Addictive Crime Novels Written by Women

After diving into Gillian McAllister’s 2025 novel, I immediately knew it would be one of my top reads of that year!  

Imagine waking up one morning to a cryptic note from your husband. Then seeing a breaking news story about a hostage situation in London, and hearing that your husband has been caught up in it. But he’s not a hostage. He’s the gunman.

Famous Last Words is a crime thriller that will constantly keep you guessing, filled with tension and so fiercely gripping from start to finish.

Despite only being introduced to Janice’s books in 2024, they’re now some of my all-time favourites! The brilliant thing about Janice’s crime novels is that they’re told through mixed media. Think emails, message boards, text messages - all of her books are written this way and they work so incredibly well.

Mind-boggling and masterfully plotted, The Examiner follows six students on a university art course, as well as an external examiner. When assessing the students’ work, he’s convinced a student was killed and that the others covered it up. We go through evidence alongside the examiner to reveal the truth. An immersive and absorbing read.

When an Oxford student accuses a university professor of sexual assault, detectives think they’ve heard it all before. But in this case, the stereotypical gender roles are reversed; the predator is a female professor and the victim is a male student. DI Fawley and his team are up against the clock to figure out the truth, but someone is watching.

Cara Hunter is a brilliant writer when it comes to the ins and outs of policing and detective work. An unpredictable, nail-biting plot, stunning cliff hangers and plenty of sneaky twists and turns.

I think everyone who has read this book will agree that it’s every parent's worst nightmare! When Marissa goes to pick up her son Milo from his first playdate with a friend from his new school, she’s filled with panic. The woman who answers the door isn't the boy’s mother. She isn't the nanny. And she doesn't have Milo. 

An unexpected suspect is named in relation to Milo’s disappearance, and secrets seem to be swirling everywhere in this community… It’s clear to see why this book is now a major TV series! It’s suspense-filled and twisty, with endorsements from thriller queens like Shari Lapena and Sarah Pearse. A gripping psychological thriller that ups the stakes with each and every chapter and will leave you unable to sleep at night!

This is a debut novel and an utterly superb example of an addictive police procedural crime thriller, dripping with atmosphere and tension.

Julia Harte is a retired detective in Ireland, living in a remote cottage away from everyone and her old life. She receives a call from her old superintendent; two women have been murdered, their bodies marked and staged, just like a familiar case back in 1994 that she remembers all too well. She returns to work, secrets are unravelled, and the truth about the past is revealed. It’s tense, dark and unforgettable.

I love this book’s original plot. The main character, Emilia Ward, is a bestselling crime writer on her tenth novel. However, life takes quite the turn when an incident straight out of one of her novels occurs in real life. She thinks it's a coincidence until it happens again. Then someone she knows dies exactly like a victim in the book she’s still writing, the book that isn’t published... This is another book leaning into crime thriller but the crime writer theme had me desperate to include it in this list! One of my favourite can’t-put-down novels in recent years.

A serial killer is terrorizing the streets of London. With the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympic Games in seven days' time, DI Jack MacIntosh and his team at the Metropolitan Police have one week to find him. The killer’s motives are unknown, but there is a mysterious clue left at each crime scene. It’s a case that would soon take a menacing and personal twist.

This one is suspenseful, so very absorbing and full of twists and red herrings. My perfect kind of crime book!