“These dreams ill Consume him. Soon, the real world won’t even compare.”
If you’ve landed on this piece, you’re probably like us in loving Netflix’s Mindhunter series. A show that we always love revisiting and binging through, it is based on the accounts of agent John E. Douglas, the Elite Serial Crime Unit of the FBI and the early work conducted into understanding how serious crime perpetrators think and act. The series is renowned for its suspense and psychological approach so if you’re crying out for something to read whilst we still wait for another season, join us at What We Reading for the best thriller books like Mindhunter!
Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter #1) – Thomas Harris
Author Thomas Harris famously modelled Red Dragon off of John Douglas, making the first entry into the world of Hannibal Lecter one of the best books for fans like Mindhunter. When a second family finds themselves the victims of a serial killer the press has dubbed the ‘Tooth Fairy’, special agent Jack Crawford turns to Will Graham, the FBI’s greatest profiler.
However, the psychological and physical traumas of capturing Hannibal Lecter have forced Graham into early retirement. Finally coaxed back onto the field, the intricacies and workings of the killer soon lead to Graham turning to the one person who can truly understand this monster: Dr. Lecter.
The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #5) – Tana French
A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller, Tana French delivers a gripping crime read in The Secret Place. A year ago, a young boy was found murdered on the grounds of a girl’s boarding school. Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to join the Dublin Murder Squad when a sixteen-year-old named Holly bursts through the doors of the police station holding a picture of the dead boy with the caption: ‘I know who killed him’ attached.
Teaming up with Detective Antoinette Conway, Moran reopens the case and is led back to Holly’s group of close-knit friends and their rival gang. They soon begin to unearth the secrets and relationships that bound them and the dead boy together, and how the world of teenage girls can be far more mysterious and dangerous than they ever first thought possible.
Libra – Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo’s unsettling Libra is the perfect go-to for a psychologically thrilling book like Mindhunter that matches its historical setting. DeLillo chronicles Lee Harvey Oswald’s tumultuous ride from troubled teenager to unstable adult.
A masterfully suspenseful blend of fact and fiction, Libra is a grave examination of the characters and events that continue to shape the American psyche. Whilst DeLillo’s retelling of the assassination of JFK is almost wholly fictional, it stands as a compelling read that succeeds in putting readers in the mind of a man who would attempt to pull off a brazen crime that would shock the world.
Murder Games (Instinct #1) – James Patterson
Dr. Dylan Reinhart is a world-renowned expert on criminal behaviour. And, when a copy of his book shows up at the crime scene of a gruesome murder, it appears someone has been taking notes. Elizabeth Needham is the brilliant NYPD Detective tasked with solving the case, and she enlists Dylan to explain why another souvenir – a playing card – has also been left behind by the killer: another murder, another playing card.
As the press dubs the killer ‘The Dealer’, Dylan soon begins to realise the cards are not only a part of their twisted game but also a hint over the identity of his next victim. Only an individual like Dylan and all of his expertise can get into the mind of an individual like the Dealer. But, after thinking like a criminal for so long, could he also become one? As New York City descends into a state of panic, James Patterson takes readers on a breathless ride into the mind of a serial killer in Murder Games.
White Butterfly (Easy Rawlins #3) – Walter Mosley
It isn’t until the third body that the police knock on Easy Rawlins’ door. Set in Los Angeles in 1956, Walter Mosley throws back into the Easy Rawlins series with the retired detective turning down the cops to settle on domestic life at home with his wife and children.
But, when the killer changes profile and begins targeting young white girls instead of black, Easy is pressured into once again walking the dark streets of LA, attempting to get into the mind of a killer.
The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides
A successful artist, with a happy marriage and a luxurious house in the centre of London, on the surface, Alicia Berenson looks to have the perfect life. So when her husband comes home from work one day and Alicia shoots him five times, the press is sent into a frenzy. Alicia refuses to say another word in the wake of the crime, leading to her being sent to a secure forensic unit.
Fascinated by her story and obsessed with uncovering the truth behind this heinous and mysterious crime, psychotherapist Theo Faber embarks on a suspense-filled examination of Alice’s mind and motivations. One of the best books like Mindhunter for examining the psychological breaks behind criminal acts, The Silent Patient is the acclaimed thriller from Alex Michaelides.
Check Out Our The Silent Patient Book Review
Nineteen Seventy Four (Red Riding Quartet #1) – David Peace
Also set during the 1970s like Mindhunter, David Peace swaps the States with the grey moors of Yorkshire in his psychological thriller, Nineteen Seventy Four.
In the first book in the Red Riding Quartet, readers follow Ed Dunford, the crime correspondent for the local Evening Post newspaper. However, a series of brutal murders soon turn this sleepy small-town position into an experience ripped straight from hell. Like Mindhunter, Nineteen Seventy Four not only presents grizzly and brutal crimes but also examines the longstanding effects of getting too close to these investigations.
A Kiss Before Dying – Ira Levin
Ira Levin’s A Kiss Before Dying introduces readers to a young woman named Dorothy. She meets a handsome young man who has an eye for her inheritance, and the pair soon get engaged. But then Dorothy falls pregnant, shattering the prospect of an idyllic life in an instant.
One of the all-time classic pieces of crime thriller literature follows the pair as they hatch a cunning plan that promises to solve all their problems. By providing the young woman with just a handful of pills, soon there will be no baby left to worry about. There may also be no Dorothy left either.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
