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Best Of lists have been very popular for some time and I am not immune from the curiosity of needing to click them and see what was selected—whether to agree, disagree, or find new-to-me reads! But many times, I do ask myself how the lists were put together, which I think is important when you’re saying “these are, in my opinion, the best books.” So, I went into this list with that in mind and decided to start by establishing some parameters.
First, this is a solid mystery book list with no thrillers—nothing against thrillers, they’ll get their own list! To qualify, the majority of each book’s plot has to be focused on solving a mystery with a tone and pace that’s not edge-of-your-seat thrilling or intense (if you want to yell at me that Gone Girl isn’t on this list, it’s a thriller and also: see the next bit). Secondly, the 10-year timeframe mathematically (if I mathed correctly) means the mystery needs to have been published in the US from 2014 through the year 2023.
From there, I wanted to offer something a bit different from most lists, offering up what each book was individually “the best of.” It also means the list hits a wide range of tropes—this is a very trope-filled genre, after all—and reading tastes. As a person who deeply loves the mystery genre and has read a lot of mystery books for decades, I want you to find your next great mystery read on this list.
The Best Mystery Trilogy
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
When you start off as strong as Attica Locke did with this series, you have to really keep up the quality and then nail the ending, and she absolutely does. You get an excellent complicated character with family and personal drama threaded throughout, writing that will have you fanning yourself thinking you, too, are in the sweltering heat, and timely mysteries that explore race and the U.S. justice system.
The mystery: Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is on suspension after his attempt to be a good samaritan backfires, but that doesn’t stop him from investigating the murders of a white woman and a Black man in a small Texas town.
The Best Sherlock-Inspired Mystery
A Study in Scarlet Women (The Lady Sherlock #1) by Sherry Thomas
My list of everything I love about this series is very long but I don’t want to rob you of the pleasure of discovering the books yourself. So all I’ll say is this: Sherry Thomas does a brilliant gender-swapped Sherlock that understands the constrains on women in Victorian society while also delighting in being a woman, and she sure knows how to write mystery, romance, adventure, and witty banter.
The mystery: This is one of those mysteries where the less you know, the better. What I’ll say is Charlotte Holmes doesn’t want the Victorian life expected of her, so she blows up her social standing and sets herself up as working for Sherlock Holmes (a lie) in order to get cases she can solve! Yes, there’s a Watson (also a delight) and you will also get a Moriarty, and the entire series is wonderful.
The Best Quirky Family Mystery
The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels (The Swifts #1) by Beth Lincoln, Claire Powell (Illustrator)
This series is absolutely delightful, hilarious, and a love letter to language and the mystery genre wrapped around a quirky family.
The mystery: Shenanigan Swift is having a bit of an identity crisis in relation to her name. The Swift family uses a dictionary to name their children on the day they are born and they’re expected to grow into that name. When a great aunt turns up dead at a family reunion, Shenanigan isn’t sure if the name is leading her or she’s leading it as she finds herself in charge of a murder investigation with her sisters and cousin!
The Best Mystery For Fans Of TV Procedurals Like Bones and Castle
Bury Me When I’m Dead (Charlie Mack Motown Mystery #1) by Cheryl A. Head
A team of very different personalities at a PI agency is catnip for me. Cheryl A. Head understands how entertaining this can be for readers while also exploring humanity through her characters and cases.
The mystery: Charlie Mack runs a PI agency with PIs Don and Gil, who previously worked at INS/homeland security together, and their office manager, Judy, who loves quoting musicals and annoying Don. A friend of Mack’s father brings them a case involving an account executive who stole over a hundred grand and has now disappeared.
The Best Slow Burn Mystery
The Witch Elm by Tana French
Any Best Of crime book list that doesn’t have Tana French on it is suspect in my eyes. So many readers went into this book thinking it was part of her Dublin Murder Squad series (It is not, but if you haven’t read that series, you should!) and/or a thriller (also not) that their expectations got in the way of the brilliance of this book. French is excellent at plunging you into a character(s) life and you don’t realize you’re on a ride until the drop is suddenly beneath you.
The mystery: Toby is a young man with a good life whose fortunes change dramatically: after an error at work and a violent attack, he finds himself moving back to his uncle’s home to recover. Much of his childhood was spent there, but his uncle is now dying, so the return is bittersweet. Oh, and a skull is found beneath a tree in the yard, which starts a police investigation.
