Given the existence of other lists, curious to see a mystery list with even more stringent requirements.

So - 40,000 ratings, first book in a series only, an average rating of 4.0 or above and shelved at least 500 times as mystery

This list is in reaction to the blog entry Top 50 favorite fantasy novels on goodreads from Hayley Igarashi on July 29, 2017.

It is an attempt to turn an arbitrary definition into a precise definition.

See also:
100 Mysteries and Thrillers to Read in a Lifetime Readers Picks
Best Mysteries of the 21st Century
Best Mysteries of the 20th Century
Popular Highly Rated Mystery

Books With a Goodreads Average Rating of 4 and Above and at least 30,000 ratings

Best Mysteries by Subgenre
Best Cozy Mystery Series
Best Crime Mystery Books
Best Historical Mystery
Best Literary Mysteries
Best Thrillers

Edgar Awards:
Edgar Award Winners
Edgar Award Winners for Best First Novel
Edgar Award Winners for Fact Crime
Edgar Award Winners for Best Young Adult Fiction

Best Mysteries By Decade
1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010

Best Mysteries By Ratings
100,000 or more
50,000 to 99,999
25,000 to 49,999
10,000 to 24,999

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156 books · 149 voters · list created December 21st, 2019 by Mitchell Friedman (votes) .
39 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Mitchell 11611 books
172 friends
Charlotte Igelkott 3149 books
1 friend
nellie evelina 1001 books
80 friends
Carter 3366 books
819 friends
Angelia 534 books
0 friends
RetroHound 483 books
2 friends
Cindy 2473 books
17 friends
Saturday's 2262 books
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Comments Showing 1-7 of 7 (7 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Nov 19, 2020 05:43AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) The Big Sleep (#18) is just under an average rating of 4.0 (at this moment). So are The Outsider (#69), Stalking Jack the Ripper (#66), We Have Always Lived in the Castle (#40), Storm Front (#28) and Still Life (#24).

It doesn't work, avarage rating, because the moment someone rates a book lower than the mentioned 4.0 (in this case), the average rating drop a tiny bit.


message 2: by Book (new)

Book Reader It says a book must have 40,000 ratings but #65 Penicillin has 2 ratings and Ninety-Five has 4 ratings.


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) @Mitchell
Will you please state what books you deleted? Thanks.


message 4: by Book (new)

Book Reader Ok I see that both books have been removed. Thanks!


Charlotte Igelkott Removed for having an average rating of less than 4.0:
One of Us Is Lying
Never Never

Removed for having fewer than 40000 ratings:
The Case of the Captain's Hair


message 6: by LeAnn (new)

LeAnn Re: #13, do we really consider Harry Potter a mystery?


message 7: by Mitchell (new)

Mitchell Friedman LeAnn wrote: "Re: #13, do we really consider Harry Potter a mystery?"

looking at Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
mystery is the 65th highest shelf with 989 people shelving this as mystery.

So it meets the stated criteria.

It is shelved 3rd as fantasy by 78,454 people.

That said the criteria could be adjusted - say it had to be shelved as mystery in one of the top 31 shelves - which would put it on the first column.


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