NYT's Best Thrillers of the 21st Century are... certainly something!!

So, I would say I am somewhat of a mystery [music] thriller expert. Okay. I read a lot of mystery thrillers. I put out recommendation lists for mystery thrillers. I read the Goodreads Choice Awards top 10 in the mystery thriller category every year. I kind of know my [ __ ] a little, a little, a little, a little. And just this week, the New York Times put out [music] a list of their 50 best thrillers of the 21st century. [music] and I want to have a look at it and see what I think of it. I believe the list has been put together by authors. We'll have a look at that as well, but I've already seen like [music] Lucy Foley, Ruth Wear put out their top 10s. I believe authors were asked to put out their top 10s to contribute to the list, which I find very interesting. But yeah, I'm intrigued to see what the New York Times thinks are going to be the [music] 50 best century. Is it going to have genre thrillers or is it going to be all very like highbrow literary thrillers? I feel like that wouldn't be a good representation [music] of the genre. So, shall we just have a look through the list together and see what we think of it? [music] Okay, here it is. The 50 best of the 21st century. Oh, they're already giving us a tease as to some what's going to be here. I mean, if I had to take a guess, I would have said like Gone Girl is going to be here. [laughter] I mean, I think something tells me that's going to be on the list somewhere. Wait a minute. I'm figuring this out. I also, if I had to predict, like I don't know. I think like Dan Brown's going to be on here. I feel like it's difficult cuz it's the 21st century, right? So, it's since 2000. So, if you think like early 2000s, there's stuff like the girl with the dragon tattoo, things like that. But then modern day, are we going to have like a Lisa Jewel, a Riley Sager, things like that? And another question, [laughter] sorry to be yapping before I get into the list. Another question is, are there going to be mysteries on this list? I think there could be, [snorts] but I think mysteries are going to be at such a disadvantage because I think there'll be people who don't differentiate, [laughter] unlike me, between mysteries and thrillers. And so we'll put mysteries on the list on their top 10. And then I think there'll be other people probably like 50/50 split. There'll be other people who go, "No, that's a mystery, not a thriller, so I'm not putting on the list." So, I think there will be some mysteries, but like will there be a Thursday Murder Club by Rich Dosman? Will there be a Lucy Foley? Do you know what I mean in terms of modern day stuff? I don't know. So, let's get into the list. I might not have thoughts on every book. There'll be some books I've probably never heard of. And I also want to track how many I've read. How many do I think I'll have read out of the top 50? I think it'll probably be less than you think cuz I haven't read a lot of 2000s, 2010s even thrillers. I've read a lot of like 2020 post that big thriller releases, but in terms of older releases, I haven't read a ton. So, shall we get into it? I'm not going to look at what's here. Spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers. Oh my god, there's so many spoilers. I'm not looking at that. Okay. Sent ballots to writers of every kind of crime fiction from legal thrillers to spy to cozy mysteries. Wow. Are we going to have them? Rita McFaden took part. >> What are you doing here? Well, there's no accounting for taste. You know, we've got some we've got some heavy hitters. Stephen King, Alyssa Cole. Hell yeah. We've got some heavy hitters here taking part. We'll have a look at that. Actually, I want to have a look at some of maybe my favorite author's lists. So, we'll have a look at that afterwards. Are we ready? ARE WE READY? OKAY. OH, INTERESTING. None of this is true by Lisa Joel. I have read Let's add it. I'm going to make a little tally here of how many I've read. I think it'll only be 10 to 15. But the fact that we're already on one, that's pretty cool. This is a tricky one because I think I gave this five stars. Can I Oh, wait, wait, wait. I can mark it as have. Okay. No, I don't need to do a tally. Close the notebook. [laughter] Chuck it away. I gave it five stars. I said we might have a Lisa jewel. [laughter] My mind. My mind. I gave this five stars. I read this in an evening. Do I think it's the highest quality book ever? No. Am I kind of surprised it's on this list? Yes. But I think if you literally need like a book to read in an evening, great. Great twists. Like I think I want to read more Lisa Jewel. I think she's a great thrill author. Great twists. >> Great uh great gowns. Beautiful gowns. >> So anyway, moving on. Magpie Mur. Okay, we've got a mystery straight off the