The Best Crime And Mystery Novels Have A Way Of Turning Readers Into Amateur Detectives
Every suspicious glance is a clue, and even the smallest gesture feels loaded with hidden meaning. There’s just something so satisfying about trying (and usually failing) to solve the mystery before you reach the conclusion.
Here Are 8 Of The Best Crime And Mystery Books According To Goodreads
Over the years, Goodreads readers have devoured millions of mysteries, and a handful of novels, from timeless classics to modern thrillers, continue to stand out. If you read any of these eight books, you can abandon all hope of getting a full night’s sleep.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
An eccentric millionaire invites a group of 10 strangers to a small private island, but when they show up, their host is nowhere to be seen.
One by one, each guest is killed off. Their fates follow a famous nursery rhyme that is framed and hung in every room in the mansion. The remaining guests must figure out who is behind the murders before they become the next ones on the chopping block.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
An orphaned girl working as a lady’s maid is immediately enamored by a wealthy widower named Maxim de Winter. He proposes to her right away and brings her to his huge country estate.
She thinks that her luck is about to turn around, but upon her arrival, she starts to realize just how much his late wife has affected everyone in the house.
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
An unemployed woman named Stephanie Plum becomes a bounty hunter, and her first assignment is to track down her ex-boyfriend, who is a former cop accused of murder. With the help of a seasoned bounty hunter, Ranger, she slowly starts to get the hang of her new career.
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
Prosecutor Rusty Sabich becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his colleague and former mistress, Carolyn Polhemus. He must fight to prove his innocence, clear his name, and save his marriage. It just goes to show how a forbidden attraction can turn out to be fatal.
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Detective Samuel Spade is hired by Miss Wonderley to track down her sister, who has eloped with a man named Floyd Thursby. While he is tailing Thursby, his partner, Miles Archer, and Thursby are both killed.
Spade becomes a suspect and must try to clear his name with the police. Meanwhile, he gets roped into a search for a valuable, ancient artifact, the Maltese Falcon.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
When Amy vanishes mysteriously, the evidence points to her husband, Nick, as the number one suspect. Nick is evasive, a liar, and was having an affair.
Amy’s diary entries depict Nick as a dangerous man and show that their marriage was toxic. Nick claims that he didn’t make Amy go missing. Then, halfway through the investigation, a major plot twist comes up.
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner travel to a hospital for the criminally insane on an island to look into the disappearance of a patient, who was a serial killer.
The investigation takes place as a hurricane hits the island. During his time there, Teddy begins to think that the doctors and staff at the hospital are hiding something.
In the Woods by Tana French
In the summer of 1984, three children did not return home at dusk after playing in the woods. The police found one of the children, Rob Ryan, clinging to a tree trunk, shaking with terror.
His sneakers were filled with blood, and he could not remember what had happened. Twenty years later, he became a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and has to solve the mystery of a 12-year-old girl who was murdered in the same woods.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
