Crime Book Fans, Rejoice! Your Favorite Literary Mysteries Are Now Binge-Worthy TV Shows.
Calling all whodunit fanatics and literary crime junkies! If you’re anything like me, those dog-eared crime novels lining your bookshelves aren’t just casual reads – they’re cherished adventures filled with cliffhangers, red herrings, and mustachio-twirling villains galore. Well, hold onto your magnifying glasses, mystery fans, because that savory suspense has finally made the leap from page to screen in a delightfully binge-able way.
That’s right, in a trend sweeter than finding the principal lead dipped in the conservatory with the candlestick, a murderers’ row of television’s newest drama entries are bringing our beloved book mysteries to vivid life. Gone are the days of wistfully imagining what capered Jack Reacher or steely Harry Bosch might look like. They’re now played by real-life sleuths like the chiseled Alan Ritchson and gruff-but-lovable Titus Welliver.
Honestly, it’s a Golden Age for ardent crime readers who’ve longed to see the written word’s most electrifying thrillers graduate into primetime prestige productions. Just let this murderers’ row of new shows sink in:
Need a dose of military grit and vigilante justice? Check out Reacher, bringing Lee Child’s nomadic former army MP to pulsating life. More of a forensics procedure fan? The riveting Will Trent series lets you walk the mean streets of Atlanta alongside the hard-knocks Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent himself.
Prefer your mysteries with a sprinkle of humor and hijinks? The Lincoln Lawyer’s adaptation of Michael Connelly’s whip-smart legal thrillers has you covered, following the cases of a charismatic defense attorney who runs his practise from the back of a Lincoln Town Car (genius!).
Or if you want a taste of global espionage mixed with domestic menace, Matthew Quirk’s electrifying The Night Agent brings perilous Washington-set intrigue to Netflix’s conspiratorial streets. Harlan Coben’s devilishly clever Fool Me Once even brings a supernatural “is it real?” flair to its heart-pounding proceedings.
If you’re more of a thrill-seeking adventurer who loves a gripping hunt, you’ll want to tune into Tracker. Based on Jeffery Deaver’s novel The Never Game, it follows the exploits of Colter Shaw – a “reward seeker” who uses his expert tracking skills to solve all manner of high-stakes mysteries across the country. With Justin Hartley lending his charms to the roguish yet brilliant Colter, it’s a perfect summer escape for armchair adrenaline junkies.
No matter your particular mystery vice, these addictive new shows have a case to satisfy any craving – be it gritty cop capers, playful legal hijinks, icy cold espionage, or a globetrotting pamilonesque pursuit. Heck, Tracker’s Colter Shaw might even inspire you to brush up on your own outdoorsy survival skills between binge sessions. You know, just in case…
I mean, what more could a bibliophile crime fiend want? Not only are our cherished book tales springing to life in glossy, high-production fashion, they’re populating the sweet streaming realm we’ve all-too-willingly become enslaved to. So grab yourself a Sherlock-approved pipe and plop down in that binge-watching chair, because no matter your particular mystery vice, these addictive new shows have a case to satisfy any craving.
Sure, there will always be a place in my heart for curling up with a dogeared copy of And Then There Were None. But with crime legends like Reacher, Will Trent, Bosch, Colter Shaw, and Mickey Haller now roaming my TV screen on a weekly basis, it’s arguably an even better time to be a mystery fanatic. Case reopened!
To whet your appetite even further, here’s a quick rundown of each title and the book origins that sparked these deliciously binge-able adaptations:
- Reacher (Amazon Prime Video) – Based on the Jack Reacher book series by author Lee Child, following the adventures of a former military police officer who roams the U.S. taking on dangerous cases.
- Bosch: Legacy (Freevee) – A continuation of Michael Connelly’s bestselling Harry Bosch novel series about a relentless LAPD homicide detective, now in his new life as a private investigator.
- Will Trent (ABC/Hulu) – Bringing the popular book series by Karin Slaughter to life, it follows Special Agent Will Trent, who experienced the harsh Atlanta foster system as a child and now cracks the toughest GBI cases.
- Tracker (CBS/Paramount+) – Based on The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver, this one stars Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, an itinerant reward seeker who uses expert tracking to solve high-stakes mysteries.
- Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix) – The Michael Connelly legal thrillers get a slick adaptation following Mickey Haller, an iconoclastic defense attorney who operates out of the back of a Lincoln Town Car.
- The Night Agent (Netflix) – Adapting Matthew Quirk’s espionage novel, a FBI agent monitoring an emergency line gets caught up in a deadly conspiracy involving a Russian mole in the White House.
- Fool Me Once (Netflix) – This Harlan Coben mind-bender sees an ex-soldier investigate her husband’s shocking murder after catching a glimpse of him on her home’s nanny cam…after his death!
With such an embarrassment of juicy, labyrinthine plotlines to lose yourself in, crime fiction fans basically have a TV smorgasbord laid out before them. The game is afoot, binge archaeologists…which case will you start with?
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