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Quick answer: If you loved Crime and Punishment, try The Brothers Karamazov, Notes from Underground, The Idiot, The Stranger, Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Each one explores guilt, crime, morality or a troubled mind in crisis.
Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1866 novel follows Rodion Raskolnikov, a poor former student in St. Petersburg who convinces himself that an extraordinary man may break moral laws. He murders a pawnbroker and her sister, then is tormented by guilt and fever. A clever investigator, Porfiry Petrovich, circles him, while Sonya, a gentle young woman, offers another path. Readers love its psychology and suspense. These books share its guilt and its moral depth.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Style | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Brothers Karamazov | Fyodor Dostoevsky | Novel | readers who want Dostoevsky's masterpiece |
| Notes from Underground | Fyodor Dostoevsky | Novella | readers who want a short Dostoevsky |
| The Idiot | Fyodor Dostoevsky | Novel | readers who like good men in bad worlds |
| The Stranger | Albert Camus | Novel | readers who like murder and meaning |
| Strangers on a Train | Patricia Highsmith | Novel | readers who like guilty consciences |
| The Talented Mr. Ripley | Patricia Highsmith | Novel | readers who like killers without guilt |
| The Secret History | Donna Tartt | Novel | readers who like intellectual murderers |
| Native Son | Richard Wright | Novel | readers who like crime and society |
| Anna Karenina | Leo Tolstoy | Novel | readers who want Russian classics |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | Novel | readers who like hidden sins |
| Macbeth | William Shakespeare | Play | readers who like guilt after murder |
| An American Tragedy | Theodore Dreiser | Novel | readers who like crime and class |
| A Hero of Our Time | Mikhail Lermontov | Novel | readers who like Russian antiheroes |
| The Master and Margarita | Mikhail Bulgakov | Novel | readers who like Russian satire |
| Thérèse Raquin | Émile Zola | Novel | readers who like guilt-ridden lovers |
1. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Brothers clash over their father's murder.
Best for: readers who want Dostoevsky's masterpiece.
2. Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A resentful man rants against society.
Best for: readers who want a short Dostoevsky.
3. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A kind prince enters corrupt society.
Best for: readers who like good men in bad worlds.
4. The Stranger by Albert Camus
A detached man kills a stranger.
Best for: readers who like murder and meaning.
5. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
Two strangers discuss swapping murders.
Best for: readers who like guilty consciences.
6. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
A young man murders to take another's life.
Best for: readers who like killers without guilt.
7. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Students cover up a murder.
Best for: readers who like intellectual murderers.
8. Native Son by Richard Wright
A young man commits a crime in Chicago.
Best for: readers who like crime and society.
9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
A married woman's affair ends in tragedy.
Best for: readers who want Russian classics.
10. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
A man's portrait ages instead of him.
Best for: readers who like hidden sins.
11. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
A general murders his king.
Best for: readers who like guilt after murder.
12. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
A poor man commits a crime to rise.
Best for: readers who like crime and class.
13. A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov
A cynical officer's adventures.
Best for: readers who like Russian antiheroes.
14. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The devil visits Moscow.
Best for: readers who like Russian satire.
15. Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola
Lovers kill a husband and are haunted.
Best for: readers who like guilt-ridden lovers.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Crime and Punishment: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Crime and Punishment. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
For more Dostoevsky, Notes from Underground is short and sharp, while The Brothers Karamazov is his greatest novel. If you loved the cat-and-mouse with Porfiry, Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley are tense alternatives. The Secret History is a modern favorite about intellectual murder. Thérèse Raquin shows guilt destroying two lovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Crime and Punishment about?
A poor student murders a pawnbroker and struggles with guilt until he confesses.
Who is Porfiry Petrovich?
The investigator who suspects Raskolnikov and plays psychological games with him.
Who is Sonya?
A young woman forced into poverty who encourages Raskolnikov to confess.
How long is it?
Usually around 500 to 600 pages.
Which translation is best?
Pevear and Volokhonsky, and Oliver Ready, are popular modern translations.
How does it end?
Raskolnikov is sent to Siberia, where Sonya follows him and he begins to change.