When talking about whodunit novels, there are a handful of books that come to mind. Some authors have carved their name into the history book by writing whodunit novels. That is why we will be listing the five best whodunit novels of all time. Keep reading to find out which books made the list!
It is easy to see why readers love a good mystery novel. Whodunit novels let readers become detectives and try to solve the mystery before the author tells us who the killer is.
Two authors that have come to define the genre are Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Chrxistie. They rose to superstardom with their detective mystery in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. You can see the full list below!
The Five Best Whodunit Novels of All Time
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Agatha’s Christie’s novel And Then There Were None is her most popular work and for good reason. The simple plot of having 10 people on an island that die one after the other and the murderer is one of them. They have to figure out who is the murderer before everyone else is killed.
This is the best selling crime book of all time and has influenced dozens of works. This novel has had a big impact on murder mystery novels and many authors have recreated the plot of this novel many times. But nothing is ever going to replace the original and it is a novel readers should read often.
Widely regarded as Agatha Christie’s masterpiece, And Then There Were None is a brilliantly constructed mystery that traps ten strangers on an isolated island, only for them to be killed off one by one.
With no clear murderer and no escape, the tension builds relentlessly as paranoia and fear take over. Christie’s genius lies in her ability to misdirect readers while maintaining a perfectly logical solution, making this one of the most satisfying—and chilling—whodunits ever written.
Murder on the Orient Express Murder by Agatha Christie
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. And Murder on the Orient Express is considered one of her best novels. The mystery at hand is clever and while it may not be as popular as And Then There Were None, it is just as good if not better!
Murder on the Orient Express is one of Hercule Poirot’s most iconic cases, set aboard a luxurious train stranded in a snowstorm. When a wealthy passenger is found murdered, every traveler becomes a suspect, each hiding secrets and suspicious motives.
Christie delivers a tightly woven mystery with a unique and morally complex resolution that challenges traditional ideas of justice, making it a standout novel in detective fiction.
The Hounds of the Baskerville by Arthur Conan Doyle
When talking about crime novels and the best detective novels, Sherlock Holmes can’t be forgotten. And with m a bunch of books to his name, a few could have made this list. But the best book in the Sherlock Holmes series has to be The Hounds of the Baskerville. Even if Doyle loathed writing Sherlock Holmes novels, their impact on the crime genre cannot be ignored.
Blending mystery with gothic horror, The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of Sherlock Holmes’ most famous cases. Set against the eerie backdrop of the English moors, the story follows Holmes and Watson as they investigate a legendary supernatural hound said to haunt a noble family. Doyle masterfully builds suspense and atmosphere, keeping readers guessing whether the threat is otherworldly or entirely human.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A novel that is up there in popularity with Christie and Doyle’s novels is The Girl on the Train. It has become a classic and a must read if you are a fan of mystery novels. I enjoyed the series and while it is can be graphic at times, it is still an amazing series and something different than your typical whodunit novels.
A modern psychological thriller, The Girl on the Train follows Rachel, an unreliable narrator who becomes entangled in a missing persons case. As she pieces together fragments of memory and observation, the truth becomes increasingly distorted. Hawkins crafts a suspenseful and twist-filled narrative that explores obsession, perception, and the dangers of assumption, keeping readers hooked until the final reveal.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Silent Patient might have one of the best plot twists of a thriller novel that I recently read. This novel is listed in many best thriller of all time lists and only after reading it will you understand why!
Tis novel is a gripping psychological thriller centered on Alicia Berenson, a woman who shoots her husband and then refuses to speak another word. A psychotherapist becomes obsessed with uncovering her motive, leading to a tense and layered investigation. With its fast pace and shocking twist, the novel delivers a compelling exploration of trauma, obsession, and the hidden truths people carry.
Conclusion
These are the five best whodunit novels of all time that you should read. The list is filled with new and old classics that are going to keep you reading late into the night. I enjoyed all these books and love revisiting them as much as I can!
How many of these books have you read or plan to read? What other novels should have made the list? Let us know in the comments below!
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You have got to be joking, Agatha Christie is sooo predictable. Start reading some really good who dunnits!!!
Make that ‘The Five Best Whodunit Novels I Happen To Have Read”. And then you only wrote about four of them. Was this a sloppy cut-and-paste from ChatGPT?
Five best whodunits and one of them is The Girl on the Train? No Raymond Chandler? No Dashiell Hammett?
That choice wasn’t even the best book of the year.
Clickbait, written by someone or something who likely has not read any of these books. 3 books from a classic cozy author from last century, and one from the century before that. And then one, amazingly, from 2019.
Ya think this might be a paid piece from the publisher of the latter novel?
I agree with 80% is the books on this list.
Silent patient shouldn’t even be on this list. Paid for and brought to you buy a less than impressive novel.
Josephine Try, The Daughter of Time. Just saying.
To leave Dorothy Sayers off any list of best mysteries is to have an incomplete list.