And like mystery novels, there is a wide range of crime novels which include different moods, categories, and types. They can be fun novels about heists (think Ocean’s 11 if it were a novel) or it can be literary, character-focused and explore the long reaching damage a crime can have over a span of time on those who knew the victim and/or perpetrator. This is not an exhaustive list, but it will give you a good idea of different plots you can find in the crime genre to help you find your next great criminal–er, read. There you have 10 different types of crime plots if you’re in the mood to spend some time in the criminal world. The Robin Hood criminals: In Aya de León’s Uptown Thief a group of women target wealthy CEOs who are awful humans to steal from in order to fund their health clinic in New York for underprivileged women. There was a heist in the past that went wrong and now something/someone from that event is back: Get ready to be on the edge of your seat with Ghostman (Jack White #1) by Roger Hobbs. One big job is being planned and there is a lot riding on this being pulled off with high stakes; A person in retirement or no longer in the crime world has to come back to pull off one more job: Blacktop Wastesland by S.A. Cosby, which also has the best car chase scenes. The book has multiple heists throughout: If a teen girl with a team of drag queens pulling off heists sounds like fun — it is! — pick up Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig. Stealing back stolen items: Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li follows a group of Chinese Americans tasked with stealing Chinese sculptures from museums. For a look at the cost of revenge we have The Collective by Alison Gaylin which follows a grieving mother who joins a group enacting revenge on those who have gone unpunished for their crimes, like her daughter’s killer. And in Confessions by Kanae Minato, translated by Stephen Snyder, a teacher decides to tell the class a story on her last day of class that will upend everything… In Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen, we watch as a mom of a toddler connects with a past college roommate and finds herself in the world of counterfeit handbags. Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews follows a woman in publishing who jumps at the chance to work for a reclusive and anonymous author, until she’s presented with the opportunity to literally step into the author’s shoes. In Susie Yang’s White Ivy we follow the “desperate” social climber and in Megan Abbott’s The Turnout we watch two sisters and one’s husband as they work to keep a dance studio and their lives from imploding when a contractor shows up after a fire.
