9 Action-Packed International Crime Thrillers
A good mystery thriller is always exhilarating, but a good international thriller is even more so. Far-flung locales—unfamiliar to either the reader, the protagonist, or both—add an extra layer of intrigue to any crime novel. These books will take you not only around the world, but into the hearts and minds of hardened investigators, merciless criminals, and ordinary folks struggling not to be swept away by events beyond their comprehension. From sunny Brazil to merry old England, crime knows no borders, and you can read about it all from the comfort of your own couch.
Rio de Janeiro, 2016. With the Summer Olympics on the horizon, security consultant Jack Morgan is hired to make sure the world's greatest athletic competition runs smoothly. But not everyone wants Brazil to have a successful Olympics. Jack soon finds himself in a race against time to save the games—and people's lives. The sixth book in the "Private" series, The Games blends real-world events with pulse-pounding thrills.
Canadian detective Rachel Getty is puzzled when her partner urges her to be discreet about investigating a man's accidental death. But she comes to understand the need for secrecy soon enough: the dead man may have been involved in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It's up to Rachel and her partner to discover whether the man really died accidentally, or if someone made his death look accidental to cover up a revenge murder.
The members of the Camel Club spend their time together searching for whatever conspiracies and secrets the U.S. government might be hiding. But they are still blindsided when a real conspiracy falls into their lap: a plot that may destroy everything they've ever known. The Camel Club—with the help of a Secret Service agent—are the only ones who can save the world in this exciting mystery thriller.
Masako Katori works nights at a boxed-lunch factory in an unsavory part of Tokyo. She is bored with her job and her life. Then, another factory worker murders her husband and asks her coworkers to help her dispose of the body—a task that Masako takes to with ease, at least at first. Out is not available as an ebook, which is just as well: you might want something malleable like a paperback to dig your fingers into as you follow Masako into the brutal Japanese underworld.
When his brother unexpectedly dies, Gordon Reeve is devastated—and suspicious. He travels all the way from Scotland to California to investigate, only to be stonewalled by local law enforcement officials. It will take all of Gordon's military training to learn the truth behind his brother's death and stay alive long enough to tell about it.
Related: Travel the World With These 8 International Crime Fiction Novels
This harrowing crime novel takes readers into the seedy, violent underworld of Glasgow's debt collectors. From the newest recruits to the most veteran bosses, everyone is out to protect his own interests by any means necessary. Their ruthlessness climbs to ever greater heights as they risk it all to win it all, not realizing the cost of success until it is much too late.
Antique dealer Kat Stanford lives in a quaint if murder-prone English village. In this entry in the "Honeychurch Hall" series, Kat competes with a rival dealer for local business and for the attention of a handsome viscount. She does quite well for herself until she stumbles across two bodies in quick succession. Kat will have to think fast to save her business, her love life—and herself.
Years ago, five little girls—all good friends—went out to play. One of them was lured away by a stranger and killed, a fate which her mother blamed on the other four girls. Now grown up, the girls are pursuing lives and careers of their own, but the shadow of the past refuses to let them go. Translated from the original Japanese, Penance uses differing perspectives to build suspense and reconstruct what happened that horrible day.
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Eileen Gonzalez is a freelance writer from Connecticut. She has a Master’s degree in communications and years of experience writing about pop culture. She contributes to Book Riot and Foreword Reviews, and she occasionally tweets at @eileen2thestars.