Are you a voracious reader who tends to pick up books with narratives that revolve around investigations, murders and secrets? We bring you a list of crime fiction books that you will find hard to put down:

LEGAL FICTION by Chandan Pandey

Recommended by: Kiran Manral, author of The Kitty Party Murder, Reluctant Detective

“I recommend Legal Fiction by Chandan Pandey, translated by Bharatbhooshan Tiwari. A disappearance of a college professor and a young student in a small town in North India, the police refusing to file a missing person report, the religious, communal, and political that define everything that now is commonplace in the India of today. This brilliant crime thriller is also as much an existential one.”

THE COUNTERFEITER by Bhaswar Mukherji

Recommended by: Aloke Lal, author of Murder in the Bylanes

“Bhaswar Mukherji’s The Counterfeiter: Abdul Karim Telgi and the Stamp Scam is a book I would strongly recommend. It’s a painstakingly researched account of the famous stamp paper scam that hit the country at the turn of the century. The prose is simple and effective. It is a useful primer for understanding the flaws in our criminal justice system.”

INVITATION TO DIE by Tanusree Podar

Recommended by: Kanchana Banerjee, author of Eye on You

“The story and the characters remind me of Agatha Christie, Miss Marple and the stories. Quiet, sleepytown. A murder takes place, and there’s one person in the community — the detective — who is trying to solve the crime. Nowadays, crime stories have become only about gritty, dark acts. It doesn’t have to be like that.”

DIRTY WOMEN by Madhumita Bhattacharya

Recommended by: Damyanti Biswas, author of The Blue Bar

“Of the novels published in recent times, I would recommend Madhumita Bhattacharya’s searing, nuanced, feminist crime novel, Dirty Women. It is about loss, memories, and motherhood. Compelling characters, immersive storytelling, and a pace that does not let you put the book down until you’ve finished it.”

MORE THINGS IN HEAVEN AND EARTH by Kiran Manral

Recommended by: Richa S. Mukherjee, author of Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt. Ltd.

“This book makes you travel to deep, dark places. It is as much about love and loss as it is about secrets, betrayal, and the amorphous terrors that seize us and make us question everything. It elicits an interesting medley of emotions.”

DEAD MEN TELL TALES by Dr. B Umadatha

Recommended by: K. Hari Kumar, author of India’s Most Haunted

“Dead Men Tell Tales is the memoir of a famous forensic surgeon, Dr B. Umadathan, who was also known as Kerala’s Sherlock Holmes. The forensic surgeon talks about some of the most baffling cases of his career in this memoir, and goes in depth and detail. If detective stories and true crime are your thing, then I’d recommend this book.”