Nothing beats reading a great mystery novel. But finding one is not that easy. That is why we decided to make a list of the 20 best mystery books of all time. Keep reading to see which books made our list!
It is always difficult to choose a limited amount and that was also true for this list. Mystery novels are hard to judge because the genre is vast and has a bunch of subgenres. Depending on what you like, your list will look a lot different from another person who is also a big mystery fan. You can see the full list below!
The 20 Best Mystery Books of All Time
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
- The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
- Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
- The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
- The Alienist by Caleb Carr
- In the Woods by Tana French
- The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
- Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
- The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
- The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
- Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Classics and More
No mystery list is complete without Agatha Christie. She has helped push the genre forward and you can see her influence on many modern novels. Another author that deserves a spot on this list is Arthur Conan Doyle. Just like Christie, his impact is still being felt over a century later.
Some of the less obvious picks on this list include The Big Sleep, Death at La Venice, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. While these novels won’t be on everyone’s list, they are still a great list. Most of the time, it comes down to too many books going unread because there are just too many good books out there!
Conclusion
That is all for our list of the 20 best mystery books of all time. What books should we have included on the list? Let us know in the comments below!
That’s a fantastic list! I’ve read most of them, all very much worth the read!
I would add a third Agatha Christie novel : “And then there were none”(=”Ten little indians”) and delete the Thomas Harris novel (the film was much better).
I’ve read all but one of these. I would add:
Find a Victim by Ross MacDonald
The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout
Pale Gray for Guilt by John D MacDonald
The Sign of Four by A. Conan Doyle
Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
Lord Peter by Dorothy L. Sayers
Ant of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe is a must on any best of list
Add:
Dread Journey by Dorothy B. Hughes
You cannot have a complete list of the greatest mysteries of all time and have nothing from PD James and Elizabeth George.PERIOD
Must add primal fear and the genius “show of evil”
The Father Brown Omnibus by G. K. Chesterton. These shirt stories are clever and presented in a unique style.
You left out The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman