. And they've found a way to track Thornton's every move from inside his own head.

At #8 is "The Writer" by D.W. Ulsterman. College student Adele has just scored her first journalistic big break. A famously reclusive writer has agreed to an interview with her, on one condition: she'll have to travel to his private home in the San Juan Islands, a place full of past traumas and secrets just dying to come to light. What starts as a simple conversation soon turns into a tantalizing cat-and-mouse game, as Adele tries desperately to unravel the secret that's kept the writer shut away from the world for so long.

College student Adele has just scored her first journalistic big break.

For #9, we have Lynne Constantine's "The Veritas Deception." A prominent senator reverses his position on his own bill and days later, he's murdered. The killer might not have left a trail of breadcrumbs for reporter Jack Logan to follow, but luckily the senator himself did. He knew what was coming, and chances are, if Jack can crack the code of the one clue he left behind, future corruption can be halted in its tracks. There's just one problem. Taylor, the senator's widow, is next on the killer's list, which leaves Jack racing against the clock.

Finally, at #10, is "Burning Meredith" by Elizabeth Gunn. After a fire all but destroys Meredith Mountain, residents of the neighboring town of Clark's Fort are left to pick up the pieces. When newspaper writer Alice Adams uncovers a male body burned past the point of recognition, she soon discovers that the fire was something more than an accident. On her quest to ID the dead man and figure out who set the town ablaze, she'll end up uncovering truths that could end the careers, and lives, of people Alice grew up trusting.