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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!
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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 101-150 of 350 (350 new)
message 101:
by
Carla
(new)
Apr 07, 2020 10:16AM
I have read 37, DNF 3 and have 20 on my TBR. A good list, but a lot of other wonderful authors that are missing.
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Several of Catherine Coulter's books are quite good, especially the FBI series with Savich & Sherlock. I don't like the Brit in the FBI series as well, but a few of them are worth reading, too. She has quite an imagination, and some of her stories include psychic abilities, which is fun.
Shirisha 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 have to agree with you Shirsha, especially with respect to the Chief Inspector Gamache series of 15 book by LOUISE PENNY. Her 15th book, which was released in September 2019, was on the New York Times Best Sellers List from the moment it was released. And her 16th book, due out September 2020 ,takes place in Paris . . . These cozy mysteries were so highly recommended by people attending the Chautauqua Institute last summer that I decided to read one . . . and then didn't stop until I had completed the newest release. WOW!
I have to agree with many of these comments that: conspicuously absent from your extensive list are a number of more satisfying recommendations. In particular, you have listed only one (the first) of the 15 Chief Inspector Gamache books written by Canadian author Louise Penny. Given that her last book, "A Better Man", was released simultaneously with its appearance on the New York Times Best Sellers List, perhaps it too should have been included.
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..."
I've read only two books on this list both by John Grisham.
I have read all of Ruth Ware and they are all great!
Alastair Burke. Hooked on her the past 2 months and I have read almost all of her books. Yes she is female but a heck of a writer.
Juhi wrote: "What! Not even one Sharon Bolton or Sophie Hannah? This list is incomplete!"I couldn't believe Sharon Bolton was missing!
Neonomad wrote: "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 ..."
EXCELLENT LIST. Many of the ones on their list are cookie cutter popular junk food.
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 about...Kate Atkins..."U
This is the most popular books on the site by number of reviews, not a subjective list.
I have read 25 of the books listed plus lots of other books by some of the other authors.How did Ruth Rendell get left out, the greatest, and Patricia Highsmith?
I have read 24 of these, tried to read a couple more but couldn't get into them. This is my favorite genre.
I’ve read 29 and want to add No Exit by Taylor Adams😧
For those who have read a good amount from this list - what are your top 3?
Josie 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 that. I am saying that I am disappointed by the sheeplike devotion to the same books when there are so many more available that are better.
Rebecca S. Baker wrote: "Alastair Burke. Hooked on her the past 2 months and I have read almost all of her books. Yes she is female but a heck of a writer.""Yes she is female but a heck of a writer"? What does THAT mean? Female writers are somehow inferior? Check again.
What about Margaret Millar or his husband Ross McDonald? They were both amazing authors and I don't see their work here.By Millar I suggest: A stranger in my grave, The iron gates and Listening walls
By McDonald: The chill and The Galton Case.
By H.F. Heard: A taste for honey, a short but disturbing novel about murder through bees.
For those who enjoy the paranormal, I suggest The sweat of fear, by Robert Dennis.
In a more contemporary note, I also suggest The analyst by John Katzenbach.
I recommend more Dennis Lehane on this list. He's the best, hands down.Also below:
Daisy in Chains (Sharon Bolton)
Child 44 (Tom Rob Smith)
Still Missing (Chevy Stevens)
Phantom Instinct (Meg Gardiner)
Anne Perry's William Monk series
Jill McGown (underappreciated genius)
Six Years (Harlan Coben)
Tell No One (Harlan Coben)
The Surgeon (Tess Gerritsen)
Chelsea Cain's Gretchen Lowell series
I have read 49 on this excellent list. Kate Atkinson's superb Case Histories is the first of several of the Jackson Brodie detective series. Her stories are so well-written and at times droll and so clever. Atkinson is at the top of the "defintely not cookie cutter" list. Read other 3 right away! You wont be sorry
I have read 94 of these! What a great list.....gave me 6 titles to look for. Thanks!
