Here are my favourite serial killer crime novels. I promise you razor-sharp and throat-tightening moments with them.

1. Thomas Harris: Red Dragon

Let's start with a classic – after all, who hasn't heard of Hannibal? I have to confess I only discovered this one myself after finishing secondary school. There are plenty of books in the series to choose from, but because of my own visual impairment, the blind woman stroking a tiger in Red Dragon really spoke to me.

In the book, the killer targets families, and the FBI tracks him down with the help of a profiler still haunted by earlier cases. If you're planning to read it, fair warning: the series features cannibalism.

2. James Patterson: Kiss the Girls

If you especially enjoy books with a pair of serial killers, here's one for you. I usually don't like the main character being so closely tied to the murders on a personal level, but the killers competing with each other make this an entertaining read, as does the way it portrays the victims' lives in the company of a serial killer. The victims are, classically, young female students, and once again a profiler is on the case.

3. Tess Gerritsen: The Surgeon

Whenever I recommend The Surgeon, I usually recommend The Apprentice too, as the two are so closely linked. In The Surgeon, the killer targets – surprise, surprise – young women, and the knife slices not just throats but stomachs too.

What I particularly love about these books is how human and believable the characters are. They also explore the copycat phenomenon. Because the book is part of a long series, it can feel, especially at first, as if you've jumped in halfway through.

4. Peter Robinson: Pinnalla ja kätkössä (Finnish edition)

In this book, a routine domestic call-out turns into a serial killer investigation – which, to my mind at least, is a refreshing way to open a novel. I really liked the characters, especially the serial killer's wife and her friend, since those perspectives are often left out. I often struggle with the gruff cops of Nordic noir, so the British Alan – a cat and music lover – suited my taste better as a lead.

5. Val McDermid: The Wire in the Blood

This is the very book that sparked my passion for criminal psychology and profiling, so it was easy to relate to the young police officer working on a training assignment, eager and curious to interpret statistics and find the pattern behind the murders. A celebrity murder suspect was an intriguing set-up too, although for my taste the plot could have offered more surprises from both the police and the killer. Note that this book is also part of a series, and if you want to start from the beginning, read The Mermaids Singing first.

6. Michael Palmer: Armon enkelit (Finnish edition)

I love hospital dramas – as long as nobody dies in them. Although the book made my fear of hospitals even worse, it also had gripping action and questions about nursing ethics. Whose hands are you really putting yourself in at the hospital?

7. Charles King: Mama's Boy

The book is a fascinating mix of the killer's obsessive thoughts and brutal acts, the police officers' squabbles among themselves, and their attempts to get a silent little boy to tell them what he saw happen to his adoptive family. I also like the author's writing style, as plans and attempts often go pear-shaped. Advance warning: the violence described is fairly graphic and is also directed at children.

8. David Eddings and Leigh Eddings: Regina's Song

I come back to this book every now and then – not so much for the murders as for its atmosphere. The main character is Mark, who tries to help his friends' daughter, just released from a psychiatric hospital, recover from the murder of her twin sister. Alongside Mark there's a wonderfully close-knit student household that follows the news about a local ripper in between cosy everyday chores. For all its poignancy, it's also a feel-good read, so it may not suit readers craving fast-paced action.

Psst – if you'd like to try stepping into a profiler's shoes on a serial killer hunt yourself, check out our Trapped by the Beast escape room!