I’ve taken countless writing classes and joined many groups, but for me, the best writing education comes from reading. I love it when I’m reading a book and the author makes a choice—a plot point, a character trait, a scene or line of dialogue—that takes my breath away, that provides a lesson in craft that I can’t help but try to apply to my own writing. Here are seven books that taught me how to be a better criminal (writer).
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Jane Harper – The Dry
This is an easy one. It was the first book I read in the genre nicknamed “outback noir,” and in addition to its appealing protagonist and well-plotted mystery, it’s a fascinating example of how to use the setting of your story as an antagonist. With the unpredictable whims of nature, the risk of simply driving too far and being stranded in unbearable heat, the imminent threat of fire with too few resources to put it out, the unforgiving outback setting imbued every scene with an undercurrent of tension that constantly reminds readers that a split-second decision can mean the difference between life and death.
Criminal Element: The Environment
Tiffany D. Jackson – Allegedly
Jackson is an expert at crafting protagonists you want to trust, but aren’t totally sure you should. When I first began reading this book, I had my doubts about the main character, but she overcomes so much on her way to bettering her life that you can’t help but root for her, even as a tiny part of your brain warns that everything is likely not as it seems. Jackson’s deft hand for dropping clues that later add up to a bigger picture kept this reader on the edge of her seat, waiting for the gut-wrenching final twist.
Criminal Element: The Unreliable Narrator
Jeff Lindsay – Darkly Dreaming Dexter
I watched the entire TV series before I even knew there was a book, so I knew what I was in for when I cracked this one open. Serial killer Dexter Morgan does bad things for the right reasons—plastic-wrapping criminals who would otherwise evade notice or prosecution. His adoptive father taught him this “honor” system, and he sticks to it religiously. His methods are gruesome, and his collection of blood samples is creepy, but if you think about it (or don’t), he’s kind of cleaning up the streets in his own sweet, sick way.
Criminal Element: All the killing (but for the right reasons)
Lucy Foley – The Guest List
I find stories told from multiple POVs difficult to get into. Just as you start to understand one character, you jump to another. But somehow Ms. Foley created five distinctly different voices with very different histories and wove them together to tell the story of an ill-fated destination wedding. This is one of those uneasily compelling reads where you know you can’t trust anyone. Once the author drops the first bombshell, the hits keep coming, every chapter bringing a dramatic reveal you never would have guessed. The author gave everyone a reason to kill and then gave them all the opportunity as well, making this book a page-turner as you hurry to learn which one ultimately gave into their baser, homicidal instincts.
Criminal Element: Everyone, possibly
Dot Hutchinson – The Butterfly Garden
Okay, this one creeped me out. What’s not disturbing about a man who created a secret prison oasis and kidnapped young women, tattooed them as butterflies, and killed and preserved their beautifully inked bodies when they got too old? The very concept of this story imbues the reader with dread, but what makes it so effective is the niggling question: What if this happened to me? Ms. Hutchinson told her story so well that the reader can envision themselves trapped in this hellscape paradise, desperately rooting for the heroine to escape and put an end to the nightmare and its architect once and for all.
Criminal Element: A uniquely twisted villain
Caroline Kepnes – You
Not unlike Dexter, this gripping story follows a young sociopath as he relentlessly stalks his unwitting victim and slowly develops a very, very unhealthy relationship with her and the people unfortunate enough to be in her life. Ms. Kepnes expertly develops the tone and surprising dark humor of the story with lines and set pieces that make you laugh out loud while cringing at the same time. I love the uneasy balance of knowing this guy is bad but kind of wanting to see what he does next anyway.
Criminal Element: Pretty much everything Joe does
Karin Slaughter – The Good Daughter
I found this book particularly hard to read, and after some thought, I realized why: Ms. Slaughter makes you suffer. She keeps you in each difficult moment as long as humanly possible, and no matter how fast you read, you’re still stuck, enduring the challenge alongside the character and squirming for every uncomfortable second. It’s truly brilliant writing to make that experience feel like it’s expertly crafted and never dull, bringing the story and its dark moments to excruciating life. When the torment is over and you get to release that breath you knew you were holding, the reader is finally able to marvel at Ms. Slaughter’s criminally good writing.
Criminal Element: Time
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There are hundreds more titles that could easily fill out this list, and combing through my Goodreads read shelf reminded me of how many great books I’ve read and how many more I have waiting to discover as I continue my criminal education.