bat. Many of you know how I feel about that. I don't think we should have them on here. Have I read Magpie? I read an Anthony Horowits. Did I read that one? And I didn't love it, which pains me because Antie Horitz is one of the most like popular mystery authors these days. Oh, I read it and [laughter] I gave it three stars. Yeah, I didn't love it. 3.5. Oh, here we go. The splitting of this book into half didn't work for me and I feel like the they didn't intertwine well enough to justify it. Very disappointed. I thought this would be a five plus star. Oh, Megan. Well, it's obviously not great if I haven't don't remember [laughter] reading it. It didn't work for me. But like I say, it's very Agatha Christie. They are right. You can't beat a good Who done it? Well, who done it isn't a thriller, but like let's let's just separate that. Let's just we I got to get rid of that opinion because obviously there's going to be mysteries on this list. Um yeah, not my favorite. I I'll be interested how far we need to get into the list for a book where I'm like this deserve to be on here. Interesting. Interesting. A lot of modern books. so far, but I feel like the older books will be like the top 15 because they're the classics, the modern classics, you know, All the Girls of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. Now, here's the thing. I started this and soft DNFed it, but so it's still on my TBR. I'll say want to read, although technically I have read, I think, like 100 pages of it. It was really good. I just remember I wasn't in the right headsp space to read it. It's one of those books that I've put down and like I'm going to enjoy this, but I'm not going to enjoy it right now. So, I remember feeling like it was very high quality writing. Interesting. But again, I don't know if I would call that a thriller. When I think of a thriller, I think of Well, there's none of this is true. [laughter] I think of No Exit. I think of Taylor Adams. I think of Riley Sager. You know, you know what I mean? I feel like, listen, I dunk on Riley, but I feel like we should have a Riley on this list. Interesting. Next one. Oh, another one that is on my TBR. Not surprised it's on here. This was very very buzzy when it came out. I think the baby hates me. She confesses days after birth. Yeah, a parenthood kind of thriller. I'm very interested in reading this. I'm actually going to be doing a video soon where I read a lot of thrillers. Well, not soon. Probably by the end of the year. And I would really like to get to this. I would really like to get to it. So, I'm not surprised to see that here. But, okay. I feel 2011. We're getting into not expert territory here. [laughter] >> You are the biggest fraud that I've ever met. Before I go to sleep by SJ Watson. Haven't heard of it. Haven't heard of it. Diagnosed with forms of amnesia. Memories start to return. Okay. Yeah. I was thinking, listen, I was about to say a thought and it Riley Sega voted for this. Okay, Riley. I was about to say a thought where I was like, that sounds a bit it's been done, you know. But then it it corrected me. Okay. So, in the world, an amnesia diagnosis, a sinister husband, and an unreliable shrink may be all familiar. Two familiar tropes, but Watson definitely exploits them. Goosebumps, right? Interesting. I don't know if I I don't like I hate the cover design. Shiver me timbers. Like, that is not Next one. I have real problems with our characterization [laughter] of Chris. This is horror. This is horror. This is [ __ ] up. This is not a thriller. This is like supernatural horror. Lucy. Lucy Foley. Lucy, get a grip, babe. That's a horror. I've read it. Loved it. Gave it five stars. Great book. Should be on a horror list. Should be on I I just I'm quite passionate, I think, about genre classifications more than the average person. I need to stop making it a big deal. Great book. Great like Sil Garcia like pen on fire. like like really special. We read this in my in person book club and a lot of people didn't like it. A lot of people it was too weird for but I love it. I love the sicko. I love the mushrooms. I love it. It [laughter] was so good. But shouldn't be on here. Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier. I've heard a lot about Jennifer Hillier as an author. Never read her. I've heard of this one. I've heard good things about this one. Esso Cosby very well. Maybe so Cosby. If you if you like it, I should read it. Oh yeah. I think it's like someone's in prison in this one. interesting. I wouldn't be adverse to reading this. I'm debating. We'll get into this maybe further into the video, but if I want to do a reading vlog based on some of this list, whether I read the top 10, the ones that I haven't already read, whether I, you know, read maybe some of the picks from my favorite authors, I think any of those could be fun. Maybe I do both. Who Who knows? Interesting. Haven't read it. Not on my radar necessarily, but interesting pick. [laughter] I hate to say it. I hope I don't sound ridiculous. I don't know who this man is. Lush Life by Rich Price. 