The Best Mystery Books I Read in 2025

I have released a bunch of lists of my favorite books by various genres. But I haven’t yet covered the genre that was my most read. Which is why I will be sharing the best mystery books I read in 2025 so keep reading to find out what they are!

When I first got into reading, I would read a lot of mystery novels. My love for mystery novels started with the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine and those are the books that really got me into reading. And as I’ve grown, I’ve read various mystery novels and this is one genre that often overlaps with many others.

I have read almost 40 mystery novels this year and many of those novels were by Agatha Christie. But I did also read novels from other novels. And I came across a bunch of amazing mystery novels that I wanted to share with you. You can see them all below!

The Best Mystery Books I Read in 2025

• First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston 
• The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
• Drood by Dan Simmons

After seeing First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston on Goodreads weekly list a few times, I decided to see what the hype was about. I wanted to see if this list was filled with good books or not. As soon as I finished reading the first page of the novel, I knew I was in trouble.

The novel was exceptionally good and it was a phenomenal thriller and mystery novel. It has a ton of plot twists that keeps you guessing until the last page. if you want a great thriller novel with a bunch of fantastic plot twists, then look no further. I ended up reading this novel in one sitting and still can’t stop raving about it!

Evie Porter has been tasked with getting close to Ryan Summer. She has created a whole identity and plans to complete the mission. But when she meets a woman using her real identity, Evie knows something is up.

This job is unlike any other she has done and Ryan is making her let her guard down. This might be her last mission if she doesn’t figure out who is pulling the strings and what they are after.

After seeing The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters get raving reviews, I added it to my reading list and finally got around to reading it in early 2025. This was easily one of the best mystery novels I read this year and I couldn’t believe the fact that this was Peters’ first novel.

In 1962, four-year-old Ruthie is kidnapped from a farm in Nova Scotia. Her family searches for her but fis unable to find her. In Main, a young girl named Norma is raised by an affluent family. She is troubled with dreams of a childhood she cannot remember. As she grows older and searches for the truth, she will have to uncover her family’s secret and who she really is.

Over the past couple of years, I have made it a focus to read more books centered around Native Americans after reading The Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. This novel is beautifully written and it will make you cry numerous times.

Grann tells the story of e Osage Nation in Oklahoma, one of the richest people per capital in the 1920. But the Osage slowly start to be killed off one by one. Who is behind the killings and what kill the Osage do to prevent any more murders?

If you prefer a mystery novel with a bit more action, then you will love The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. Personally, time travel themed novels are either a hit or a miss. But Bradley’s novel is creative and has an original premise that is full of plot twists.

Like most people, I can never keep track of all the problems with time travel. But this novel makes it all easy to follow and the characters are interesting and based on true historical figures. After reading this novel, I will be checking out other works by Bradley in the future!

I love a novel with a mystery that is unresolved for most of the book. And Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy does that almost perfectly. Rowan washes ashore on an island that is occupied by four people, Dominic Salt and his three children. Neither party full trusts each other and have their own agendas.

But as they live together, they can’t help but feel like one big family. But the secrets between them may tear them apart. The writing, plot, and storytelling make this novel an amazing read and easily one of the best books I read in 2025!

Lastly, a novel that I was hooked on for a week plus was Drood by Dan Simmons. The novel is centered around writers Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins and draws on history to tell a fictional and chilling tale. Who says history is boring when Simmons is telling the tale?

After a close brush with death, Dickens pursues a mysterious figure named Drood. He calls on his good friend Willie Collins to search for Drood across London. But what was supposed to be a simple search turns into a nightmare for Collins.

Who really is Drood and what is he after? There isn’t another novel like this and it is one more reason why I think Simmons is one of the best authors alive.

Conclusion

These are the best mystery books I read in 2025 that I loved. I read a ton of different mystery novels and didn’t even realize I read this many.

With over 30 plus books to choose from, I had a lot of options to choose my favorite reads. These five are the ones that really stood out for me. Fans of mystery novels will love these novels just as much as I did. Happy reading!

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