The Praying Mantises (also known as Praying Mantis in the UK) is a psychological suspense novel by Hubert Monteilhet, originally published in French as Les mantes religieuses in 1960. It received the 1960 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and the 1962 Inner Sanctum Mystery Award. The novel is notable for its use of epistolary form which is unusual in crime fiction. The story is told entirely through letters, diary entries, reports, newspaper articles, and tape transcripts.