2008 C. Liz Moore. Isn't that the author of God of the Woods? Generational book. God of the Woods. Liz Moore. That is that is okay. Maybe I can trust her judgment. Okay. So, this is like New York detective. Not on my radar. Again, this is this is there's got to be books like this on here. I'm only going to be like, "Woo!" when it's like a 2020 release or later. But, and thus, there'll be some of you who are like, "Call yourself an expert, babe." And everyone begins somewhere. Okay. Be nice. interesting you. Okay. Not a book I would want to read. Not a book that's on my radar, but I kind of thought there was a world in which this could be higher, right? Because like it's so been so influential with the series, the TV show and stuff. I'm not a big stalker thriller girly, you know? So, I don't know if this would be for me, but I feel like it's a book that probably without having read it, right, seems influential in the genre that should be here. Harlen Cobin. I feel like maybe we have might might have more than one Haren Cobin on this list. Who knows? Tell no one. haven't read it. I would really like to read a fantastic first line. There should have been a dark whisper in the wind. Oh. Oh. Wait, this one sounds kind of good. I would love to read a Haren Cobin is what I was about to say. I've never read a Haren Cobin. I would love to give him a go. David Beck fell in love with his wife Elizabeth in second grade. He's still giving her loss eight years after her abduction and murder on an anniversary triple H Charmaine. When a coded email that could only have come from her arrives in his inbox and two more bodies discovered in the lake with evidence that incriminates him, he's forced to investigate. That sounds good. You know, that sounds good. I like that they also are giving recommendations based on if you enjoyed this. I think that's really fun. I might have to pay attention to as well. This is fun. This is a fun collation of, you know, a love for a genre. I'm enjoying this. Dark Matter by Blake. This is sci-fi. [laughter] I get that you could have a sci-fi thriller, but I just personally would not be putting a sci-fi on my I mean, Freda put it on here, so not read it. Would be intrigued. Okay, moving on. Sarah Waters Fingermith. I feel like this is the first on the list where I have not heard. No, I'm trying [ __ ] There's been others where I haven't heard of the book. It's Victorian London 1862. A I love a good twisty gothic melodrama. Wait, interesting. Never heard of it. Never heard of it, but would be intrigued. Oh god, this isn't very good. We've we've hit a we've hit a part of the list where my expertise is. Okay, I feel like I am Pilgrim is a pretty well-known. This is very This is so This is so far from my ball game. This is honestly I am not into espionage, spy, secret agents, biochemical threat. Oh, sorry. Sorry [laughter] that that ain't me. But again, I feel like you need this is all part of the genre, right? You need books like that to represent it here. The house your house will pay 2019. Why have I not heard of this? The murder. That sounds super interesting. I could be tempted by that. That sounds interesting, but I hadn't heard of it. Oh lordy ity. Oh my god. Okay. Oh [laughter] god. Number 36. Blake crouch. Babe have read less than [laughter] hated it. DIABOLICAL EVERY BLOODY KILL. >> I wonder whether I wrote anything in my good readads review for this. I don't think I did. I think it was in my ear of not writing good readads reviews. But I could have been so insensed that I did write something. Let's see. Two stars. Oh, here we go. I did write something. I'm actually angry. Yeah, the anger's never faded, babe. Didn't feel connected to the characters. The writing was me and the ending was so predictable. I don't understand the hype. Vlog coming Thursday. Everyone's waiting with baited breath. Me. [laughter] I I hated it. I hated the twist. It felt I read it not even long after it came out. I probably read it in 2020 [snorts] and I was so excited about it. Like I remember thinking, "Oh, I might buy the American cover and get it shipped over cuz I love this cover. I hate the UK cover is like a chair in a room." I mean, that should have been a bad omen already. I It was just like [laughter] it the twist was the kind of thriller I hate hate hate hate. So, I have read it. [snorts] I don't think it should be on here, but there you go. Oh. Oh, The Sims Bleed by SA Cosby. Read it, baby. Read it. I think I gave it four stars. Essay Cosby is a writer that I would love to get more and more into. I think this one is my