Random Quotes on Crime & Thriller Writing

If you’ve been searching for the greatest psychological crime and thriller quotes ever, you’ve come to the right place. The Plotlens review team has curated the best quotes to perfectly articulate the field of crime and thriller writing.

‘The way to write a thriller is to ask a question at the beginning, and answer it at the end.’ Lee Child

‘Place the body near the beginning of your book—preferably on the first page, perhaps the first sentence.’ Louise Penny

‘I’m interested in starting stories at the moment of some crisis to see how the character deals with it.’ Paul Auster

‘Figure out what exactly is at stake, and how to establish it quickly. That’s your conflict.’ Katia Lief

‘I’m always pretending that I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling a story, and I don’t want them to get up until I’m finished.’ James Patterson

‘Life is about working out who the bad guy is.’ Sophie Hannah

‘An initial crisis may produce a question, one that takes the form of a challenge to the reader: Can they solve the puzzle before the answer is revealed? In its simplest form the crisis is a murder and the question is whodunit?’

‘I can’t start writing until I have a closing line.’ Joseph Heller

‘I often know how the book will end and have imagined a number of major scenes throughout, but not always how I will get there. When I’m about two-thirds done I reoutline the whole book so I know that I’m delivering on all I promised.’ Jeff Abbott

‘Crime stories are rarely about crime they’re a study of its aftermath.’

‘The only writers who survive the ages are those who understand the need for action in a novel.’ Dean Koontz

‘People don’t read books to get to the middle. They read to get to the end.’ Mickey Spillane

‘I do extensive outlines before I write a single word.’ Jeffrey Deaver

If you love anything thriller related, then check out the great psychological content at Plotlens today.

Top Three Breath-Taking Thriller Audiobooks

Thriller audiobooks make your brain active while giving you a satisfying entertainment experience. You can enjoy these audiobooks anywhere and at any time. Here are some of the best thriller audiobooks that you may want to add to your reading list.

You – Caroline Kepnes

In this eBook, Caroline focuses more on creating a dark perspective on the arising murder mysteries. Joe, the protagonist, is obsessed with killing more than anything else. The story plot is more of suspense, especially when it leaves the reader wanting to anxiously see how Joe’s murderous plans will be executed. The narrator of this audiobook is Santino Fontana.

Don’t Let Go – Harlan

Originally published September 26, 2017, Don’t Let Go is one of the best thriller books written in a suspenseful tone. The narrator has a fast pace, making it even harder for you to lag during the performance. Weber, the narrator, mentions the horrific scene where Nap, his girlfriend, and brother were found dead. This was when his girlfriend had recently dumped him and continues with her life as usual.

The Chemist – Stephanie Meyer

This audiobook tells the story of a former agent of the government exposed to the dark secrets of the town. She becomes a liability and decides to flee for her life. The characters are well-performing and have unique voices that go along perfectly with the play.

To discover some of the best thriller audiobooks in 2021, please visit Plotlens.com.

Christopher Nolan Wants to Take the Spy Genre Into New Territory

Set to be released at the end of July, Tenet is just the latest in a long line of suspenseful thrillers from director Christopher Nolan. The film stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh, and Nolan himself wrote the screenplay and produced the film alongside Emma Thomas.

Earlier in the year Nolan was interviewed for Total Film magazine, and during the interview he said his intention with “Tenet” is to take moviegoers’ expectations of the spy genre and shatter them. In Nolan’s own words:

“It’s a film of great ambition and great scale that takes a genre, namely the spy film, and tries to take it into some new territory, and tries to take the audience on a ride they might not have had before, and might not be expecting.”

Nolan adds, “We’re looking at first and foremost giving the audience an incredible ride in the spy movie genre, but using the audience’s facility with following the conventions of that genre to push it into some interesting and unexpected territory.”

While Covid-19 has already delayed many releases, as of the writing of this article there’s still no word if the same fate will befall Tenet, but no matter when we get to see, you bet we’ll be excited and ready for a thrilling ride.

Looking for some thrilling reads? Visit our online library at Plotlens for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

Thrilling Private Detectives You’ll Want to Read Up On

Looking for your next thrilling mystery? Consider reading up on these two fictional private detectives.

Easy Rawlins. An African American World War II veteran turned private detective living in Los Angeles, Ezekiel “Easy” Porterhouse Rawlins didn’t pursue detective work but fell into it after losing his job at an aircraft manufacturer. The creation of American crime fiction novelist Walter Mosley, Easy Rawlins first appeared in Mosley’s 1990 novel Devil in a Blue Dress, which was adapted for the big screen in 1995. Set in the 1940s-1960s, Easy Rawlins finds himself not just investigating crimes but doing so while navigating the social injustices and race politics of America, all while avoiding police intervention due to the fact that his detective work is unlicensed.

Pete Fernandez. A reporter turned private detective, in Alex Segura’s Silent City fans were first introduced to a Pete Fernandex facing a failing career, an ended engagement, and the sudden death of his father. After returning to his hometown of Miami he’s convinced to help a man investigate the disappearance of his daughter, and through subsequent novels Fernandez finds himself following a path of private investigation, one which he had never expected. Pete Fernandez has now been featured in 7 stories to much critical acclaim, and he’s without a doubt one of the most interesting fictional detectives in modern literature.

