Top 21st-Century Crime Novels Crowned as Thrilling Masterpieces, According to Voter Polls
Crime novels have long been a popular genre, but some stand out for their deep exploration of different societies and human flaws. Among these are Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, and Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson.
Hurricane Season, set in a fictional village in Mexico ravaged by poverty, delves into the violence and social decay, revealing the haunting human flaws behind brutal crimes. The investigation of 'the Witch's' murder focuses on three suspects, each revealing a different face of violence. The writing in this novel is raw and hypnotic, leaving the reader breathless.
The Sympathizer, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize, is a crime novel that merges a spy thriller with the Vietnamese immigrant experience. The novel's protagonist is a South Vietnamese general's secret communist spy who flees to California with his captain. The novel blurs the boundaries between good and evil, loyalty and betrayal.
A Brief History of Seven Killings presents a sprawling story based on Jamaica’s turbulent history with crime, politics, and culture. The novel interrogate power and corruption, offering blazing portraits of its respective settings. It spans from Jamaica's ghettos to the streets of Miami, focusing on the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in 1976.
2666 is an epic mystery that spans continents, exposing the dark undercurrents of violence and moral ambiguity in society. The novel follows four academics in search of a mysterious author, Benno von Archimboldi, and delves into a string of unresolved femicides in a Mexican border city.
Tree of Smoke immerses the reader into the Vietnam War, following a young CIA agent, Skip Sands, from the Kennedy assassination through to the 1980s. The novel explores the wounds of a generation caught in the Vietnam War, probing lost illusions and hidden truths. Denis Johnson's work blends the codes of the thriller with those of the epic, creating a world in which the boundary between reality and hallucination dissolves.
The Sympathizer involves coded letters, lies, and power struggles as the exile infiltrates the Vietnamese diaspora while secretly reporting back to his friend left behind in the homeland. Hurricane Season is described as a polyphonic novel, with the voices of the presumed culprits intertwining against a backdrop of heat, drugs, and hatred.
A brief History of Seven Killings and Tree of Smoke both explore themes of espionage, manipulation, and the impact of war on individuals and societies. 2666 unsettles, digresses, and multiplies storylines, taking the shape of a labyrinth where the horror of the murders mirrors contemporary obsessions.
The New York Times has listed Hurricane Season (2020) as one of the 100 best books of the 21st century, while 2666 (2004), published posthumously, was also recognised by the Times as a standout work. The Sympathizer (2015) is another crime novel that blends espionage with sharp political reflection.
These novels, while frequently mentioned in New York Times lists and critical discussions, may not always be the focus of the 2025 New York Times best mystery books lists, which tend to focus more on contemporary thriller and procedural titles. However, these classic and modern literary crime novels remain influential exemplars of the genre's capacity to examine diverse societies and human nature.
The books 'Hurricane Season' and '2666' are enveloped within the realm of literature, delving deeply into the complexities of various societies and human flaws, making them influential exemplars of the crime novel genre. These novels, such as 'The Sympathizer' and 'Tree of Smoke', involve themes of espionage, manipulation, and the impact of war on individuals and societies, presenting a unique blend of entertainment and intellectual exploration.
