There is no better feeling than reading a good whodunit mystery. The genre is filled with many amazing books and is still going strong today. That is why we will be looking at the ten best whodunit books of all time. Keep reading to find out which books made the list!
The public has loved whodunit books for over a century. Edger Allen Poe is credited as the writer of the first detective fiction novel in 1844 with The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Another novel instrumental was Wilkie Collins’ novel Moonstone, published in 1868.
But two authors that come to everyone’s mind first are Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. They rose to superstardom with their detective mystery novels as readers tried to figure out the killer. Dime novels (cheap paperbacks) helped make these novels become even more popular because they were inexpensive and entertaining.
The Ten Best Whodunit Books of All Time
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
- The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
- Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
Whodunit Novels to Read
Agatha Christie mastered writing whodunit novels and is regarded as the queen of mystery for a reason. She has three novels on this list and a few other novels could also have made the list. Depending on which novels you like from her, this list is going to be different because most of her books hold up well decades later.
While this genre is old, there are a bunch of recent novels to make the list. Books such as The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Guest List show that authors are still captivating readers. These authors grew up reading mystery novels and are pushing the genre forward.
Conclusion
That wraps up this list of the ten best whodunit books of all time. How many of these books have you read? What other whodunit novels should have made the list? Let us know in the comments below!
A better title might be “Ten mystery books that keep being passed from best list to best list”.
Dame Agatha Christie is greatest female mystery writer in all time. She makes you keeps on guessing.
The Murder of Roger Aykroyd. Never saw it coming…..
The Nine Tailors is still the best crime novel of all time!
Dorothy Sayer’s’ The Nine Tailors
I agree!
The murder of Roger Ackroyd must be on the list, otherwise it is an incomplete one!
Excuse me? A “best whodunits” without Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone? REALLY?! Not even The Woman in White? Sorry, but that is an inexcusable omission.
Ellis Peters and Dorothy Sayers write intriguing who-dun-its, like The Virgin in the Ice and The Nine Tailors.
Definitly “Murder of Roger Ackroyd” and I’d add “The Body in the Library” for deftly written twists and turns.
Georgette Heyer wrote excellent mysteries, with well-developed characters and stories. My favorites are Detection Unlimited, Duplicate Death, The Quiet Gentleman, and They Found Him Dead.
Don’t forget about Kinky Friedman. “Armadillos and Old Lace”, “God Bless John Wayne” and “The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover.” 🤣.
O.k. maybe not “All Time Classics” but fun reads.
Without a Raymond Chandler novel this list is meaningless
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The only one left needs to be on the list. Don’t agree with the Foley books.
You forgot Ngaio Marsh
Is Lucy Foley paying for this? Ironic that two of the best “ever” were just written in the last three years by the same, not very well known, writer.