Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Meet Dexter, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing . . . a monster who cringes at the site of blood . . . a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likable: he only kills bad people . Dexter Morgan isn’t exactly the kind of man you’d bring home to Mom. Though he’s playful and has a wonderfully ironic sense of humor, Dexter’s one character flaw (his proclivity for murder) can be off-putting. But at... (more)

The Devil in the White CityErik Larson

The Devil in the White City

Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

by Erik Larson

True Crime, Chicago World's Fair

The Millennium Trilogy: Book 1

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

by Stieg Larsson

A sensation across Europe—millions of copies sold...

Swimsuit

by James Patterson

THE BEACH... A breathtakingly beautiful supermodel disappears from a swimsuit photo shoot at the most glamorous hotel in Hawaii. Only hours after she goes missing, Kim McDaniels's parents receive a terrifying phone call. Fearing the worst, they board the first flight to Maui and begin the hunt for their daughter. ...WILL NEVER BE... Ex-cop Ben Hawkins, now a reporter for the L.A. Times, gets the McDaniels... (more)

Gretchen Lowell: Book 1

Heartsick

by Chelsea Cain

Damaged Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer, but in the end she was the one who caught him. Two years ago, Gretchen kidnapped Archie and tortured him for ten days, but instead of killing him, she mysteriously decided to let him go. She turned herself in, and now Gretchen has been locked away for the rest of her life, while Archie is in a prison of... (more)

Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper, Case Closed

Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper, Case Closed

by Patricia Cornwell

Using the firsthand expertise she has gained through writing the bestselling Dr Kay Scarpetta novels, Patricia Cornwell utilizes the demanding methods of modern forensic investigation to re-examine the evidence in the Jack the Ripper murders. These include state-of-the-art DNA testing on various materials, computer enhancement of watermarks and expert examinations of hand-writing, paper, inks and other relics. She... (more)

Child 44

by Tom Rob Smith

A propulsive, relentless page-turner. A terrifying evocation of a paranoid world where no one can be trusted. A surprising, unexpected story of love and family, of hope and resilience. CHILD 44 is a thriller unlike any you have ever read. "There is no crime." Stalin's Soviet Union strives to be a paradise for its workers, providing for all of their needs. One of its fundamental pillars is that its... (more)

The Alienist

by Caleb Carr

The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels. The newly... (more)

Dexter: Book 3

Dexter in the Dark

by Jeff Lindsay

“One of the most likable vigilante serial killers” ( The New Yorker ) faces his ultimate adversary…an evil so terrifying it scares away Dexter’s inner monster—and nearly dries up his sense of humor—in this wickedly witty, darkly suspenseful novel. In his work as a Miami crime scene investigator, Dexter Morgan is accustomed to seeing evil deeds…particularly because, on occasion, he rather enjoys committing... (more)

Gretchen Lowell: Book 2

Sweetheart

by Chelsea Cain

With Heartsick , Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain... (more)

Michael Bennett: Book 2

Run for Your LIfe

by Michael Ledwidge

A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful and the arrogant. His message is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For New York's elite, it is a call to terror. Only one man can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Mike Bennett. The pressure is enough for... (more)

The Keepsake: A Novel

by Tess Gerritsen

New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen knows how to expertly dissect a brilliantly suspenseful story, all the while keeping fascinated readers riveted to her side. By turns darkly enthralling and relentlessly surprising, The Keepsake showcases an author at the peak of her storytelling powers. For untold years, the perfectly preserved mummy had lain forgotten in the dusty basement of Boston’s Crispin... (more)

Hannibal Lecter: Book 2

The Silence of the Lambs

by Thomas Harris

A serial murderer known only by a grotesquely apt nickname-Buffalo Bill-is stalking women. He has a purpose, but no one can fathom it, for the bodies are discovered in different states. Clarice Starling, a young trainee at the FBI Academy, is surprised to be summoned by Jack Crawford, chief of the Bureau's Behavioral Science section. Her assignment: to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter-Hannibal the Cannibal-who is... (more)

The Monster of Florence

by Douglas Preston, Mario Spezi

In the nonfiction tradition of John Berendt ("Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil") and Erik Larson ("The Devil in the White City"), New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston presents a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush hills surrounding Florence , Italy . In 2000, Douglas Preston fulfilled a dream to move his family to Italy. Then he discovered that the olive grove in front... (more)

Dexter: Book 4

Dexter by Design

by Jeff Lindsay

The macabre, witty New York Times bestselling series (and inspiration for the #1 Showtime series, Dexter) continues as our darkly lovable killer matches wits with a sadistic artiste —who is creating bizarre murder tableaux of his own all over Miami. After his surprisingly glorious honeymoon in Paris, life is almost normal for Dexter Morgan. Married life seems to agree with him: he’s devoted to his bride,... (more)

Dexter: Book 2

Dearly Devoted Dexter

by Jeff Lindsay

Life’s tough for Dexter Morgan. It’s not easy being the world’s only serial killer with a conscience, especially when you work for the Miami police. To avoid suspicion, Dexter’s had to slip deep into his disguise: spending time with his girlfriend and her kids, slowly becoming the world’s first serial killing couch potato. Then a particularly nasty psychopath starts cutting a trail through Miami — a killer... (more)

Perfume

The Story of a Murderer

by Patrick Suskind

The year is 1738; the place, Paris. A baby is born under a fish-monger’s bloody table in a marketplace, and abandoned. Orphaned, passed over to the monks as a charity case, already there is something in the aura of the tiny infant that is unsettling. No one will look after him; he is somehow too demanding, and, even more disturbing, something is missing: as his wet nurse tries to explain, he doesn’t smell the... (more)

The Stranger Beside Me (Revised and Updated): 20th Anniversary

The Stranger Beside Me (Revised and Updated): 20th Anniversary

by Ann Rule

Ann Rule was a writer working on the biggest story of her life, tracking down a brutal mass-murderer. Little did she know that Ted Bundy, her close friend, was the savage slayer she was hunting. The most fascinating killer in modern American history...Ann Rule has an extraordinary angle that makes The Stranger Beside Me as dramatic and chilling as a bedroom window shattering at midnight. ( The New York Times ) ... (more)

Sworn to Silence

by Linda Castillo

A killer is preying on sacred ground.... In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and English residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the... (more)

Say Goodbye

by Lisa Gardner

Lisa Gardner , the New York Times bestselling author of Hide and Gone , draws us into the venomous mind games of her most terrifying killer yet. Come into my parlor . . . For Kimberly Quincy, FBI Special Agent, it all starts with a pregnant hooker. The story Delilah Rose tells Kimberly about her johns is too horrifying to be true—but prostitutes are disappearing, one by one, with no explanation, and no... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: serial killer

by Jeff Lindsay

Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

by Erik Larson

by Stieg Larsson

by James Patterson

by Chelsea Cain

by Patricia Cornwell

by Tom Rob Smith

by Caleb Carr

by Jeff Lindsay

by Chelsea Cain

by Michael Ledwidge

by Tess Gerritsen

by Thomas Harris

by Douglas Preston, Mario Spezi

by Jeff Lindsay

by Jeff Lindsay

The Story of a Murderer

by Patrick Suskind

by Ann Rule

by Linda Castillo

by Lisa Gardner