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5 OF THE BEST MYSTERY BOOKS OF ALL TIME
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The mystery is a fascinating genre not only for the twisty and thrilling plots but for the discussions of human nature that are often at the heart of the story.
The best mystery books of all time offer plenty of both, with novels that are known for their solution but also the thought-provoking observations made along the way.
Because this is a centuries-old genre, this list is not meant to serve as a definitive list of every well-written mystery novel.
To claim that would be impossible — or at the very least would take a whole book in itself to compile rather than an article.
Instead, this list functions as a round-up of the best mystery books of all time that have defined the genre in meaningful ways.
Looking to immerse yourself even further in the best crime fiction ever written? Visit this deep dive on the top mystery authors of all time — some of whose work, like Natsuo Kirino and Walter Mosley, are featured in this list.
For hidden gems within the genre, check out the 20 best mystery novels you’ve never heard of — all of which have less than 1000 reviews on Goodreads.
And if you’re in the mood for mystery novels with no graphic descriptions, use this round-up of the best cozy mystery series as your guide.
| S.N | 5 OF THE BEST MYSTERY BOOKS OF ALL TIME |
|---|---|
| 1 | THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD (HERCULE POIROT) |
| 2 | DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (EASY RAWLINS #1) BY WALTER MOSLEY |
| 3 | THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES BY SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE |
| 4 | CAIN’S JAWBONE BY TORQUEMADA (PSEUDONYM OF EDWARD POWYS MATHERS) |
| 5 | THE DECAGON HOUSE MURDERS BY YUKITO AYATSUJI, TRANSLATED BY HO-LING WONG |
THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD (HERCULE POIROT #4) BY AGATHA CHRISTIE
Choosing which Agatha Christie novel to pick as her all-time best is a daunting task. Her Miss Marple series strongly influenced the cozy mystery sub-genre that would come later. And Then There Were None is also notable, inspiring the locked-room mystery set in a remote location trope. Murder on the Orient Express is also popular for its twist ending (and of her novels, it’s my personal favorite).
Ultimately I went with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd because of its ingenious — and somewhat controversial — solution. It was voted Best Crime Novel of All Time in 2013 by the British Crime Writers’ Association, with a twist that takes an author as skilled as Agatha Christie to pull off.
DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (EASY RAWLINS #1) BY WALTER MOSLEY
This novel is the first in the Easy Rawlins hardboiled detective series. A World War II veteran in need of money, Easy accepts a job from an enigmatic white man to locate a missing woman. It’s a thought-provoking mystery that examines racial and social issues in the United States.
In 2016, Walter Mosley was named Grand Master at the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Awards to recognize his lifelong achievements within the mystery genre.
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES BY SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLELike Agatha Christie, a round-up of the best mystery novels of all time would be incomplete without mentioning Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work. After all, Sherlock Holmes is one of the most recognizable fictional detectives in pop culture. This novel follows Holmes and his faithful chronicler Dr. John Watson as they investigate the apparition of a monstrous dog that is said to have murdered Sir Charles Baskerville.
CAIN’S JAWBONE BY TORQUEMADA (PSEUDONYM OF EDWARD POWYS MATHERS)
Cain’s Jawbone is notable in that it’s considered to be the most difficult-to-solve mystery ever written. To date, only four people have solved this nearly 100-year-old literary puzzle. If you try it for yourself, prepare yourself to attempt rearranging the out-of-order pages — which can be organized in a variety of ways, but only one is correct.
THE DECAGON HOUSE MURDERS BY YUKITO AYATSUJI, TRANSLATED BY HO-LING WONG
This cult classic published in 1987 is considered one of the first shin-honkaku novels, a Japanese movement that revitalized the style of Golden Age mystery novels. It begins with a college group of mystery enthusiasts visiting an island where a brutal murder took place years ago. But when they are murdered one by one, the remaining students must use their knowledge of the mystery genre to catch the killer among them.