Welcome to September, FE Community!

Greetings from Tara as my last post from Japan. Next time, I’ll be posting from my new home in France, but you’ll have to wait until next month to learn more about that.

To round out my true crime / crime thriller genre recommendations, I thought that I would end with a reading list. It wouldn’t be fair to leave out some good books.

Since it is often said that autumn is a time for reading, it seems prudent to end this recommendations series some of my favorites in the true crime/crime thriller genre for books.

Crime Thriller (fiction) Recommendations

First, I have become a fan of Gregg Olsen‘s novels. He write fiction crime thrillers (with a nonfiction one here and there), but many of his settings are based in the Pacific Northwest, which is where I am from, so I feel familiarity with his descriptions of places. The stories are captivating and page-turners. They are also fun to listen to as audiobooks, if you want another option from a book.

Another more recent find are Barry Eisler‘s books. He’s an American novelist, but one of his main characters is a half-Japanese half-American military trained anti-hero and some scenes are set in Tokyo, so again there is enjoyment in finding familiar descriptions along with the mixed cultural references.

One of my long-time favorite crime thriller authors has been James Patterson, though I admit that these are considered ‘trash novels’ or ‘holiday reads’ as there isn’t always a great deal of quality to them in terms of literature status. However, everyone likes a good quick and easy read sometimes, right?

True Crime (nonfiction) Recommendations

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara was finished after her sudden death due to health reasons about her deep dive into the Golden State Killer / East Area Rapist. Her investigative journalism contributed to the recent capture and arrest of the suspect. If you’re interested in serial crimes, this is a great and interesting read. It is also available on audiobook.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson tells the story of the crimes of H.H. Holmes especially during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, who pretended to be a successful and skillful doctor and took advantage of the building of the World Fair as a draw for single women on whom he could prey for his victims.

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule. Rule is a rather well-known author of true crime, but she is especially famous for the fact that she knew Ted Bundy quite well for a period of time and never would have known that he was the infamous serial killer as later revealed. She takes us through their letter exchanges and friendship even after his incarceration and eventual conviction of heinous crimes.

These are just a few of my recommendations that are at the top of the list. I do not recommend reading the true crime ones obsessively as it is a bit much for the brain to take in in one-go. However, the crime thrillers are fairly easy to read in a binge or quick succession, if you’re already a fan of this genre.

If you’re interested in other genre recommendations for podcasts, TV, or literature, please comment and I’ll see about making more posts in the future answering your requests. Since I love all three mediums for escaping reality, I have a wide range of interests in terms of topics. I often read three or four books at one time ranging from self-help, advice, nonfiction sociology themes to fiction novels of all kinds. Also, please comment with your own reading or listening recommendations. Let’s make the most of social distancing, the three C’s and the coming autumn season for reading!

【英語表現、これを覚えよう！】

prudent

– This adjective describes a way of thinking for the future with care.

e.g. It is prudent to save your money for when we are all able to travel freely again.

captivating

– This adjective is used to describe something that is charming or interesting. The verb form is to captivate.

e.g. The handsome actor had a captivating smile that brightened the screen in every movie.

page-turner

– This countable noun describes a book that is so exciting you want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.

e.g. I find true crime novels to be page-turners, especially when they capture the suspect.

anti-hero

– This countable noun refers to a main character who has questionable heroic traits such as being a thief for the poor (Robin Hood).

e.g. The most famous anti-hero is Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves because he steals from the rich to help the poor.

prey

– This is both a noun and a verb. The non-count noun refers to animals that are hunted by another for food or a person who is easily harmed or deceived. The verb is the act of hunting and killing, usually for food, but sometimes for being taken advantage of in terms of human deceit.

e.g. Birds of prey such as hawks or crows look for mice or smaller animals to eat.

e.g. These days, there have been more crimes reported of younger people preying on the elderly.

フルーツフルイングリッシュで英語表現の楽しさ感じてください 。初めての方には英作文添削チケット2回分をプレゼント。
「無料英語テスト800問（解説付）」メルマガも大人気。今すぐチェック！

Tara

アメリカ育ちで日本で９年間英語を教えた経験あり。日本以外にもAbu Dhabiでも英語を教えていたベテランの先生です。 ヨガを教える資格も持っていてとてもアクティブで、「諦めずに頑張って」とモチベーションをくれる指導スタイルで人気。
座右の銘は「We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit」。