favorite of his that I've read. You're following this town's which is quite I think a racist town in many ways, but it's their first black sheriff and there's a killing of a teacher at a school by a student and there's questions about could the town basically unravel over this murder. It was really interesting. A really interesting character study of the main character and also a really interesting character study of the town and this the dynamics in the town. It was really good. This deserves to be in here. Yeah. And the humid southern atmosphere. Hell yeah. Loved it. Tana French. I've never read a Tana French girly. The likeness. Body of a young woman in the Irish. Oh, I do. Do you know what? I don't think I've read many books set in Ireland. And I am Irish. Let you know. HalfIrish, babe. Half Irish. Um, I would love to read some some Irish thrillers. So, this intrigues me. This intrigues me. Both voted for by Julie Clark, author of The Ghost Writer, but haven't read it. Oh my god, two Tana Frenches. Oh, I'm scrolling. Uh, back to back. The Witch Elm. I don't think I have heard of that one. That one's 2018. A human skull hidden in the hollow of a centuries old elm tree. That sounds good. Big Sky is about identity, provision, memory. Oh, that sounds good. There's a lot on this list. It do sound good. Notes on execution. Not surprised to see this on here either. This was super buzzy when it came out in 2022. I feel like I don't know if I'd want to read this today. It feels like a very 2022 book. You know, there's this guy who's set to be executed for serial murder and he's guilty. And I think we're following Yes. We're following the voices of the women in his life. So, we're following perspectives of the women like his mother, his ex-wife, stuff like that. I remember it being super popular and super well reviewed, but I don't know if I would What's the first line then? You are a fingerprint. Interesting. Interesting. Not surprised to see it on here. Oh, lordy. [laughter] Sorry. When the cover design is bad, I just can't I just can't. I I can't. >> No, it's just ugly. There's nothing positive. There's nothing good. >> Defending Jacob. Simply great writing. The truth was not going to be found. Not with the evidence this untainted. Not after everything that had happened. I mean, sure. District attorney. His son may have stabbed a classmate to death. Moving on. This is fine. The sympathizer. I don't think I've heard of this. 2015 debut novel. Pulit surprise winner. Spy thriller. Political satire. That sounds very intriguing as well. There's been a lot on this list that sound intriguing that I have never heard of. This is probably a book I should have heard of, but it seems more literary. I got in it. I'm like I read a lot of um no-brain thrillers. The plot, another one I haven't read but have heard of. Oh, yeah. He steals his student's idea after student dies. Hell yeah. Okay. Not surprised to see this one on here either. The Perfect Nanny. Oh, I have read this. I don't think I liked it. I read this a long time ago. I read this for like my uni book club, maybe even before I started my YouTube channel. Let's see. I think I gave it like three star. Yeah. Three. I remember it feeling quite meh. I remember feeling [laughter] [gasps] this. Jessica null. It always shooks me with an author who I love. I'm like, babe, [laughter] are you sure about that? Didn't love this. I think there was something about the translation from the French in this that I just found quite bland. And it's like it nothing really happens. It's it's very much like a an examination of all these tensions that it's laying out here rather than things happening. And also IT'S VERY SHORT. OH, [screaming] Big Little Lies. I feel like this should be higher. It's pretty It's pretty iconic. Big Little Lies. >> Mother >> has arrived. >> Hell yeah. Five stars. Five stars. I talked about this a lot. I read this when I had CO and it was perfect. It was perfect. It was everything I needed. I had no brain space. I didn't want to look at screens, but I wanted to read about these women and their lives. And I'm very excited for them. It was so good. And there was so many interesting elements of it, like the Greek chorus of the women in the town in between chapters, like everyone's kind of giving their opinions in these little, you know, scripted lines. Oh. Oh. Oh. It's so good. It's so good. It's a perfect for me suburbia thriller, you know, between, you know, I'm not a big fan of like husband and wife stories or family kind of thrillers, but this is a peak peak peak peak peak version of this. I wonder whether we're going to see like Celeste Ing on here with like Little Fires Everywhere, Everything I Never Told You. I feel like Celeste Ing deserves to be on this list, so if she's not, I'll be mad. Oh, there he is. I feel like Am I Are