Best New Author In The Genre
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
I’ve dropped everything to read each of Tiffany D. Jackson’s books and each one is excellent, different from each other, impactful, and timely—all while being for and about Black girls. Every release has felt like a treat, and I’m always excited for any future works.
The mystery: In multiple timelines, we get to know Claudia and Monday in their childhoods as best friends. Now, as Junior High starts, Claudia is confused about where her best friend Monday can be, especially after not hearing from her over the summer. And Claudia is certain Monday’s family’s excuses all sound like lies…
The Best Mystery + Courtroom Drama
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
Angie Kim wrote a great murder mystery and courtroom drama that explores family, the immigrant experience, and the many ableist views towards autistic people. It’s a mystery that offers plenty of discussions for book clubs.
The mystery: In a small Virginia town, the Yoo family’s business was running an experimental treatment called the Miracle Submarine. Now, a mother is accused of setting a fire that caused an explosion inside the pressurized oxygen chamber, killing and injuring people receiving treatment. As the court case unfolds and you get to know the Yoo family and those using the Miracle Submarine, it feels as if everyone had motive or opportunity to have started the fire.
The Best Tropey Mystery That Feels Fresh
The Box in the Woods (Truly Devious #4 ) by Maureen Johnson
Every once in a while I will get to delightedly read a mystery book that feels as if it’s written by someone who deeply understands and loves the mystery genre and all its tropes, and Maureen Johnson feels like she fits that bill.
The mystery: Four camp counselors were murdered in the woods in the ’70s, and it’s currently a cold case. High schooler Stevie Bell has been offered a chance to spend the summer at the camp where the murders occurred because the new camp owner wants to do a true crime podcast about the case. Bell isn’t interested in helping him, nor his podcast, but she can’t ever turn down solving a mystery so she brings her friends and gets to sleuthing.
About the series: While this is the 4th book in the series, you can start here and read it as a standalone. The first three books are a trilogy and must be read as such, but Johnson kindly doesn’t spoil the trilogy in this book and lets it stand on its own.
The Best Small Town Past-and-Present Mystery
The Dry (Aaron Falk #1) by Jane Harper
Jane Harper is so on top of the atmospheric mystery writing game that I have to read her books in cold air conditioning. I drop everything to read her new releases as she always delivers a solid mystery from beginning to end with great characters, and plunking me down into feeling like a resident of Australia even though I’ve never been there.
The mystery: The present mystery revolves around Aaron Falk, a financial crimes federal agent, who returns to his hometown when his childhood best friend is involved in what appears to be a murder-suicide. In the past, false alibis were given after a friend’s suspicious death, and Falk fled the town when fingers pointed at him.
Bonus: There’s a great film adaptation starring Eric Bana.
Best Under-the-Radar Author
The Unquiet Dead (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak #1 ) by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Ausma Zehanat Khan has two procedural series with fantastic investigator pairings that are part of, go into, and investigate cases centering marginalized communities without painting them as monoliths. You get a wonderful balance of great characters and their dynamics, with interesting cases written with nuance.
Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak series: Esa Khattak is a second generation Canadian Muslim running a police unit focusing on community policing. Rachel Getty is a cop’s daughter with family issues who had her career implode after she filed a sexual harassment case, so Khattak assigns her to his team.
Blackwater Falls series: Detective Inaya Rahman has a past she’s trying to shake and investigates places with high complaint incidents against police officers. Lieutenant Waqas Seif is raising his two younger brothers and unlike Rahman keeps his culture/ethnicity close to the vest.
Best Group Of Elderly Sleuths
The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1) by Richard Osman
Think Jessica Fletcher but English, and as a group of investigators living in a retirement community. It’s a winning combination that has mass appeal both for long-running mystery fans and readers who only dabble once in a while.
The mystery: Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron meet weekly to discuss true crime and the unsolved murder cases the local police are unable to solve. Then a case lands too close to home: a brash developer with an unwanted plan is murdered, and this group of septuagenarians is on the case!
If you’re looking for even more mysteries—and thrillers, crime, and true crime—we’ve got you covered.