My 10 best crime reads of 2024

[@brucegrossman3531]

I love how in The Thin Man it doesn't go two pages without someone wanting a drink. A Simple Plan was made into a great movie

[@francesmeyer8478]

Yes, it was a good adaptation.🇺🇸☕❄❄❄🎄

[@brucegrossman3531]

@francesmeyer8478 haven't seen it since it came out in the theater. Finally rewatching. Just remembered how good it was all this time.

[@444Raine]

My favorite crime novel this year is The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy. It's incredibly good!

[@robertgallagher5285]

@@444Raine masterpiece

[@martinspencer1618]

So that's where "Nick and Norah" cocktail glasses come from!

[@kcsubotai]

Nick and Nora Charles, loved the 1934 movie with William Powell and Myrna Loy, classic old Hollywood fun.

[@ricardias1551]

Merry Christmas, my friend. Thanks for all the readings you suggested!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Merry Christmas to you too

[@PokhrajRoy.]

It’s OLLYFY WRAPPED: He’s among the .00005% of people who read ‘The Thin Man’. (I hope you watch the movie adaptation. You will love Bill Powell and Myrna Loy)

[@seanellio]

I read "A Simple Plan" after seeing the movie (26 years ago!) and the end was heartbreaking. The movie condensed a lot and was very good. If not for the movie, I might not have ever read the book. (I read "The Ruins" because of the author.) I would love it if he wrote more.

[@TheFeralAuthor]

Thank you so much, Olly. My mom spotted this video first and sent me an enthusiastic text message (we're both huge fans). I'm unbelievably delighted that MAY THE WOLF DIE made it on this list!! Thank you!!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It was always going to be there - such a great book

[@Lourdes-nc3sp]

I'm particularly interested in today's and tomorrow's videos! I'm grateful for the book suggestions, thanks Olly. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones 😊🎄

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Merry Christmas to you and yours too!

[@jeffpowanda8821]

A wonderful mix of old and new.

[@robertgallagher5285]

Just some Noir history: The Post-War Noir Fiction period started January 1 1946 with the publication of three Novels: Dark Passage (David Goodis) Nightmare Alley (William Lindsey Gresham) Heed The Thunder Jim Thompson)!!!

[@Fantumh]

It was your original review of Pop. 1280 which steered me toward Jim Thompson, and I'm now reading my 8th book by him, though Pop. 1280 is not one of them, but it is on the shelf. He very quickly became a favorite, and far and away my favorite of his has been Savage Night. It's so incredibly pulpy, but at the same time it was clearly very personal.

[@timothyquigley7010]

1-we begin at the end- Chris Whitaker 2-bloodline- Jess Lourey 3- she rides shotgun- Jordan Harper 4-- blindsside-William Bayer 5- little scarlet-Walter Mosley

[@lorettaolson8748]

We loved the Red House Mystery!

[@novasite7795]

Happy/Merry Christmas Olly! Your videos have made me a better reader this year! Looking forward to your recommendations/reviews in 2025!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you! Merry Christmas to you too!

[@davlang3783]

Love Jim Thompson. Pop. 1280 is one of his best. Read Savage Night for a great, unusual story with a brilliant, bonkers ending. Excellent list you put forward there. My dad will thank you for it, as he'll be getting some of these for sure. A Simple Plan was great. Read it decades ago, it was one i immediately shared, and everyone who read it loved it. Merry Christmas!

[@billfreeman5914]

Probably my favourite mystery this year was Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway (which I believe I read mostly because of your recommendation). It was a fun near-future, science fiction murder mystery. I’m eager to read the next one, Sleeper Beach (hopefully released on April 10, 2025].

[@cb7560]

Thanks for an excellent video. My favourite books have all been French ones (in translation) - the Frederic Dard novels issued by Pushkin Press, Pierre Le Maitre's "Irene" and Jean-Patrick Manchette's "The Mad and the Bad"

[@heidifogelberg3544]

OK, Olly. I won't argue with your list. However, I will suggest that for next year, you read a different Joe R Lansdale title - The Bottoms. It's one of his absolute best, and I think it's a great novel. And very, very entertaining. (Also brutal, uncomfortable in many places, and disturbing for many).

[@johngaffney1671]

A Simple Plan is great. 😊

[@kyrilson71]

Some of my favorite crime novels this year : Goldilocks by Ed McBain, California Bear by Duane Swiercynski, Heartshot by Steven F. Havill, Quarry's List by Max Allan Collins, Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead.

[@constancecampbell4610]

I haven’t read these, but the Milne and Written in Blood sound fun. I have seen the film of A Simple Plan and enjoyed (?) it a lot. It was a slow motion car crash for sure. Have a great holiday, Olly. 🎉

[@francesmeyer8478]

Excellent description of "A Simple Plan". You knew what was going to happen but you just had to stay with it.🇺🇸🦃☕❄❄❄🎄

[@constancecampbell4610]

@ Yes. And in the film, Billy Bob Thornton’s face said it all.

[@sherrirabinowitz4618]

I love The Thin Man and The Red House, (he did write a mystery short story too, it is very good.) My favorite Crime Novel of the year so far, (I am reading two mysteries now,) are Moonflower Murders and The Marlow Murder Club both by living authors, which is unusual for me. Also another favorite author and I am waiting for her next book is Kerry Greenwood, she writes the Phryne Fisher Mysteries, she has another series but I think three mystery series are enough for me.

[@someokiedude9549]

Sadly I didn't get to a lot of crime novels this year, but I did read The Black Dahlia from James Ellroy finally, which was pretty good and a good starting point for Ellroy. But I didn't find it to be as memorable or as compelling as LA Confidential. Still a damn fine novel, really captures his style well. I also read My Darkest Prayer from Cosby, which I really liked as well. I still find that Razorblade Tears is his best novel, or at least my favorite one, at the moment but My Darkest Prayer was really damn good. Also The City & The City from China Mieville, though that's a re-read. Still really good. Probably Mieville's most compact and tightly constructed novel. ' Bluebird, Bluebird from Attica Locke was very good. Killer cliffhanger and it has my favorite single line from a book this year: “The nobility is in the fight, son, in all things.” I could go on but I think those four will do. Very good video. Glad to see people covering crime fiction on BookTube. It's so malignly neglected.

[@alvinmarcus5780]

There are a few movies based on the people in The Thin Man. And they are awesome. The last couple they cut back on their drinking but up till then it's party time all the time.. Well worth your time.

[@Scimitar55]

Very enjoyabke videos. I always add sonething to my list.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Excellent!

[@anotherblonde]

Just look up The Wheel of Fire on Audible for find the first book in the series Death and the Conjurer is free at the moment, so will get stuck into the whole series - the narrator sounds good too. Thanks for the recommendation. One of my fav authors is Brian Freemantle. Love the intricacy, details, flawed humans interacting the best they can. Most are from years past, detailing old tech, old standards and no swearing.

[@PeculiarNotions]

Nick and Nora Charles are great protagonists. I read Pop. 1280 because of your recommendation, and in my own video review I say it's like a darkly comedic Southern Gothic story. The best crime novel I read all year, though, is certainly Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale.

[@SmartCookie2022]

Why has Scott Smith only written 2 books? I know he also wrote a few short stories, but that's his lot. This surprises me as The Ruins was a huge holiday bestseller.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I think I read he found it all a bit much and moved to working in film instead

[@havecrocswillwalk]

Hi Olly Requested Cop Hater & The Mugger by Ed McBain from the library. Have a lovely Christmas.

[@eriebeverly]

I don't know if there were any crazy surprises on the list this year. I read a few critically acclaimed thrillers, some fun books, and etc. The one I'll remember though is Murder, She Wrote: The Murder of Twelve. It is so violent and the reveal left me questioning some life choices.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Well damn I might need to read that

[@robertgallagher5285]

A great recommend read this year The Lindbergh Nanny Mariah Fredericks!!!

[@robertgallagher5285]

A historical fiction crime book

[@PowerAvocado]

I read Perfect Shot by Steve Urszenyi now. An excellent spy thriller.

[@GaryGriffiths-kx2zp]

Great list! Could not agree more on Scott Smith’s “A Simple Plan;” one of the best crime novels ever. And a terrific movie as well with a perfectly matched cast. Have read all of Cosby’s as well - also excellent. We differ on “Blood Standard.” Entertaining, but Isiah is too far over the top for me. If you haven’t read Adrian McKinty’s “Dead” trilogy, I’d go there for similar but more gripping, brutal crime. Or Charlie Huston - “Caught Stealing” and the two that follow.

[@AllenFreemanMediaGuru]

This year I read 3 Laird Barron books. Blood Standard(2018) -Excellent, Black Mountain(2019)-Excellent, X’s For Eyes(2015)-not good.

[@malundy]

I was pleased to see two of my favorite books on your list: The Red House Mystery and Pop. 1280. Pop 1280 is my favorite Jim Thompson book and I frequently reread it. I can't believe it hasn't been adapted to the screen. Well, there is a French version, Coup de Torchon, which is pretty good but set in French West Africa in 1938. I'd like to see a version set in the US.

[@robertgallagher5285]

Of the 3 Thompson Novels I've read loved it but thought The Grifters topped it Savage Night great also!!!

[@malundy]

@@robertgallagher5285 Hmmm, I also love The Grifters but would put it on the same level as Pop. 1280. They're such different books I enjoy them equally for different reasons. I haven't read Savage Night and will check it out. On an unrelated note, did you see my comment on your Kobo Libra Color review. I can't get the deDRM plugin for Calibre to work and am curious which version of Calibre and deDRM you used. I'm on Calibre 7.23. It's not a dealbreaker for switching to Kobo but I would loke to bring my Kindle books with me.

[@robertgallagher5285]

@@malundy think you have me confused with someone else but it really is a toss up with Thompson all solid reads and with Novels so expensive really believe in reading reviews and I would rate all 3 Thompsons I've read a tossup and all worth the price since they have basically done away with $10.00 cheap paperbacks!!!

[@MaisieStirfry]

@@robertgallagher5285 My partner and I were just discussing the trend toward trade paperbacks replacing mass market paperbacks--it seems the larger trade format is the default one now. I don't mind the trade format, but not having the option to buy the less expensive trade version is a bit of a drag!

[@malundy]

@@robertgallagher5285 Yep, I didn't mean to reply to you. Thanks for your insights though. I'm with you on it being a toss up.

[@lucidjuicekid]

Big fan of your channel Olly. I read Flicker by Theodore Roszak this year based on your recommendation and loved it. Also started a Mo Hayder binge. I'm keeping an eye out for Dead City by Shane Stevens but the copies I've seen on auction sites are going for silly money. Is there any way you can pull some strings and get it reissued? 😄 Happy Christmas!🎄

[@CriminOllyBlog]

You're not the first person to suggest re Dead City! Sadly my influence is minimal

[@DDB168]

I have A Simple Plan in my hot hands. I found Pop1280 a bit over the top, a bit far fetched. It reads like a farce style comedy. Maybe I took it too seriously.

[@arekkrolak6320]

Red House Mystery seems really cool!