we going to see another Dan Brown? Oh, there it is. I haven't read it. I'm going to read soon Secret of Secrets at some point. Well, not soon. Maybe not even before the end of the year because I think I've planned all my vlogs the end of the year and it's not among them. But I want to do a vlog where I read the books I've soft DNF because this was another one. This and All the Colors of the Dark were ones that were like on the Goodreads Choice Award towards list and by the time I got to them, babe. I was burnt out. Like [laughter] it was just I needed to soft DNF them. I just don't I don't think I would want to read this. Did I read it? Did it win the good choice? No. No. No. No. I think one of them I did and I DNFed it. I just don't know if Dan Brown's for me, babe. >> It's not for me, Mark. I feel terribly ill all of a sudden. >> I'm going to give Secrets a go, but I mean, it had to be on here, didn't it? I feel like we're getting into had to be on here territory. Winter's Bone. I've heard of this, but I don't think I've ever known what it's about. Caretaker for two younger brothers and heavily medicated mother. Sheriff's deputy arrives. A meth cooking father who put their home up for sale. Interesting. Again, that sounds like a, you know, classic. the I'm kind of shook to see this here. It's on my TBR, so I should say want to read, but I just feel like I don't remember this being so much of a thing. I can remember it coming out, but I don't remember it being so hyped that it should be number 24 on the list above Big Little Lies. Come on. >> Oh, let's be realistic. >> Come on. Big Little Lies is is genre defining. The Da Vinci Code is genre defining. You know, The Dry by Jane Harper, that ain't genre defining. I feel like at this point in the list, you should be genre defining, babe. It's on my TBR. I want to read it. I'm just surprised to see it that high. Oh, Donna. Donna Babe. Donna Babe. Ruth Wear. I knew I could rely on you, baby. Oh, Ruth Wear. I knew it. The Goldfinch by Donna Tart is a great book. Now, where is she? The Secret History. Can you see her? Yeah. One of my favorite books of all time. One of my favorite books all time. The Goldfinch. I think I gave four stars. I think people probably put this on here because they're like, I can't put The Secret History on here. Now, this isn't what you think of when you think of a thriller necessarily. It's long. It's slow, but it is good. I remember I read this like in a summer, the summer before I started my channel and I was like raising Mo. Ma was a kitten that we had and I read it slowly over like a week or two and I just sat in the book and there's just some really like iconic if you've read the book there's some really iconic passages like the part we're in the desert in Vegas and stuff or like the part to do with art. It's really good. Donna Donna we are coming we are overdue the next book 10 years 2023 we're three years overdue. Where's the next book Donna? You are a literary genius to if you're out there watching. John La Ka. I've never read anything by this man. The Constant Gardener. Never heard of it. It's 2001. This is, you know, it's before my time. This sounds interesting, but it sounds I don't I would never read this, right? It It's intelligent. It's an [laughter] intelligent thriller. I I Okay, I never read it. Room by Emma Donghue. Not surprised to see this on here. I would like to read this one day. I feel like I've seen the film and I thought the film was incredible. Again, this feels genre defining. This was iconic. This feels like the kind of thing that should be on this list. An important story to be told. Yeah. Another Tana is Tana French, the author with the most books on this list. Also, we're in the top 20. Riley ain't getting on here. Let's be honest with ourselves. Riley, [laughter] [gasps] Riley, Ruth, they're not they're not getting on this list [laughter] for the top 20. Tana French. And I mean, Dublin Murder Squad. So, she said that she must have many books set in Dublin. Maybe I need to read one, but I'm kind of surprised for her to have three on this list. That's crazy. Oh, here we go. Sharp objects. Is it Gideillian or Jillian? I think it's Gillian for her, right? I'm I I can't pronounce names, I fear. I think this is not going to be the only Jillian. Gillian Flynn we see on this list. Gone Girl has to be on here somewhere. I haven't read this. Would I? Maybe. Maybe. I mean, the girlies seem to love it. Stephen King, 112263. Stephen King has made his way onto the list. I This is Yeah, this is about the murder of of John F. Kennedy, right? And like kind of reimagining it. Oh my god. A school teacher has to go back in time and stop having Oswald. [gasps] That's crazy. I would like to read more Stephen King. I've really enjoyed a lot of my Stephen King that I've read and I've only really