Older Features
An archive of past features in mystery, thriller, crime, horror, and other suspense-related genres.
Cars in Thrillers
The open road of the thriller, and the vehicles that take us down
Why Read Thrillers?
Why we love crime thrillers and psychological thrillers
Suspense Roundtable
A roundtable with eight of the best voices in suspense
YA Apocalyptic Thrillers
Why We’re Hooked on YA Apocalyptic Thrillers
Obsession in Horror
The Female Stalker
Agent of Duty
Federal agents in political thrillers
The Sexiest Thrillers Ever
Nine books and book-to-film adaptations that will leave you gasping
The Amateur Sleuth at Work
Five Professions of Cozy Mystery Protagonists
History with a Side of Murder
The rules that shape a historical mystery
The Conspiracy Thriller
A short history of the conspiracy thriller, from 1907 to the present
Offbeat World War Two Thrillers
Nine World War Two thrillers that don’t follow the usual storylines
Cross-Genre Thrillers
How the best thrillers defy genre
Secrets and Suspense
Why secrets are an important part of the story
Corporate Thrillers
Five Elements of a Gripping Corporate Thriller
Villains of Romantic Suspense
Nine villain types that prowl the romantic suspense genre
The Horror Thriller
Five key elements of a horror thriller
The Criminal Profiler
Forensic Psychologists in Crime Fiction
European Crime Thrillers
Four dark thrillers that will knock you sideways
The Future and the Writer
How sci-fi thriller writers create the future
Techno-Horror of the Future
Six movies we’ll be watching in the year 2050
‘Final Girls’ in Slasher Horror
The Top 5 “final girls” in slasher horror who survived to the end
Amateur Sleuth Heroines
Six strong, inquisitive, female amateur sleuths
Forensics in Fiction
A history of forensics in crime fiction
Supernatural Procedurals
Police Procedurals and the Supernatural Thriller
The Best John Carpenter Movies
The top 10 greatest films by horror director John Carpenter
Revenge and the Thriller
Why we love (and need) revenge in fiction
Black Ops in Thrillers
Elements of Black Ops in Fiction
The Best Kidnap Thrillers
Five of the all-time best kidnap thrillers from a lifetime movie buff
Character-Driven Mysteries
Three authors whose detectives propel their mysteries
Psychological Suspense Settings
PART II – Evil in the countryside
Alien Invasion Movies
Tropes and techniques of alien invasion movies
Sci-fi Conspiracy Thrillers
The nine best sci-fi conspiracy movie thrillers of all time
Military in Sci-fi Thrillers
How the movie Aliens got it right
Riverdale Time Jump
Riverdale’s Time Jump Mystery is Exactly What We Need
Prison Escape Thrillers
Why the greatest escapism starts with a life behind bars
Romantic Suspense Tropes
Five Tantalizing Tropes of Romantic Suspense
Island Books
Popular Island Tropes in Suspense and Thriller Novels
Elements of a Legal Thriller
The six elements of a great legal thriller
Thrillers in Rome
Historical thrillers set against the backdrop of ancient Rome
Nazis in Thrillers
How the Nazi “brand” makes for an ideal baddie
Romance and the Detective
The Elements of a Great PI Story with Romance
The Appeal of Slasher Horror
Five reasons we love the slasher horror genre
Overlooked Domestic Thrillers
Three Overlooked Domestic Thrillers from the Mid-Twentieth Century
Fantasy Horror Books and Film
A beginner’s guide to the fantasy horror genre
Isolation and Madness
Driven mad by loneliness, cabin fever, separation, and isolation
Dogs of Crime Fiction
Five Breeds and their Roles in Great Crime Fiction
Assassination Thrillers
Our fascination with assassinations in fiction
Offbeat Detectives
Eight unusual detectives of crime fiction, and why we love them
Domestic Thriller Love Triangles
What you need to know about domestic thriller love triangles
PI Questions Answered
Answers to nine frequently asked questions about PIs in books & film
Life, Death & the Medical Thriller
A comparison of three of the best medical thrillers
Supernatural Detective Fiction
The best supernatural detective stories in books, tv, and movies
Detectives vs Police
In praise of the most interesting figures of the mystery genre
Solitary Thrillers
The 5 loneliest thrillers and why they’re so good
The Female Hero
Elements of a Great Female Lead in Mysteries and Thrillers
The Appeal of Legal Thrillers
Why readers are perpetually hungry for courtroom fiction
Modern Military Thrillers
The (R)evolution of the military thriller genre
Castle, Damsel, Horror, Bride
The characteristics and history of Gothic suspense
Spy Thriller Books-to-Movies
The best film adaptations in the espionage thriller genre
Paranormal Thrillers
A brief overview of the paranormal thriller genre
