The human brain has always been intrigued by things we don’t understand or can’t explain. We are enchanted by all things mysterious while our brain tries to come up with at least some solution. And this goes not only for natural but also manmade mysteries.
This is probably why murder mystery books or any kind of mystery novels are so popular. And while stories with mystery plots might have existed earlier, the one that is generally considered to be the first published detective story was called “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and belonged to the pen of none other than Edgar Allan Poe. The genre rapidly grew in popularity, and soon mystery stories began to turn into mystery novels.
Mystery has many different subgenres. From detective and police stories to history and spy mysteries, everyone will find a type of a mystery novel they enjoy. A lot of murder mystery authors were law enforcement officers in the past, and while professional experience can come in handy when you decide to write a mystery story, the most important things are well-developed analytical thinking and imagination.
We’ve collected a list of some of the world’s best mystery books in various subgenres that you won’t be able to put down until you get to the bottom of the secret – or maybe even solve the mystery on your own before the book’s characters do.
#1 “And Then There Were None” By Agathe Christie
And Then There Were None
Author: Agatha Christie
Master of the mystery genre, Agatha Christie herself described And Then There Were None as the most difficult to write among her works. Crafted and named after a nursery rhyme, it tells the story of ten people who all end up on an island for various reasons. They have never seen their hosts, but every day one of the guests dies a mysterious death described in the rhyme. The fewer people are left, the more difficult it gets to understand who stands behind those horrendous murders and what their motive is.
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#2 “The Big Sleep” By Raymond Chandler
The Big Sleep
Author: Raymond Chandler
The Big Sleep marked the debut of Phillip Marlowe, a private investigator that would become Chandler’s recurring character. Marlowe is hired by a high-ranking military man to investigate and eliminate blackmailing attempts on his younger daughter who had also been blackmailed in the past. As he works his way through this messy affair, Marlowe discovers multiple layers, unexpected connections, and more dirt than he initially thought he would have to deal with.
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#3 “Gone Girl” By Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Even if you have seen the film adaptation, definitely give Gone Girl a try. One of the best modern thriller books, it deals with issues of domestic violence, media hype, and manipulation, all through the prism of the unhappy marriage of Nick and Amy. When Amy goes missing, all clues point toward Nick. Trying to prove himself innocent, he also finds out a great deal of things about his wife he never knew before, which make him question whether he actually knew the person he was married to.
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#4 “Woman In White” By Wilkie Collins
Woman in White
Author: Wilkie Collins
Set in the late Victorian era, Woman in White is one of the best examples of Gothic horror meeting mystery. What starts as a doomed love story between Walter Hartright and Laura Fairlie soon turns into an investigation into the nature of an eerie figure clad in white that roams the streets when dark falls. Narrated by several characters, storylines and perspectives on the events intertwine, uncovering the truth bit by bit.
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#5 “In Cold Blood” By Truman Capote
In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
You would think that reading a nonfiction novel takes all the mystery out of it because you already know what happened in real life, but In Cold Blood will prove you wrong. For one, Capote started writing it before the Clutter family murderers were found and did a lot of interviewing himself. And secondly, the way he structures the book, describing the lives of the murderers, their victims, and the community they lived in, filling it with twists, makes it an absolute delight to read.
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#6 “The Postman Always Rings Twice” By James M. Cain
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Author: James M. Cain
When The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934, its explicit language and vivid sexuality and violence were so shocking for the era, it was banned in Boston. When Frank meets young and beautiful Cora, they fall for each other and start a relationship despite Cora being married to Nick. Cora doesn’t want to run away with Frank because she wants to get her hands on the diner her husband owns. Together with Frank, they plan to stage an accident and get rid of Nick. But fate had other plans…
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#7 “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” By Stieg Larsson
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Mikael Blomkvist is a brilliant investigative journalist who is not afraid to take up uncomfortable subjects for his articles. Lisbeth Salander is a genius hacker with a disturbed past. They seem to be moving in different circles until one day the mysterious case of the disappearance of Harriet Vanger brings them together, as they are both hired to find out what happened to her decades ago. This investigation leads them to uncover many atrocities that have been going on in the Vanger family for generations. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opened the trilogy based around Lisbeth’s past and her revenge on people who wronged her.