read like the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and then all the Holly kind of spin-offs which I don't think is even his strongest work. So I feel like in my life I'm going to read a lot of Stephen King's you know that seems right to me. Like I want to read Carrie. I want to read The Shining. I want to read other ones. [laughter] Like when I listen to people who are maybe a bit older than me who like reading Stephen King was a big part of their like maybe teenagehood or something that seems kind of iconic to me. So I would like to read that one day probably. Shutter Island. Was this made into a film? Shutter Island the film or are they different? I don't know. >> It's almost hurtful to me to watch her be so dumb. Again, that seems genre defining them as well. So, it feels like it should be here. There has been a distinct lack of mysteries on this list. Can I just say, but there's been a few. And it's all down to the classification of what a thriller is. And it I mean like the fact that there's going to be miss some mysteries on this list but no Thursday Murder Club genre defining pin on fire that makes me angry. Michael Connelly the Lincoln lawyer [laughter] I'm afraid when it's a man and like very manly topics like lawyers or police detectives I'm kind of like sure. What does it say? Oh John Gisham but I mean men will support men. [laughter] I'm not being serious. I'm not being serious. That does not entice me. Dare Me by Megan Abbott. Never in my life have I heard of this book. Steven Graham Jones voted for it. Okay, Stephen. Okay. Cheerleading Squad. How have I never heard of this? How have I never heard of this book? Never heard of this author. And she's number 15. Big Little Lies was number 25 or something. I call [ __ ] Okay, we need to talk about Kevin. I mean, if I [laughter] if I was making a top 10, no shade to Miss Ashley or Drain, but I don't think I would be putting a book by this woman in my top 10. I just don't I would not be doing that. I would not be doing that. I get though that this is again, like I'm saying, a genre defining book, right? And genre defining books do deserve to be on this list. I would never read it. I'm not interested in reading this. I think there's been a lot of, you know, discourse around the book and stuff, but just more than anything. Let's scroll. Number 13. We're getting high up now. Kate Atinson. Okay. I've read a few Kate Atinsons and enjoyed them. I've never read one in this series, the Jackson Roadie books. It's a detective. I don't love gritty detectives. I like parro detectives. There's a difference. gritty, you know, in a dirty city of a cap, you know, that's one thing. I parro gray little cells inspired books is another. I am I'm on this side of the fence. Okay, this is not my thing. But I think Kate Atinson, from what I've read from her, is a really remarkable author. So, we'll allow it. Number 12. We're getting Oh, okay. Security, can you please escort this lady over here out? >> Did I finish this? I might have DNFed this. Let's check. I can't remember. It's not a good sign. This There's probably going to be quite a few on the top of this list actually that I read for a video um where I read the winners of the Good Reads Choice Awards for mystery thriller throughout all the years. There were multiple Paula Hawkins on the list and I didn't like either of them, but I like I finished one of them and I DNFed one of them and I can't remember which one this was. That's not a good sign. I DNFed it. It was bad. It was This is This is so far from my kind of thriller. Unreliable narrator, mental health as a twist, um domestic thriller, bang, bang, bang. Like double homicide. Like there's just many things there that are not my kind of thing. I DNFed this. Oh, wait. But I've read it. Number 11. Oh, another SA Cosby. I haven't read this one. I'm like, [laughter] I haven't even really heard of this one. I've heard of many of his other books. This is his breakthrough. Interesting. I would read this southern noir crime novel. Hell yeah. I think Essay Cosby is even the book his I need to stop starting thoughts before I finish [laughter] that. Even his one that I didn't love, which I read last year, which I can't remember the title of he is still an incredible author. I think the way he creates atmosphere, the create the way he creates like claustrophobicness, feeling like he I feel like he creates temperature in his books, if that makes sense, which I feel like I can't say that about a lot of people, but the way he, you know, examine social dynamics, the way he has character development, he is an incredible, incredible author. So happy to hear. We're in top 10. I could read the top 10. That could be a video. So let's see. Atac, I've never read Atalok. I know a lot of people I believe Mara really enjoys some of her