Noir and the Private Detective
How the hard-boiled PI exists within and beyond noir
Horror Dolls
The Evolution of the ‘Creepy Doll’ Horror Trope
Amateur Sleuth Detectives
Six types of detectives in the amateur sleuth genre
Best World War 2 Fiction
The best World War 2 books, movies, and tv
Young Adult Mystery and Suspense
Ten Twisty YA Mysteries, Thrillers, and Whodunits
Houses of Horror
The role of the house in suspense fiction
Classic Mystery Novels
Three classic novels you might not think of as mysteries
Intense Crime Thrillers
Five Heart-Pounding Crime Thrillers to Read Right Now
Political Thriller Movies
The best political thrillers that were books before they were films
Christmas Mysteries
Christmas Mysteries from the Golden Age to the present
Christmas Crime
The naughty list of Christmas
The Evolution of Zombie Movies
How the zombie horror genre changed from the 1930s to the present
Serial Killers in Movies
Why we love serial killers on the big screen
A Brief History of the Mystery
From the origins of the genre to the present
The Private Detective in Fiction
Hard-boiled, Half-baked and Harvard-educated
Pandemic Fiction
Viruses that Infect our Imaginations
Our Interest in Serial Killers
Tell me again why we love fictional serial killers?
Psychological Suspense Settings
Why you—and they—shouldn’t trust everything you see
Blackmail in Fiction
Why Blackmail is an Effective Plot Vehicle
The Myth of the Serial Killer
For readers and moviegoers, these myths make for great entertainment
Crime Thriller vs Mystery
The difference between crime thrillers and murder mysteries
Great Survival Thrillers
What the most successful survival thrillers have in common
A Modern-Day Tragic Hero
Doctors as tragic heroes in medical crime thrillers
Serial Killers in Novels
The most thrilling fictional serial killers of all time
The Evolution of the YA Sci-fi Thriller
Changes in young adult science fiction through the decades
Best Blockbuster Detective Movies
Hollywood detective movies with a strong dose of action and adventure
Loss, self-esteem, and determination
Commonalities between three supernatural thriller characters
Golden-Age Crime Fiction
How true crime led to a golden era of crime fiction.
The Suspense of Berlin
The world’s most thrilling city as a setting for thrillers
Sci-fi vs Sci-fi Thriller
Differences between sci-fi genres
What is a Domestic Thriller?
An introduction to one of the fastest growing thriller subgenres
Jurassic Park at 30 Years
Reflecting on the book that redefined the technothriller genre
Suspense in Space
Why space is the ideal setting for sci-fi thrillers. And more than a setting.
London Crime Fiction
A brief introduction to the world of London crime fiction.
Why We Love Medical Mysteries
A physician’s diagnosis on the appeal of the medical mystery genre.
Humor in Police Procedurals
Why more humor should be inserted into the police procedural genre.
The Mystery of Historical Setting
Why the past is a great setting for a mystery
The Danger of the Uninvited
Classic Noir and Contemporary Horror During the Pandemic
Organized Crime in Fiction
Why we’re fascinated by gangster novels
Tumbleweed, Gunslingers, and Suspense
Five films that are both Westerns and thrillers.
YA Supernatural Thrillers
The best YA supernatural thriller movies of all time.
Locked Room Murder Mysteries
A favorite of the detective mystery subgenre, this one’s here to stay.
Books That Set the Mood for Fall
It’s the perfect time to hunker down with something dark and stormy.
Police Procedural Tropes
Ten police procedural clichés that should be locked up.
Let’s Get Cozy
Breaking down popular themes in the cozy mystery subgenre.
A Reader’s Guide to Book Awards
Get to know the major books awards for mysteries and thrillers.
Best Mysteries of 2021
The best and most anticipated mysteries of 2021.
Best Thriller Books of 2021
The best and the most anticipated thriller books of the year.
Rise of the Arthouse Thriller
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is the perfect novel-turned-arthouse thriller.
5 Short Stories to Read Right Now
Quick reads that are perfect for your next 10-minute break.
The Girl In Trouble
Where did our obsession with “girls” in mysteries and thrillers come from?
Best Thriller Book Covers of 2020
Our editorial team selected their 10 favorite thriller covers of 2020.
How to Get Free eBooks
How to find a selection of free ebooks without paid subscriptions.
Best Mystery Book Covers of 2020
This year’s crop of mysteries had some of the most chilling covers yet.
Thrillers to Read Before You Die
The editorial team’s recommendations for top thrillers of all time.