16 Free Crime & Thriller Books You Can Download Right Now (PDF, ePub & Kindle)
Posted by George Hartley
There is a particular kind of regret that only crime readers know. It is 1am, you have work in the morning, you told yourself "last chapter" three chapters ago, and the killer has just turned out to be the one person you trusted.
A good thriller does not ask politely for your attention. It grabs it and will not give it back. Here are 16 of them, all free to download on Obooko in PDF, ePub and Kindle, yours to keep. No subscription, no signup wall. Every one is rated and downloaded by real readers, and they are sorted so you can find your next 1am mistake fast.
Obooko books are free because the authors put them here. It is legal, DRM-free, and you do not need an account to grab a few. Browse the full crime, thriller and mystery shelf any time.
The ones everyone downloads
Nurse Becky Gets Shot by Gary Baker. Nearly 20,000 downloads, and the title does most of the marketing. A psychological thriller that doubles as a pitch-black comedy.
Painless by Derek Ciccone. A fast-paced thriller built around a redemption story, with a run of ominous events that never lets you breathe.
200 Steps Down by Morris Kenyon. A crime boss in Odessa decides to go bigger. Lean, gritty Eastern-European crime.
The Blue Sapphire by Peter C. Byrnes. Meet Clem 'Lofty' Hills, a former jockey with a knack for trouble. A cracking Aussie crime novella with a whole series behind it.
Safe Contents by Peter C. Byrnes. An aging uncle, a nephew who is a bit too good to be true, and a safe that should have stayed shut.
The May Day Murders by Scott Wittenburg. The quiet of small-town Smithtown, Ohio gets shattered when the wrong man comes home. Classic whodunnit.
The ones readers rate highest
The Hammer of God by Reginald Cook. Five stars from over 700 readers, the most-loved crime book on Obooko. An ancient evil festering inside the church. Book two of the Veil series.
Veil by Reginald Cook. Book one. Bounty hunters Robert Veil and Nikki Thorne chase a serial killer and unravel a forty-year-old conspiracy.
4 Weeks to Live by Don McGraw. Karl Dutton has been on Texas death row for nine years. With four weeks left, new evidence surfaces. A proper ticking-clock thriller.
Return 2 Terror with Love by David Lovett. A terror cell smuggles two dirty bombs into the United States, and the race to stop them is on.
Heart of a Spider by Mark Stewart. Detective Kendal is on the trail of a patient who has escaped a mental institution. A taut cat-and-mouse.
Inspector Zhang Gets His Wish by Stephen Leather. A Singapore Police inspector finally gets the locked-room mystery he has always wanted. Short enough for one sitting.
A few that deserve a wider audience
Lady in Red by Bradley Pearce. A futuristic, apocalyptic thriller centred on a prodigy and a New York detective.
Satan's Gene by Ken Donald. The US Vice President visits a Welsh monastery, and things go very wrong. A conspiracy thriller with a properly odd premise.
See Night Run by D.W. St. John. Kirkus put it best: "Hume is forced to question everything he has ever believed in." A slow burn that pays off.
Cornucopia: Bankers and Oligarchs by John Francis Kinsella. For the financial-thriller crowd. Banker Pat Kennedy chases wealth, and the trouble that always comes with it.
Grab a few, lose a weekend
Pick two or three, send them to your Kindle or phone, and you are sorted for the week. They are free, DRM-free, and they will still be here when you want the next one.
If crime is not your only weakness, the rest of the Obooko library runs deep across romance, fantasy, sci-fi, classics and more. All free, same deal.
Happy reading, and sorry in advance about the sleep.