stuff. Bluebird. Bluebird. Rural Texas. Texas Range has been suspended from his job and without a bad was just a black man traveling the highway alone. Still can't resist chasing the case of two bodies found in local bayou. Investigates race, identity, and secrets. Interesting. I mean, that sounds interesting. I've heard so many good things about Atalok. One of those thriller authors I've always meant to get to. Like there's certain authors that you're like, "Okay, I should probably read a book by this author." like you're one of the most iconic authors [laughter] in a field and I just never got around to one of her stuff. Number 11. No. Number nine, Slow Horses by Mick Kerin. Mick. Mick. Slow Horses. No, actually I heard a lot of people enjoy the show. But I really British intelligence about the intrigue and dignity of modern office work with gunplay and terrorist threats. Okay, listen. I'm sure it's a great book. >> [laughter] >> I'm sure. I'm sure it's wonderful. Does that intrigue me? No. No. No. It does not. I fear. Number eight. Razor Blade. Essay Cosby's had like three on this list. So, him and Tana French are the icons of the list. This is what I was thinking is like one of his most iconic books. When I saw the other SA Cosby, I was like, "What about Razer Blade Tears?" I just didn't say it. I would love to read this. It's about two friends. Yeah. excons whose sons are getting married but then they're brutally murdered and so I think they're like quite homophobic and then so they're having to unpack the fact that like their sons who they love but mistreated because they were homophobic got murdered because they were gay and so I think it's them unpacking all of that. I would love to read this. Seems like a deserving top 10 pick for me. Oh yeah yeah yeah. I didn't think I'd see this on here. I thought it would maybe be too modern. The God of the words spells more. Did I give this I either gave it 4.5 or a five. Great book. Great book. Great book. I remember I was so happy when it Can we say no Freda? It might be too soon to say, but no Freda. [screaming] >> This beat Freda in 2024, the good choice Awards. It's a really good book. It balances these multiple multiple timelines really well. multiple perspectives, all examining this summer camp and these kind of murders/d disappearances that have happened there. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Interest in exploring the timeless figures of class and social status and the depths of pornography. Yeah. Really good. Really good. But we should have had more mysteries on this list. Like where the [ __ ] is Richard? You know WHAT I MEAN? OH, I don't know why I wasn't expecting to see this here. But like this was big. Read it. Read it. Read it. Read it. I really enjoyed My Sister This Killer. It is. It is. Yeah, it is a thriller, but it's a very interesting thriller. Yeah, it's these sisters and one of them Yeah. keeps killing her boyfriends. It's a very It's an interesting book. I feel like I I mean, I read it so long ago. I read it in 2020 that I feel like I would do a disservice to kind of try and sum it up, but I do think it's the kind of book that kind of everyone should read and see what they think of it. So, again, happy to see that on here. No Country for Old Men by Cormack McCarthy. Sorry to Cormarmac, but I've never read I've never read one of his books. Most direct and relentless piece of storytelling. Nearly impossible to put down. Set in 1980 across the Texas Mexico border about the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad. Interesting. Like, call Mike McCarthy should probably be on this list. I'll take it. Number four. Didn't I say The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo would be on here? I said it not surprised to see it's on here. Was absolutely iconic when it came out. Now, is it a book that I really want to read? No. Like, do I look at a lot of this books or this top 10 that I haven't read, they are very much not my this book. This I feel like this list has leaned towards very like detective. There has even been many domestic thrillers which still aren't necess I have a very specific kind of thriller, right, that I like, which is not domestic and not cop the other ones. [laughter] But I feel like this hasn't even had a lot of domestic thrillers. It's been very cop or spy or espionage. Well, this one's obviously like there's a there's a computer hacker, isn't there, and a journalist. Yeah. I mean, it should be on here. It should be on this list. Number four, sure. Gone Girl has got to be in the top three. If Gone Girl is in the top three, it's absolutely crazy. The girlies are going to have voted for Gone Girl. [cough and laughter] [gasps] Consider me gagged and goop. Tana French with number four. Tana French got the most. Have I got to read a Tana French? Have I got to read In the Woods? Have I got to read the top 10? Edgar award winner. Suburban island. Three children walk through the woods. Only one comes out. He remembers nothing. Now he's a homicide detective with survivors guilt. I mean, sure. Yeah. [laughter] Maybe I need to read a I've never read a ton of French. Is she that [ __ ] Not derogatory. Is she that [ __ ] Hell yeah. Tana. Very interesting. Huh? Who is she? Who is she? Where did you find her? >> Okay, like I really I shouldn't have opened up this video saying I'm an expert. I think I kind of am, but I'm not because what the [ __ ] is Mystic River by Dennis Fain? How many people How many rings has this got? Is this like you know that just to help me judge? 