These must-read mystery books keep you in suspense while turning pages and wondering “whodunit.”
Solve the mystery of “what to read next” with this booklist of mystery books that’ll keep you guessing. These book recommendations for mystery novels provide the suspense, intrigue, and satisfying reveal that mystery book lovers crave!
Friendships and murder don’t go well together. But don’t tell that to It Girl by Ruth Ware – this book is getting a lot of attention and rave reviews. And be wary of fast friends you make in a library, at least according to The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. But don’t think you’re safe with family – dominating this mystery book list is Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena (the title doesn’t lie) to Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett.
Fair warning: brew a pot of coffee for this lineup of books! Because plot twists and last-page reveals in these novels might keep you up all night, speed-reading to the end. So sharpen your detective skills. Don’t fall for “red herrings.” And get ready to be hooked by the first chapter.
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What are (a few of) the Best Mystery Books to read now?
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
Hannah met April Clarke-Cliveden during their first year at Oxford. A friendship quickly formed between the two women and a group of friends. By the end of that year, April was dead. A decade later, Hannah still searches for answers. Was someone in their shared group of friends capable of murdering April?
Part mystery, part psychological thriller, buckle up for this fast-paced novel. Suspense, plot twists, red herrings – this one has it all! Plus, it has an intriguing setting in Oxford, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland.
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
A woman’s scream breaks the peaceful quiet in the Boston Public Library. The security guards instruct everyone to stay in place while they investigate. Four strangers take a seat at the same table. They start conversations, get to know one another, and form friendships. They each have a reason for being in the library’s reading room that day – one of them came there for murder!
This novel has a “book within a book” structure. This set-up can be challenging to pull off, but The Woman in the Library earned many fantastic reviews. Moira Macdonald of the Seattle Times writes, “I was turning those pages like there was cake at the finish line.”
Not a Happy Family By Shari Lapena
Fred and Sheila Merton are rich, live in the exclusive area of Brecken Hill in upstate New York … and they’ve just been brutally murdered. It occurred the evening after a drama-filled Easter dinner which included their now three grieving children. Well, perhaps they’re not so devastated, considering how much money they’re about to inherit. And considering how much they each resented their vindictive father and negligent mother, one question remains: Did one of them snap and viciously kill their parents?
As of writing this post, I’m reading Not a Happy Family right now, and I’m hooked. The characters are the kind that you “love to hate.” It’s such a page-turner. I don’t want to put it down.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Where is Ben? When his down-on-her-luck half-sister Jess arrives to stay with him at his Paris apartment, he’s not there. As more time passes with no sign of Ben, Jess starts to worry. His neighbors aren’t friendly. Soon, everyone looks like a suspect in Ben’s disappearance.
Stroll through the streets of Paris as you enjoy this mystery. I suggest pairing your reading time with a glass of French wine. Reviewers found this mystery novel entertaining.
Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett
When reality TV star Desiree Pierce is found dead the morning after her 25th birthday, it’s quickly labeled an unfortunate overdose. However, Desiree’s half-sister, Lena Scott, isn’t convinced. As Lena tries to unravel the events of that tragic night and her family’s troubled past, she discovers she may be the next one to turn up dead.
This one will hook you from the beginning and not let you go. Reviewers describe it as having a great mix of humor, page-turning suspense, and insights about race, class, and family. It’s a clever read with plot twists most don’t see coming.
The Lake House by Kate Morton
The Lake House, known as the Edevane Estate, was abandoned long ago. When Alice Edevane was sixteen and living at her parent’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, her eleven-month-old brother went missing after a lavish party, never to be found. The estate lay in ruin for decades until a young detective with a curious mind discovers it. Meanwhile, events conspire that lure Alice to return and discover shocking truths.
Be warned; this book is long – over 600 pages! But if you like big books and abundantly detailed storytelling that spans decades, you’ll likely enjoy this moody, made-for-dark-evenings mystery.
The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs
After a recent hurricane, the Charleston coroner called forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan to examine two decomposed bodies bound with electrical wire and wrapped in plastic. Meanwhile, a flesh-eating contagion spreads across South Carolina. At first, Tempe doesn’t see the connection. Soon she realizes that someone is going to great lengths to protect a sinister secret.
The Bone Code is book 20 out of 21 in the Temperance Brennan novel series. The American crime, comedy-drama television series Bones is based on this novel series.
