When you want to get lost in a good novel that engages with you, nothing is better than a whodunit novel. And while it has been defined by two authors, there have been many other authors that have written novels. Keep reading to find out the 15 best whodunit novels of all time!
There is nothing that compares to a great whodunit novels. You gets to play detective and solve the mystery before the protagonist reveals the criminal and how it was done. While it sounds easy, these authors enjoy making you change your guesses often.
That doesn’t stop us from loving these books. Everyone is familiar with Sherlock Holmes and since his first appearance, detective novels have thrived. You can see the full list below!
The 15 Best Whodunit Novels 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
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
- The Thursday Murder by Richard Osman
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- In the Woods by Tana French
- The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
The Queen of Mystery
Agatha Christie mastered writing whodunit novels and is regarded as the queen of mystery for a reason. Three of her novels made this list and a few other novels could also have made it. She has written many amazing books and you can binge read them all. Or you can check out readers favorite novels by Christie here and see how her novels ranked.
Sherlock Holmes
When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes, people in London mourned his death. They were angry at Doyle for killing such a beloved character which is why Doyle was forced to bring him back. While Doyle wrote other novels, fans only wanted Sherlock Holmes. His most popular novel is The Hound of the Baskervilles but they are all great reads.
The Silent Patient
The Silent Patient might have one of the best plot twists of a thriller novel that I recently read. It is about a woman who doesn’t talk after murdering her husband. Psychotherapist Theo Faber transfers to the Grove to help Alicia Berenson talk again and find out what actually happened on the day of the murder. This novel is in many best thriller of all time lists and only after reading it will you understand why!
Authors Pushing the Genre Forward
These are two of many authors in the subgenre and many have pushed the genre to new heights. Ruth Ware is also someone that has made a name for herself. And while she may not be as popular as Christie or Doyle, her novels are enjoyable.
An author that makes multiple appearances on the list is Anthony Horowitz. His novels are easy to get lost in and his style of writing makes it obvious that he wrote it. If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes, then you will also love Horowitz!
Conclusion
That wraps up out list of the 15 best whodunit novels of all time that you should read. 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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Has no one ever read Charlotte Armstrong?
I Hate in the woods! Figured out the murderer in chapter 2 and the bizarre background red herring that is never explained was a cheap trick to keep the reader interested. I don’t understand this writers popularity. At All!!
That’s how I feel about Girl on the Train. So predictable with a character that really annoyed me.
Erle Stanley Gardner was the world’s best selling author for many, many years. And not even Perry Mason book by him?
You’ve mentioned one book twice and given one an incorrect title. Not a great list either.
Wow! The Word is Murder must be really good for it to get two mentions.
You really should add “In my opinion” – no less than three Agatha Christie titles and The Word is Murder twice?
As for “The woman in cabin 10” which is solved when the heroine, after being chased for hours, dives off the ship in the North Sea (have you ever swum in the North Sea?) swims a mile or so, climbs an enormous line of steps to the dockside (in Sweden I think it is) and later runs a couple of miles, barefoot, it was laughable
One book is mentioned twice. Any reason?
What about Canadian author Louise Penny? She has an amazing series of murder mysteries!
You forgot dozens of of other great novelists such as Edgar Wallace, George Simenon, Josephine Tey, Austin Freeman, Dorothy Sayers, Dame Ngaio Marsh, Erle Stanley Gardner, Freeman Wills Crofts, Mary Roberts Rinehart and Patricia Highsmith, just to name a few!
Definitely one reader’s opinion, not a dispassionate impartial list.
A. Christie 3 times? One book twice? Really?
Personally, though Christie may be a fun read, I’ve never found her that extraordinary. On the other hand, I’d perhaps have put some of the Josephine Tey books featuring her recurring detective, Alan Grant, or even one or two great Dick Francis whodunnit…
No Dashiel Hammett, Raymond Chandler or Ross MacDonald
All I can figure is either the person who compiled the list hasn’t read very widely, or the article is compiled from prompts to an AI. Val McDermid, Kate Atkinson, Sue Grafton, and on and on. Doyle wrote at a ninth grade level and had a potentially strong character, but his amazing skills weren’t shown in action. Christie was a loner, but her novels are best read by the mid-teen years. Osman brings obvious Brit humor to the page, along with too many characters and poor plotting.
Another promotion of books by Ahaqir…
I love books, I love reading, I enjoy learning about new books. I enjoy lists…however, Ahaqir seems to “write” about the same books again and again. Same list again and again. Same topics…you get the idea. At this point, If the author of an article is Ahaqir, I know the list will have mostly old favorites with no real review of any of the books…and the same books make their way from different lists. So I just avoid reading all of his “reviews”.
Three Agatha Christie books? Why list four?
What about the Scandinavian writers?