Looking for some thrilling reads? Visit our online library at www.plotlens.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

Thrilling and Suspenseful Books That Are Well Worth the Read

Here are three great books to consider when looking for your next thrilling read.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson. Suffering from anterograde amnesia, a disease that causes her to lose all her memories after she goes to bed, Christine Lucas wakes up every morning with more questions than answers. Not recognizing the bedroom she wakes up in every morning or the man sleeping beside her who identifies herself as he husband Ben, Christine keeps a personal diary in which one day she finds three words written in her own handwriting: “Don’t trust Ben.”

Bird Box by Josh Malerman. An apocalyptic attack leaves survivors struggling as a creature stalks them, leading them to violence and fatal madness with a mere glimpse. Malorie, one of the few survivors, leads her two small children on a dangerous voyage down the river while blindfolded, in an attempt to find sanctuary. Now a Netflix motion picture starring Sandra Bullock, Bird Box is nothing short of edge-of-your-seat suspense both in novel form and on the screen.

Sphere by Michael Crichton. When an alien spacecraft is discovered on the ocean floor, US Navy psychologist Norman Johnson joins a team of scientists assembled to examine it and quickly finds himself with far more to deal with than he bargained for. Adapted into a major motion picture in 1998, and the type of non-stop thriller we’ve come to expect from Crichton.

Looking for some thrilling reads? Visit our online library at www.plotlens.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from all your favorite devices, and sure to leave you in suspense!

How to Write a Thrilling Mystery

When aspiring to write a thrilling mystery, you may want to keep these tips and tricks in mind:

Murder! Murder! Murder! A heist can certainly make for a good read, but it’s always more exciting when lives are on the line! Start with a murder and take it from there, it’ll certainly make for a thrilling ride.

One is fun, but there’s always room for more! Why stop at just one murder? The kills can keep coming until the case is solved, and the extra pressure on your detective certainly raises the stakes and makes for a compelling read.

Every good murder needs a good motive. It can’t all be senseless killing, although there could certainly be a bit of that too. An intriguing motive for the murder makes for a compelling read, and certainly adds some thrill to the tale.

Creativity makes for a good killer. Anyone can fire a gun, a poison pill is so passé, and running someone over with a car is just plain clumsy. The best villains are the ones who take some time to do some plotting and scheming before executing the perfect execution.

Nobody’s perfect, and that applies to your detective. Making your detective a damaged human being who makes mistakes is bound to make for some more exciting action than a perfect hero who swoops in and saves the day.

Looking for some serious thrills? Visit our online library at www.plotlens.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more, accessible anytime from your favorite devices.

Three best thriller authors

There are thousands of thriller authors out there, but which of them are the best at what they do? Here is a rundown of some of the best thriller authors to ever put pen to paper.

Peter James

The creator of the Roy Grace novels, Peter James is a gifted crime writer that has sold over 19 million books worldwide and seen his books translated into 37 languages. He has 34 separate titles to his name including 17 standalone titles, 3 books in his vintage series and 14 books in his DS Roy Grace series. Peter James has a talent for plot twists that keep you guessing.

James Patterson

James Patterson is not only one of the best thriller authors around, he is also one of the most prolific and successful thriller authors out there. He has written 147 novels since 1976 and has had 114 of them on the New York Times bestsellers list and 67 of them have reached the #1 spot – a world record that no one else has equaled.

Val McDermid

Is a woman with a real talent for thriller fiction and has 38 books to her name to date in four series that feature a number of different protagonists. But her talents don’t just write in fiction novels, there are also radio plays, short stories, a children’s book and non-fiction work that have all come from her unique storytelling mind.

For more about the best books and authors in thriller fiction, visit www.plotlens.com where you can find more on the best that thriller fiction has to offer.

Thrillers About Killers

When looking for a thrilling read a good old fashioned murder mystery is always an excellent choice, and with new authors taking a crack at the genre there’s never been a better time to find a wealth of diversity within it. Here are two thrilling murder mysteries than are bound to get the blood pumping and the heart racing.

The Secret Place by Tana French. Named one of the best books of 2014 in the mystery, thriller and suspense category by Amazon, The Secret Place tells the tale of murder in an unlikely place, the St. Kilda’s, a girls’ boarding school in Dublin. When Chris Harper, a teenage boy, is found dead on the boarding school grounds, the only clue Detective Stephen Moran has is a note on a bulletin board that says, “I know who killed him.” Alternating between the perspective of the detective and the memories of a teenage girl, French’s murder mystery is as unique as it is compelling.

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith. If you think The Cuckoo’s Calling may show some similarities to something you’ve already read and love, you’re not alone. Robert Galbraith is in fact the pen name of none other than beloved Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. The first in her Cormoran Strike series, The Cuckoo’s Calling brings us into the world of war veteran and private investigator Cormoran Strike as he investigates the suicide of famous actress Lula Landry.

Looking for more thrilling reads? Visit our online library at www.plotlens.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audio books, music, and more!