David Baldacci on the best crime fiction books
We asked one of the world's bestselling thriller authors what he thinks is the best crime fiction book of all time. Discover his favourite crime and thriller novels in our exclusive video.
From the political conspiracy of his break-out novel Absolute Power to the thrilling investigations of FBI agent Atlee Pine, David Baldacci’s page-turning crime thrillers are loved around the world. We asked David for his reading recommendations, including his favourite crime and thriller books and what he thinks is the best crime fiction book of all time.
Discover all of David Baldacci’s books in order.
For more reading inspiration, don’t miss our edit of the best crime and thriller books of 2020.
Strangers on a Train
by Patricia Highsmith
This classic psychological thriller sees Guy Haines and Charles Anthony Bruno fatefully meet during a train journey. Guy is a successful architect in the midst of a divorce, while Bruno turns out to be a sadistic psychopath who manipulates Guy into swapping murders with him. "Some people are better off dead," Bruno remarks, "like your wife and my father, for instance." As Bruno carries out his twisted plan, Guy is trapped in Highsmith's perilous world where, under the right circumstances, anybody is capable of murder.
Postmortem
by Patricia Cornwell
Three women have been found murdered in Richmond, Virginia. There is a serial killer on the loose, and the only pattern to his crimes is that he always strikes early on Saturday mornings. When Dr Kay Scarpetta, chief medical officer, is woken at 2.33 a.m. to news of a fourth victim, she knows it’s a race against time to find new forensic evidence. But not everyone is pleased to see a woman in such a powerful position . . . This is the book David called the best crime novel ever written.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson travel to misty Dartmoor to investigate a devilish apparition in this classic mystery from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The intrepid duo unravel the truth behind a terrifying family curse after they are called upon to solve the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville.
And Then There Were None
by Agatha Christie
And Then There Were None is the bestselling crime novel of all time by the bestselling novelist of all time, Agatha Christie. The mystery sees eight people arrive on a small, isolated island, only for each of them to be accused of murder by an anonymous voice recording over dinner. And Then There Were None has been adapted numerous times for the stage, screen and radio.