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The 100 Most Popular Mysteries and Thrillers on Goodreads
With clever detectives, missing jewels, murderous women, daring spies, and more, mysteries and thrillers deliver page-turning delight with every twist and turn. To celebrate our favorite sleuths (and favorite villains), we followed the footsteps to find the top 100 most popular mysteries and thrillers on Goodreads.
As all good mystery readers know, uncovering the howdunit is sometimes just as important as unveiling the culprit. To create our list, we first started with the most reviewed books on our site. Additionally, each title needed at least a 3.5 star rating to make it onto our rap sheet. And because some of your favorite authors are repeat offenders, when it came to books in a series, we kept the title with the most reviews and buried the rest. (Otherwise, the top of this list would be very full of Dan Brown, Janet Evanovich, and Stieg Larsson.)
We suspect you'll find a book or two you'll want to read in this lineup. Here are the top mysteries and thrillers on Goodreads, listed from 1 to 100.
How many have you read? Tell us in the comments below, and don't forget to add titles that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf!
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20
#21
#22
#23
#24
#25
#26
#27
#28
#29
#30
#31
#32
#33
#34
#35
#36
#37
#38
#39
#40
#41
#42
#43
#44
#45
#46
#47
#48
#49
#50
#51
#52
#53
#54
#55
#56
#57
#58
#59
#60
#61
#62
#63
#64
#65
#66
#67
#68
#69
#70
#71
#72
#73
#74
#75
#76
#77
#78
#79
#80
#81
#82
#83
#84
#85
#86
#87
#88
#89
#90
#91
#92
#93
#94
#95
#96
#97
#98
#99
#100
How many of these books have you read? What's your favorite mystery of all time? Let's talk books in the comments!
Comments Showing 51-100 of 350 (350 new)
message 51:
by
Allie
(new)
Apr 06, 2020 01:33PM
I've read 39! This is my category lol
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I've read 34 of these ..... not bad at all .... added a few to "WANT TO READ!"
Great list. I've read 30 of these and am currently reading Something in the Water, so that'll make it 31.
Shirisha, I only listed the authors' names because in most cases they have written series that are from three to 25 titles long, so it would be a lot of research to list every title. But if I listed them it's because I liked their series!
Tanja Hoffmann wrote: "Melliott wrote: "With the exception of about a dozen from all the lists (Connelly, French, Penny), these are so generic and cookie cutter. You are missing so many good authors and series! What abou..."I get it. I just feel like people are reading sheep, and only read what everybody else is reading, when there's so much more!
Riju wrote: "This list seems to be entirely based upon ratings bestowed by American teenagers. Nothing wrong with that. But such a list completely disregards British classics, short-story collections, entire ge..."EXACTLY! See my list above, which includes many Brit authors.
I haven't read any of those. I prefer cozy mysteries.My favorite modern series is Krista Davis's Paws and Claws series
and also
Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake Bakery mysteries
Favorite historical series
Amelia Peabody Omnibus
Her Royal Spyness
and lots lots more!
I keep wanting to try Thrillers and Mysteries outside of Stephen King, but the author always tends to treat the reader as if they are clueless and leak too many clues too fast before acting like the reader should be shocked. Or, worse, in my opinion, they commit the cardinal sin of having a twist come out of left-field. Which of these stories are good to read and re-read to be able to explore and see the build-up? I want a good story that pays off with not a lot of self-gratification from the author.
*sigh* so many cookie cutter books. Some of my faves - Ian Rankin / Mick Herron's Slough House series - awesome / Henning Mankell / John le Carré / PD James / Cormoran Strike Series / Louise Penny / ....... etc. Read a few on here though. :)
message 60:
by
AℳY♔Queen of Fat cats♔Ain't no lie Baby Byebyebye
(last edited Apr 06, 2020 04:36PM)
(new)
Missing
1,840000 ratingsMystery is a hip genre right now, almost as much as New adult, way more than YA fantasy. I'm really enjoying the Morgan Dane mysteries
and everything that I can read with my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Cozy mystery featuring witches are also trendy and I can read the series with my KU subs.
*kisses kindle app*
17 de 100 leídos y unos 24 que debería revisar si no los tengo listos para leer en alguna eterna lista de "pendientes"Considero que faltan grandes títulos en este listado y otros, como "La chica del tren" que esta lista le queda muy grande y mucho más ser el Nro 5.
Listas son listas. Cada uno tiene la suya.
Saludos desde Argentina!
Wow after reviewing this list I have to up my reading game. I have read two books on this list. Most are either on my Tbr list or I just added as I was reviewing this list.
