The mystery is the genre that interests the majority of the audience for providing a chilling and suspenseful experience throughout. A lot of us grew up watching detective shows and wondered how it feels like to be one and be able to solve the cases. It always fascinated us, isn’t it? When it comes to reading books about mystery, it provides an equally suspenseful and thrilling experience as we experience while watching a show or a movie in the same genre.
People love to read and know how satisfying it can be to finish a book with an ending that reveals everything that you have been reading all about. There are some of the greatest books ever written in this genre and all the credits go to the authors who have brilliantly formulated such a story that gives us chills.
Writing a mystery could be really complicated and difficult because you have to arrange and organize the book in the right manner in order to give the audience a chilling and adrenaline rushing experience.
Below we have listed some of the greatest mystery books of all times that will provide you with all the adrenaline rush that you are looking for in a book.
1. In Cold Blood
To start with, we have In Cold Blood on the list. In Cold Blood is written by Truman Capote. If you are a lover of crime mysteries then we have got a great book for you here. The story of the book is actually based on a real story, a brutal murder of four members of the Herbert Clutter family. The story is based in 1959.
The author of the book actually interviewed the investigators working on the case as well as some residents for weeks to get as much information as possible for his book. The story involves everything concerned with the murder and the killers.
2. Gone Girl
Gone Girl is a novel written by Gillian Flynn. The psychological thriller mystery book became the New York Times bestseller right after its release. This is the kind of novel that leaves you scratching your head. The reveal, in the end, will give you a satisfying feeling but the book throughout is equally hair-raising.
The book will keep you hooked until the end. The story revolves around Amy Dunn who on her fifth wedding anniversary disappears and the first suspect in the story becomes her husband Nick. You will thoroughly enjoy the story from start to end.
3. And Then There Were None
There’s a higher chance that you will find this book on almost every list of best mystery books of all time because that’s how good this is. The story of the novel, ‘And Then There Were None’ is written by Agatha Christie. Interestingly enough, Agatha Christie is known to be the queen of mystery for writing some greatest mystery novels that we have today.
The story of the book is based on ten strangers. These strangers are invited on a private island which is the home of a millionaire. The millionaire is missing and each one of the ten strangers has a secret to keep. The guest at the island will get murdered mysteriously and anyone could be the killer.
4. Whose Body?
Whose Body is written by Dorothy L. Sayers and it was published in the year 1923. The mystery novel follows the life of London’s greatest sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey. The chaos in the story starts when there has been a murder in the bathtub of a suburban architect.
Right after the corpse was found, police start suspecting and thinks that the owner of the bathtub is the murders but soon the story unfold and with each chapter in the story it will get more and more complicated until the end when everything is revealed.
5. Sharp Objects
Sharp Objects written by Gillian Flynn graciously deserved its place on this list. Gillian Flynn mostly writes this kind of thrilling and suspenseful novel that reveals a mystery at the end and he is one of the greatest authors in this genre. His novel, sharp objects is a great mystery book that will keep you engaged until the end. The book is also turned into an HBO series which became an instant hit.
The story revolves around a reporter named Camille Preaker who is out of the psychiatrist hospital in order to investigate the case of two young girls who have been murdered. Camille moves forward with his story as she tried to escape from her past that is haunting her.
6. Alias Grace
Margaret Atwood, the author who is known for her exceptional works, especially her best selling novel The Handmaid’s tale, has brilliantly written this mystery novel Alias Grace. Alias Grace which is now a Netflix original series is a historical fiction that stores you a surprise element at every turn of the page.
The story inspired by a real-life conviction where Grace Marks was imprisoned after murdering Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montogomery, his housekeeper. Dr. Simon Jordan, the psychiatrist who interviews Grace remains shocked when he gets to know about the whole thing and so will you.
7. Case Histories
Another great mystery novel in the list is Case Histories which is written by Kate Atkinson. The author has brilliantly written this mystery novel in a way that you will not stop turning pages until you get to the very end of it. The book is a national bestseller and needless to say, got a very good response from the readers as well as the reviewers.
The book is based on three violent cases that take place around different times with a difference of thirty years. But as the investigator of the case, Jackson Brodie starts to look into the cases he finds that these three cases are connected together in a very mysterious way.
8. The Girl On The Train
The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins is a classic many would admit. The book is the New York Times bestseller and we are not surprised. The story in the book is based on the life of a woman named Rachel. Rachel takes the same train every morning and every time she sees the same couple experiencing their breakfast through the window but as one time she sees something shocking and had to report it to the police.
As the story moves forward, you will get some surprising uncoiling of facts and it comes to point in the story where Rachel began to question if she did more harm than good.
9. The Secret Place: A Novel
The Secret Place: A Novel is written by Tana French. The author of the book has brilliantly written the book with her excellent skills that makes reading it a thrilling and suspenseful experience throughout. The story of the book revolves around the mysterious murder of a boy at an all-girls boarding school. The story becomes more interesting when they found a note attached to a bulletin board. The note reads, ‘I know who killed him’.
A girl named Holly brings it to the detective, who is the daughter of the lead detective in the case. Soon after every clue in the story is pointed at her until later when everything gets revealed.
10. Before I Go To Sleep
“Pure page-turner”, “Heart racing”, “Explosive”, “Brilliant”, these are the kinds of adjective used by the top book reviewers for this book. The book is written by S. J. Watson who has introduced us to one of the greatest novels of our time. The story of the book revolves around a woman who wakes up every morning amnesia that is memory loss.
Christine, the woman is totally dependent on the people around her. She is left confused about her life and wonders who to trust and who to not that is why she maintains a journal for herself that leads to some of the most shocking revelations for her. This mysterious psychological thriller will give a hair-raising experience with each turn of the page.
11. Big Little Lies
The Number one New York Times bestseller, Big Little Lies is written by Liane Moriarty. The book is now an award-winning HBO series. The story of the book revolves mainly around three women. These three women with their own complicated lives and families are tangled with politics at the schoolyards and at PTA meetings.
The book becomes interesting when there has been a murder at the school trivia event and the three women are forced to face their own demons. The book stores all the elements that are required to make the mysterious novel great.
12. The Dinner
The Dinner that is written by Herman Koch is the New York Times bestseller. The author of another mystery novel, Gillian Flynn has called this book as, “Chilling, Nasty, Smart, Shocking, and Unputdownable”. The story of the book revolves around the life of two couples who sit down to have a meal together.
Then soon they find out that their teenage sons are guilty of a horrible crime that threatens the safety of their family. The book becomes more and more mysterious with time and once you start the book it would be hard to put it down or as Gillian Flynn has quoted it as “unputdownable”.
Conclusion
The mystery is the genre that excites almost everyone. It provides you with a story that keeps you hooked till the end meanwhile providing you with a thrilling and suspenseful experience throughout. In the end, everything gets revealed providing you with a satisfying feeling but the journey will be as great as the novel.
There are some of the greatest novelists who have brilliantly written their books in mystery which sure is a complicated task. Each book in this list is as good as the other and you will find them equally engaging and heart-racing. Apart from these, there must be many other mystery books that you may have read or heard off, you can let us know about those books in the comment section below.
Also please give us your valuable feedback by commenting in the comment section below. We would love to receive your opinion on this article.
