Online bookseller Bronte Coates shares the six crime novels she finds herself recommending to other people the most.

For a twisty psychological thriller…

The Secret Place by Tana French

I adored this twisty mystery. One year after the murder of a teenage boy at a prestigious girl’s boarding school, a note is found pinned to a board that reads: ‘I know who killed him.’ Two detectives come in to investigate – each with their own agenda – and both know they only have a small window of time to find out who wrote that note, before higher forces come in and take over. The story flips between their current investigation and the actions of a group of girls from the school pre-murder, digging deep into the complex relationships and hierarchies of the school. French is quite simply one of the best crime authors around and newcomers might also like to browse this handy guide to her backlist.

If you like this try…

• The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
• The Trap by Melanie Raabe (translated by Imogen Taylor)
• The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

For an immersive police procedural…

The Whites by Richard Price

Richard Price deftly juggles multiple threads and themes as he digs into the life of veteran New York Police Department detective sergeant Billy Graves. The story opens with Graves’s discovery of a random murder that may not be so random after all – the dead man is the ‘White’ (slang for a criminal who got away with murder) of one of his former colleagues, and Graves has a gut sense something is off. Not only this but his family is being stalked in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Fans of The Wire take note: Price formerly worked on the show as a screenwriter.

If you like this try…

• The Force by Don Winslow
• Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama (translated by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies)
• The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey

For a juicy page-turner with family themes and plenty of heart…

Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil by Melina Marchetta

I read this extremely excellent book in one sitting. Melina Marchetta blends personal family drama with global issues in this cracking and heart-rending crime novel. Detective Inspector Bish Ortley, divorced and still grieving the death of his son, has recently been suspended from London’s Metropolitan Police when he learns his daughter has been involved in a bombing across the Chanel. Thankfully, she’s okay, but Ortley finds himself drawn into the case when he recognises that his daughter’s new friend has a link to one of his old cases – Violette LeBrac is the granddaughter of Noor LeBrac, convicted of bombing a London supermarket 13 years ago.

If you like this try…

• The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
• Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
• Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman

For a character-driven Australian story…

Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic

Caleb Zelic, profoundly deaf since early childhood, has learned to survive by watching other people and deciphering their true feelings by small telltale signs – it’s what makes him a good private investigator. When a childhood friend is murdered and Caleb becomes a suspect, he’s compelled to put these skills to use in tracking down the real killer. Together with his friend, ex-cop Frankie, Caleb’s hunt leads him back to his hometown, Resurrection Bay, and a host of painful memories. Resurrection Bay is an extremely well-crafted thriller and Caleb is an unforgettable character

If you like this try…

• The Dry by Jane Harper
• Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
• The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong

For a classic crime read with a big influence…

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith is a fantastic writer and her tense, unsettling novels about charming sociopath Tom Ripley are arguably her best known works. (Though I would also accept a case for her terrific cult novel, The Price of Salt, later republished as Carol to tie in with the acclaimed film adaptation.) The Talented Mr. Ripley is the first book to introduce readers to Tom – a young striver, newly arrived in the heady world of Manhattan in the 1950s. When he accepts a handsome reward to travel to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, he soon becomes enamoured of his new friend’s moneyed world and a deadly obsession blossoms.

If you like this try…

• Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
• The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

For a fun crime book to make you happy…

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Five students from different walks of life enter detention – but only FOUR leave the room alive. Each of our remaining students is hiding a secret that makes them a suspect in the fun murder mystery that ensues, and the questions of who, how and and why the fifth teenager was killed has everyone in the school guessing. One Of Us Is Lying is kind of like a mash-up between The Breakfast Club, Riverdale and Pretty Little Liars – high stakes drama, school politics, outrageous gossip – and the result is immensely satisfying and incredibly fun.

If you like this try…

• Every Breath by Ellie Marney
• Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
• Olmec Obituary by L.J.M. Owen