Domestic Thrillers Archives - Criminal Element -- Login / Register Search for: -- Search for: Read Excerpts Reviews Author Spotlight Essays Interviews Book Listicles On-Screen Television Film Trailers Cooking the Books Newsletter Login / Register Domestic Thrillers Book Review: Keep Them Close by David Ellis By Jeff Ayers July 2, 2026 Allison is a powerhouse attorney trapped in a marriage to Finley, a serial cheater she can’t quite bring herself to leave. Her brother Luke was once a baseball phenom until a high school accident derailed his playing career, but he now channels that passion into coaching at the collegiate level, where he’s built an impressive… Featured Excerpt: The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen By Crime HQ May 25, 2026 Chapter 1 Riley, Present Day Just before I knock on the door of the small brick house, I’m gripped by the skin-tingling sense I’m being watched. But when I twist my head around, the only thing I see is a neglected stretch of yard. It must have been pretty once. The bones are there—brittle rosebushes… Book Review: Ours Is A Tale Of Murder by Nora Murphy By Doreen Sheridan May 19, 2026 This multiple point-of-view novel has some truly exciting twists, as three households in the otherwise quiet Maryland neighborhood of Hawthorne Heights are set on a collision course that won’t end at just murder. Mary knows the trauma of this kind of thing firsthand. Years ago, she did her best to keep the peace between her… Book Review: We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda By Doreen Sheridan May 14, 2026 Beth Harris doesn’t have the fondest memories of her time in the college sorority Theta Gamma Mu. As a scholarship student with minimal “sparkle”, she’s well aware that the main reason she was accepted was due to her association with her roommate Sunny Spencer. Sunny was the kind of girl everyone loved: smart, gorgeous and… Book Review: Hollywood Payback by Jon Lindstrom By Jeff Ayers April 17, 2026 Jake Ferguson once seemed destined for stardom, an up-and-coming actor with real promise, until drugs and alcohol derailed his life. Desperate and broke, he makes a reckless decision to rob a group of drug dealers, a choice that turns deadly when he accidentally kills someone during the getaway. The incident, caught on camera, seals his… Featured Excerpt: The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson By Crime HQ April 13, 2026 Chapter One “It’s Caren. Caren with a ‘C.’” The woman I’ve introduced myself to smiles, her eyes widening in recognition. “Oh sure! I remember your daughter. Rachel, right? She used to carry a teddy bear with her—even in middle school.” “Koala bear.” I scan the woman’s face, trying to remember whose mom she is, but… Book Review: Vanessa’s Men by Jason Starr By Brian Greene April 9, 2026 There are different kinds of marital infidelity. One doesn’t necessarily need to have intercourse with someone other than their spouse for it to be said that they’re unfaithful. They can form sex-free emotional attachments to another person and become distant from their husband or wife, have more-than-just-a-crush attraction longings for someone else, or maybe develop… Featured Excerpt: Beach Thriller by Jamie Day By Crime HQ April 3, 2026 Chapter 1 The Watcher Everyone has secrets. In this town, I know them all. I’m always watching, waiting, learning. It pays to understand people’s weaknesses. Knowledge can be leverage. But first, you need to learn how to observe. Watch how someone walks. Is their pace quickened? Or are they at ease, body relaxed during a… Book Review: All The Little Houses by May Cobb By Doreen Sheridan March 30, 2026 I loved May Cobb’s The Hunting Wives (now deservingly an HBO series), so believe me when I tell you that her latest novel, a salaciously unhinged interpretation of Little House On The Prairie set in 1980s Texas, may be the best thing she’s ever written! This multi-point-of-view novel opens with a dead body. We only… Book Review: Blade by Wendy Walker By Doreen Sheridan February 10, 2026 Wendy Walker’s latest novel is a harrowing look at the way that children are treated when adults care more about themselves and their own petty egos rather than actually nurturing the young lives in their care, as a young girl at a prestigious skating academy stands accused of the murder of one of her coaches.… 1 2 Next Page » About Advertise With Us Terms of Use Privacy Notice Your Privacy Choices Contact Us Site Powered by Supadu The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.