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#8 “Anatomy Of A Murder” By Robert Traver
Anatomy of a Murder
Author: Robert Traver
If you think courtroom dramas are all about formalities and boring details, you are about to change your mind. Former district attorney Paul Biegler takes up a case as a defense lawyer to clear Frederick Manion of murder accusations. Written by a Supreme Court Justice under the pen name of Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Murder gives a very accurate but also exciting-to-read account of the process and of how a brilliant attorney can use the smallest things to win a hopeless case.
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#9 “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” By John Le Carré
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Author: John le Carré
The Cold War era was all about espionage, double agents, and government secrets. Of course, it found a reflection in fiction too. A retired British intelligence service agent has to return to active duty when suspicions arise that there is a Soviet mole among the officers. It is now up to George Smiley to expose the traitor. Cleverly written, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy will drop hints here and there to make you pick them up and follow the narrative until it’s time to make the big reveal.
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#10 “The Da Vinci Code” By Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
For The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown brings back his character professor Robert Langdon to solve yet another history and art-related sinister plan. When the Louvre’s curator is found dead in the museum in a very bizarre position, Langdon’s name comes up during the investigation. It will take Langdon’s exceptional knowledge and great attention to detail to solve not only the curator’s death but also an even bigger mystery behind it. You probably don’t want to take art or theology lessons from this suspense book, but it will keep you occupied, as Brown definitely knows how to put a good riddle together.
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#11 “The Daughter Of Time” By Josephine Tey
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#12 “Rebecca” By Daphne Du Maurier
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#13 “The Day Of The Jackal” By Frederick Forsyth
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#14 “Big Little Lies” By Liane Moriarty
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#15 “The Maltese Falcon” By Dashiell Hammett
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#16 “The Hound Of The Baskervilles” By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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#17 “In The Woods” By Tana French
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#18 “The Silence Of The Lambs” By Thomas Harris
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#19 “The Moonstone” By Wilkie Collins
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#20 “The Girl On The Train” By Paula Hawkins
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#21 “Murder On The Orient Express” By Agatha Christie
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#22 “Cover Her Face By” P.D. James
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#23 “The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time” By Mark Haddon
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#24 “The Killings At Badger’s Drift” By Caroline Graham
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#25 “A Morbid Taste For Bones” By Ellis Peters
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#26 “The Thursday Murder Club” By Richard Osman
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#27 “The Name Of The Rose” By Umberto Eco
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#28 “Knots And Crosses” By Ian Rankin
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#29 “The Neon Rain” By James Lee Burke
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#30 “The Complete Tales & Poems” By Edgar Allan Poe
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#31 “Faceless Killers” By Henning Mankell
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#32 “A Judgement In Stone” By Ruth Rendell
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#33 “The Shadow Of The Wind” By Carlos Ruiz Zafón
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#34 “The Alienist” By Caleb Carr
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#35 “Shutter Island” By Dennis Lehane
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#36 “The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie” By Alan Bradley
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#37 “The Bat” By Jo Nesbø
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#38 “Death At La Fenice” By Donna Leon
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#39 “Blood Shot” By Sara Paretsky
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#40 “The Black Echo” By Michael Connelly
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#41 “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” By Laurie R. King
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#42 “Jar City” By Arnaldur Indriðason
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#43 “L.A. Confidential” By James Ellroy
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#44 “A Great Deliverance” By Elizabeth George
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#45 “Presumed Innocent” By Scott Turow
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#46 “I, The Jury” By Mickey Spillane
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#47 “Magpie Murders” By Anthony Horowitz
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#48 “The Franchise Affair” By Josephine Tey
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#49 “Theodore Boone: The Accused” By John Grisham
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#50 “A Man Lay Dead” By Ngaio Marsh
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