170,000. Okay, I feel like I can't be mad at myself that I don't know this. One of the most naturally cinematic writers in the genre. Three boyhood friends in working-class 1970s reverberate across decades. One of their teenage daughters is murdered. Sure. Never heard of her. Never heard of her. Lee Child voted for it. I'd like to see all the authors that voted for it. Pretty please. Okay, let's just say Gone Girl is number one. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. >> Excuse me. I'm a genius. Look, I've read it now. Unpopular opinion. I don't think I love Did I give this four stars? I read this for that winners video where I read read all the winners. [laughter] I gave it three. Whoa. I gave it three stars. Okay. I remember feeling like I've come to this book too late. Right. It came out in 2012. I read it in 2022, maybe like 10 years after it came out. And I remember feeling like this is obviously, go back and check the video, cuz I bet you I'm kind of about to say the same [ __ ] This is obviously a beyond genre defining book. Like, this changed the game. This changed the demographics of the genre. It changed who is writing books. It changed what they're writing. It changed everything. Like, this is beyond beyond influential. But I remember feeling like I've come to this book too late because I've read Gone Girl ripoffs before I've read Gone Girl. I've read books that are playing on similar twists that are playing on similar ideas that I enjoyed. But it meant that by the time I came to Gone Girl, I think what's so special about Gong Girl is what it did. What it did before like anyone else did it. So by the time I came to Gonga, I was like me, [laughter] you know, this book deserves absolutely without a shadow of a doubt to be number one. To be number one. It it deserves to be, but wasn't my personal favorite. Okay, that is the top 50 best thrillers of the 21st century according to the New York Times. A very interesting list. Some on here that I think are great books. some on here that I think are bad, [laughter] but a lot on here that a lot on here I've never heard of, right? Because they are before my time and they are not. This list is really not leaning to my kind of thriller or mystery for that matter. It seems like mysteries could be here, but I'll just move on. Mexican Gothic being on here is crazy. You know, a lot on here that I can accept. I can even accept The Girl on the Train being here, right? I think it's a bad book, but I can accept being here for the role it plays in the genre. And there's a lot on here that I think I can accept for the role that they play in the genre. And this top four, other I've never heard a Mystic River. I'm so sorry. Shoot me. Like, I'm sure this man is a genius. And this is a great book. Gone Girl should be number one. No questions asked. Gone Girl should be number one. So, yeah. I really enjoyed looking through this list. I mean, I love anything that kind of plays homage to a genre like this. And I think the New York Times have done a great job with like the kind of recommendations under each book. So like what would I like if I liked God of the Woods? Heartwood. Heartwood's a great comp. I remember when I read Heartwood, I'm like this is God of the Woods 2.0. That's a great comp. I think that that's great. And I think people could discover more books through this list that they really enjoy. So yeah, I'd love to know your thoughts on this list. I'd love to know your thoughts on maybe some that I haven't read or future videos you would like to see based on this because I'd be down. I think this is super fascinating. You know, I'd love to see them also do like they mention here, maybe doing more of these across genres. I'd love to see a fantasy one. I'd love to see a romance one. I'd love to see a horror one. I would love to see a mystery one because you did in my opinion the mystery genre like beyond dirty here. beyond dirty, cruel, [snorts] vicious pain. Okay, that's how I feel about that. Yeah, thank you so much for watching this video. I hope it was interesting and I'll see you very soon in another video. Bye.