Mystery novels are fun to read but there are a lot of books to read. Knowing which books to choose isn’t always easy. That is why we made this list of the 25 must read mystery books of all time. Keep reading to see which books made our list!
The mystery genre is flooded with recent and old classics. That may intimidate some people. Another way to look at is that there are a lot of amazing books waiting to be read.
This list isn’t going to have a lot of the amazing books in the genre. But it should encourage you to seek out even more mystery books once you go through this list. You can see the full list below
The 25 Must Read 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
- Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
- The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
- Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
- The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
- In the Woods by Tana French
- The Alienist by Caleb Carr
- Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
- Killing Floor by Lee Child
- The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
- The Name of The Rose by Umberto Eco
- Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe
- The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
- The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carré
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Must Read Mystery Books
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.
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler is a must read. As you read more, the plot picks up and things happen fast and a lot of blood is spilled. The novel falls under the hardboiled fiction genre which are detective novels that has a lot of graphic violence and slang. If you read one this novel by Chandler, there is a good chance you will binge his other books too.
A novel that might surprise a few people on the list is The Secret History. If you haven’t read it, then you will be confused but if you have, then you will understand. It is a mystery novel that is well written and will stay with you for years. It is no wonder that this novel spurned a new subgenre.
If you want a novel that messes with your mind, then Shutter Island is for you. It seems like a typical mystery until you realize that everything is not as it seems. The movie is also great and a must watch after you read the novel.
Conclusion
That ends this list of the 25 must read mystery books of all time. What other novels should we have included on the list? Let us know in the comments below!
Good list although The Godfather is not a mystery. Also, where is Robbe-Grillet or Patricia Highsmith or Daphne du Maurier???
Rebecca by du Maurier is on the list, but where is Dorothy Sayers?
The Godfather: not a mystery.
In Cold Blood: not a mystery.
Mystery by Peter Straub
Just finished The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Excellently woven and developed plot, should be included. Am eager to read more of Collins’ work, such as The Woman in White.” Give Wilkie Collins a try!
Thanks for the notation on the works of Wilkie Collins, whose books I had always intended to read..will do so now.
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No Val. McDermid – bad omission.
The Album by Mary Roberts Rinehart.
Was glad to see Wilkie Collins mentioned and would lije too have seen at least one one Mary Stewarts books like Nine Coaches Waitiing. Rebecca gets on most lists as it should but lots of Daphne du Maurier is excelkent including her short stories like The Birds (quite a bit different from movie) and a personsal favorite Doin’t Look Now.