Top 16 Books About Serial Killers Fiction Updated 04 /2024

Since the beginning of time, we've been fascinated by crime stories, and serial killers seem to be the most haunting and fascinating of all. Hundreds of books have been written about both fictional and real killing sprees, as well as a lot of movies, TV shows, blogs, and podcasts.

Why are we so interested in people who do bad things? There are people who study both philosophy and psychology who can help with this question: Any reason, these crime reads will both thrill and disgust you at the same time, no matter what you think. Each of them has the two things that make a good serial killer story work: a twisted killer who is also very driven, and a detective who, no matter how bad or broken, will not stop until justice is done.

The Russian

by James Patterson

by James O. Born

Detective Bennett has spent his life protecting people so that they can live safe, happy lives. It's about to be happy for him, but then he gets called to investigate the New York City serial killer. He'll have to use all of his skills and courage to bring the killer to justice, or else lose everything he loves. A new book in the "Michael Bennett" series by James Patterson and James O. Born has a new character called the Russian.

The Shining Girls

by Lauren Beukes

He is a killer who came out of the past. In the story, Kirby Mazrachi is the girl who was never meant to have a long life. Kirby is the last shining girl. She is one of the bright young women who have a lot of potential, but Harper is going to put out their flames when he finds a house in Depression-era Chicago that opens to other times.

Harper joins the lives of these beautiful girls at the request of the House. He waits for the right moment to strike. Until one of his victims survives, he disappears into another time without leaving a trail. He's the ultimate hunter.

Kirby wants to bring her would-be killer to justice, so she joins theChicago Sun-Times to work with the reporter, Dan Velasquez, who wrote about her. Soon, Kirby finds herself close to an impossible truth that she can't believe...

The Rabbit Hunter

Lars Kepler; Neil Smith (Translator)

It's part of Lars Kepler's "Joona Linna" series. The Rabbit Hunter is one of the books in this series. Detectives Linna and Bauer, who are the main characters in this story, have dealt with very sad crimes before. But how will they deal with a killer who is as methodical as he is poor? In this list of crime books, The Rabbit Hunter is even more disgusting than the other books.

Alex Cross, Run

by James Patterson

Alex Cross, Run is the twentieth book in James Patterson's long-running "Alex Cross" series. Our hero is trying to find and arrest up to three new serial killers in Washington, DC. While Cross is looking for the killers of other people, he doesn't see the one who has Cross in his sights.

The Killer You Know

by S. R. Masters

A childhood game becomes 

As a child, I played a game called "The Killer You Know." It was very scary. Only Adeline was alarmed when Will, one of her friends, started talking about going on a killing spree. Everyone thought he was kidding, or at least that was what everyone thought. It's been a long time since Adeline has been back in her hometown, but she still wants to see some of her old friends. When they find out that Will was really going to kill them and that they could be his next victims, the reunion turns sour.

Criss Cross

by James Patterson

A man who Alex Cross helped put to death is electrocuted as his mother accuses him of framing her son. All his years as an investigator don't prepare him for seeing this. That same day, Cross investigates a homicide. He finds a note that tells him that the man who was executed was not guilty of the crime for which he was sentenced to death. Do you think Cross made a big mistake? The serial killer is going to find out all of his darkest secrets. Will he live to be sorry?

The Last Thing to Burn

Will Dean

Since years ago, the protagonist of The Last Thing to Burn has been taken away. When her kidnapper took her away, she was pregnant and he was holding another woman hostage. This time, things are different: she is pregnant and her kidnapper is holding another woman hostage as well. In the middle of nowhere, she will have to make risky, gut-wrenching decisions to protect herself, her unborn child, and the other hostage. This book can be preordered now and will be out in April 2021.

A Map of the Dark

Karen Ellis

Myers has been asked to look into the strange and violent disappearance of a young girl, who may have been taken by a well-known serial killer. But the more she looks into the case, the more powerful her childhood demons become. Elsa will have to face her past if she wants to save the future of a child who isn't her own. The first book in a series, A Map of the Dark, is a gripping story about what happens when painful secrets come out into the open. It's about what happens when they do.

Smoke

by Joe Ide

Isaac "IQ" Quintabe doesn't have any formal training, but that hasn't stopped him from investigating some of the most difficult and overlooked cases in Los Angeles. That is, until recently. On the run without his most trusted friend, IQ gets pulled into another case. This time, it's with the deadliest serial killer in California history.

The Poet

by Michael Connelly

His job is to report on death. It's what he loves, and it's what drives him. But this time, death brings McEvoy the story he didn't want to write–and the mystery he needs to find. A serial killer with new levels of savagery and skill is on the loose. When he goes out, he wants to kill cops who are haunted by murder cases that they can't solve. One of Edgar Allan Poe's quotes is on the killer's call card. This time, it's McEvoy's brother. McEvoy may be his last.

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