I've read 15 of these, plus many others these were the first in a series of (Grafton, McCall Smith, Penny. I recommend the Mike Bowditch series by Paul Doiron. Mike is a Maine Game Warden, so there is mystery, and nature, crime.
Cheryl wrote: "How about C. J. Box?"Just started reading the Pickett series this year. These are terrific!
So what are the best avg ratings for books on this list? Boom. Here's a snapshot. (click pic to enlarge).
And Then There Were None was brilliant but I did not rate it highly, because it made me feel strange and depressed when it ended. I much prefer her Poirot novels.
Seems odd to have Angels and Demons, Deception Point, and Digital Fortress on this list but not have The DaVinci Code. Granted, The DaVinci Code is almost too similar to Angels and Demons, but both of them are much better (IMO) than Deception Point.
Where are any Robert b Parker books ? An unforgivable omission.
Melliott wrote: "Neonomad wrote: "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 ..."
Since our tastes are similar, I took a look at your reading list – which led me to your blog - where I immediately saw books by Starhawk. An odd feeling to see the ideals of (a segment of) my generation brought forward. I don't usually get nostalgic, but I think that did it! It's going to be a different world when the pandemic dies down, and who knows, maybe we can live some of those ideals.
I've read 13 of these, hopefully will be adding some more this year
How about John Connolly's Charlie Parker series?
Roseanne wrote: "Pam wrote: "Loved this list. For those who are looking for other great reads, try Half Broken Things by Morag Joss, any Dick Francis book, the Rizzoli and Isles series by Tess Gerritsen, and books ..."
No but I've really enjoyed many of Lisa Scottoline's books. I bet you're thinking of Rosato and Associates set in Philadelphia.
I've definitely read 40 of these, but some of the others sound familiar. I've been reading constantly for many years, so not sure I remember every book well enough to recognize the blurb. Thank you GOODREADS for helping me keep track this last year. Also, I agree many wonderful mysteries are not on this list. They can't all make the top 50.
Mabel wrote: "I have read 26 of these, currently on # 27. Have a few of them on my to read list, and will be adding a few more! I started reading The Witch Elm but couldn't get into it."Mabel: This stand-alone is different than her other books and I think harder to get into. Life is too short so read so-so books. But Tana French's other books are WELL WORTH IT. <3
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 about...Kate Atkins..."
While I agree that the list over-represents certain styles and authors, and we clearly prefer similar authors, I'm confident I saw Kate Atkinson in there, fyi.
And broken prey don't remember the author but he has written the prey series
At least 36...🤔..but agree with another comment..you are missing many many good writers, the majority of whom are British..this site seems to favour American writers!
My mate Ace Atkins does a good story - so many authors to delight us. Oh please keep on writing all you authors. I'm only 68 so plenty of time!!
My heartfelt recommendations - have read and enjoed them all:Ruth Rendel - anything really
Elizabeth Peters (Amelia Peabody series)
Fred Vargas (Inspector Adamsberg series)
Nicola Upson (Josephine Tey series)
Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware)
Simon Brett (Mrs. Pargeter series)
Cristopher Fowler (Bryant & May series)
I’ve read 26 of these. So many of them are quite old. I was hoping it would be a more up to date list so that I could add some new ones to my list.
A book I just could not put down (and I'm not sure it's in this list) is Peter Swanson's 'Rules for Perfect Murders'/'Eight Perfect Murders'. It's a pure homage to detective fiction/murder mysteries, the golden age era of Agatha Christie, P D James, etc. with a nod to all the sub genres that have spawned since. It really takes you on an engaging and innovative ride and though the intertextuality (especially some of the more modern stuff could be a bit grating) it's a really fun book to read. Highly recommend it!
I've read quite a few on this list which surprised me actually! One obvious one for me which is missing is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. This was the book that made me fall head over heels in love with not only Agatha Christie but also for detective and mystery writing in whole. To this day, I've still never read anything like it!