MS wrote: "The Alienist is amazing :)"I loved that book. Read years back I put on my list to read again.
I've read 20. Not bad. Sorry to see Craig Johnson's Longmire books not represented. Mystery fans treat yourselves. Those are true gems, starting with The Cold Dish and every one after.
I’ve read 17, so many more not on the list, but also some I have checked as want to read! So many books, so little time...
What! Not even one Sharon Bolton or Sophie Hannah? This list is incomplete!
I've read most of it and I'm glad to say they're all my favorite authors. What about Philip Margolin and Greg Iles?
49 - but so many of these are mass marketed books that are quite old ... there are some wonderful authors in the thriller genre that are more worthy of the attention.
I've read 11 of these ones and my most favorite is "The Day of the Jackal" by Frederick Forsyth, followed by ''And then there were none'' by Agatha Christie.
Books-fly-to-me wrote: "Alfred wrote: "No John Sandford?"Hear, hear,"
Love Sanford, he writes my "Marlboro Man" style Detective but GQ all the way and always with a way out warped turn. I have gone soft and gone to Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody series now but she is always smiling, surprising and entertaining. Love going back in history and now want to go explore the mummy exhibits as soon as the shut down ends! my best to you and your my friend in Pen
19 Read. I think this list is auto-generated by volume over the last 12 months based on readings.
Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins I could definitely pass on.
I wish this was available as a downloadable list....
Christina wrote: "I wish this was available as a downloadable list...."#1 Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon, #1)
#2 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)
#3 Gone Girl
#4 The Girl on the Train
#5 And Then There Were None
#6 A Time to Kill
#7 Big Little Lies
#8 Sharp Objects
#9 Deception Point
#10 The Firm
#11 Digital Fortress
#12 Dark Places
#13 One For The Money (Stephanie Plum, #1)
#14 The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)
#15 The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter, #2)
#16 The Bourne Identity (Jason Bourne, #1)
#17 Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1)
#18 The Pelican Brief
#19 The Woman in the Window
#20 Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10)
#21 The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan Universe, #4)
#22 The Woman in Cabin 10
#23A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes, #1)
#24 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club, #1)
#25 In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)
#26 The Couple Next Door
#27 The Secret History
#28 Before I Go to Sleep
#29 Behind Closed Doors
#30 The Silent Patient
#31 Into the Water
#32 Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, #1)
#33 The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #1)
#34 Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta, #1)
#35 In a Dark, Dark Wood
#36 The Lincoln Lawyer (Mickey Haller, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #15)
#37 Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter, #1)
#38 The Good Girl
#39 The Wife Between Us
#40 The Rainmaker
#41 Naked in Death (In Death, #1)
#42 A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone, #1)
#43 Pretty Girls
#44 Shutter Island
#45 The Bone Collector (Lincoln Rhyme, #1)
#46 The Black Echo (Harry Bosch, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #1)
#47 The Alienist
#48 The Outsider
#49 Then She Was Gone
#50 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1)
#51 The Dry (Aaron Falk, #1)
#52 Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery, Book 1
#53 Déjà Dead (Temperance Brennan, #1)
#54 The Woman in White
#55 The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles, #1)
#56 Eye of the Needle
#57 You (You, #1)
#58 Reconstructing Amelia
#59 Mystic River
#60 The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)
#61 I Am Pilgrim
#62 All the Missing Girls
#63 Tell No One
#64 The Butterfly Garden (The Collector, #1)
#65 The Day of the Jackal
#66 The Girl Before
#67 I Am Watching You
#68 My Sister's Grave (Tracy Crosswhite, #1)
#69 Before the Fall
#70 The Snowman (Harry Hole, #7)
#71 Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake, #1)
#72 I Let You Go
#73 Memory Man (Amos Decker, #1)
#74 The Good Daughter (Good Daughter, #1)
#75 The Last Mrs. Parrish
#76 The Lying Game
#77 The Death of Mrs. Westaway
#78 Something in the Water
#79 The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
#80 My Sister, the Serial Killer
#81 Verity
#82 The President Is Missing
#83 Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1)
#84 The Black Dahlia (L.A. Quartet #1)
#85 The Art Forger
#86 The Kind Worth Killing
#87 An Anonymous Girl
#88 Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs, #1)
#89 Say You're Sorry (Morgan Dane, #1)
#90 Sometimes I Lie
#91 The Moonstone
#92 Night Film
#93 The Breakdown
#94 What She Knew (Jim Clemo #1)
#95 Behind Her Eyes
#96 The Turn of the Key
#97 The Chemist
#98 Final Girls
#99 The Witch Elm
#100 My Lovely Wife
There you go,
I agree with Gretchen: Brunetti and Maigret need to be here. They are some of the most literary, character-driven mysteries, along with Louise Penny's works.
18 books, 16 in the top 30 books.
Riju wrote: "This list seems to be entirely based upon ratings bestowed by American teenagers. Nothing wrong with that. But such a list completely disregards British classics, short-story collections, entire ge..."Agree wholeheartedly. The few I have read on the list I did not like, many others sound more like romance novels than thrillers. What about more muscular authors, such as Eric Ambler, Mark Billingham, Benjamin Black, Martin Crusz Smith, R.J. Ellory, Alan Furst, Sue Grafton, John Harvey, Mo Hayder, Mick Herron, Graham Hurley, etc.? But I recognize that since the list is based on readers' ratings, it reflects the tastes of a relatively small (one hopes) category of readers.
1. I read many mysteries, but not these. In fact, my preference is to discover a good read for ME, not what is most popular to the masses.
Not intentionally, however, I don’t lean toward lemming reading!
Regardless, it’s always fun to read such lists and discover a new author and/or series.
Sean wrote: "John Grisham: "Hey, look, I've got a book in the top 5 that's over 30 years old...."Agatha Christie: "Hold my beer...""
That should probably be "Hold my sherry..."
So true!What about older writers like:
Dennis Lehane
P.D. James
Patricia Cornwell
Minette Walters
Barbara Vine
Anna Quindlen Black and Blue
Sebastien Japrisot One deadly summer
Valerie Windsor Telling Stories
I agree with some of your choices, but think some are rather cookie cutter books. How about THE LIST OF Adrian Messenger, by Philip MacDonald. It is an oldie, but very goodie.
MS wrote: "The Alienist is amazing :)"It’s one of my all-time favorites! Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mysteries are set in New York in same time frame as The Alienist. Reading them is like eating popcorn—very addictive and entertaining.
Melliott, Agree regarding Elizabeth George. I need some good book ideas. Don’t mind if I friend and follow you?
Carl wrote: "I've read 20. Not bad. Sorry to see Craig Johnson's Longmire books not represented. Mystery fans treat yourselves. Those are true gems, starting with The Cold Dish and every one after."Yes!
Well, I can see my reading hasn't really been in line with this list, and that's fine – it means I have some new authors to discover.I've read and loved a handful of these books – but nothing by Elmore Leonard, Dorothy L. Sayers, Thomas Perry, Carl Hiaasen, or Tony Hillerman in the top 100? I am surprised.
A top 100 books for me would start with authors from this list:
Ace Atkins
Lawrence Block
Robert Crais
Colin Cotterill
Lindsey Davis
Michael Dibdin
Dick Francis
James W. Hall
Timothy Hallinan
Barbara Hambly
Steve Hamilton
Steven F. Havill
Carl Hiaasen
Tony Hillerman
Anthony Horowitz
Joe Ide
Craig Johnson
Laurie R. King
William Kent Krueger
Joe R. Lansdale
Elmore Leonard
John D. MacDonald
Michael McGarrity
Walter Mosley
Robert B. Parker
Eliot Pattison
Thomas Perry
Laura Joh Rowland
John Sandford
Dorothy L. Sayers
Daniel Silva
John Straley
Ross Thomas
Joseph Wambaugh
Donald Westlake
Don Winslow
… as well as some who did make the list
David Baldacci
Lee Child
Agatha Christie
Michael Connelly
Robert Galbraith
John Grisham
Louise Penny
Agree that John Sandford needs to be represented. Also C.J. Box and John Lescroart, two of my favorites.
How do these books compare to each other? Books listed by # of reviews (much better test of quality in my opinion than # of ratings). Click pic to enlarge. 
I've read 44 of these (so far) and now have several more added as TBR.
C'mon! P. D. James and Lynda LaPlante! Adam Dahlgleish is a quiet and comforting detective, and one must not forget Prime Suspect and the other ladies by LaPlante.
I'm new to this site and am finding so many authors that I was unaware of and wrote down to find in my library. My favorite author was not on the list, but should be. His name is Robert Bryndza and writes the most amazing, interesting mysteries. He's written 7 books and I am waiting on a list to buy his newest novel. By the way, I love this website. Thanks.
I agree that Elizabeth George deserves a place on this list!
WHAT? NO ELLERY QUEEN? Or Sherlock Holmes? Or Perry Mason/Erle Stanley Garner/A. A. Fair? Thought Robert B. Parker would at least be represented by The Godwulf Manuscript, if nothing else.
