Movies Books Travel Food Other
Sign In
Trending
New
Popular

50 Essential Mystery Novels Everyone Should Read

Based on this article from 2014 http://flavorwire.com/434548/50-essential-mystery-novels-that-everyone-should-read/50
(might be a little dated but nevertheless a good starting point)
Includes gothic, noir, modern, Scandinavian, classic, etc.
867 users · 3,670 views
 
avg. score: 8 of 50 (16%)
required scores: 1, 2, 5, 9, 16 

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
1
The Hound of the Baskervilles (Conan Doyle)
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Conan Doyle
2
Gaudy Night - A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery (Dorothy L. Sayers)
Gaudy Night - A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery
Dorothy L. Sayers
3
A Coffin for Dimitrios
A Coffin for Dimitrios
4
Arthur & George
Arthur & George
5
The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
The Big Sleep
Raymond Chandler
6
The Maltese Falcon (Dashiell Hammett)
The Maltese Falcon
Dashiell Hammett
7
Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie)
Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha Christie
8
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
9
The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Tales (Edgar Allan Poe)
The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Tales
Edgar Allan Poe
10
Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)
Rebecca
Daphne Du Maurier
11
The Alienist (Caleb Carr)
The Alienist
Caleb Carr
12
The Intuitionist
The Intuitionist
13
The Yiddish Policemen's Union (Michael Chabon)
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Michael Chabon
14
When We Were Orphans (Kazuo Ishiguro)
When We Were Orphans
Kazuo Ishiguro
15
A Rage in Harlem
A Rage in Harlem
16
The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins)
The Woman in White
Wilkie Collins
17
Dust and Shadow
Dust and Shadow
18
New York Trilogy
New York Trilogy
19
Devil in a Blue Dress (Walter Mosley)
Devil in a Blue Dress
Walter Mosley
20
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE James M Cain
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE James M Cain
21
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (John Le Carre)
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
John Le Carre
22
Fadeout
Fadeout
23
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)
The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco
24
The Circular Staircase (Mary Roberts Rinehart)
The Circular Staircase
Mary Roberts Rinehart
25
True Confessions
True Confessions
26
Beast in View
Beast in View
27
The Daughter of Time (Josephine Tey)
The Daughter of Time
Josephine Tey
28
From Russia With Love (Ian Fleming)
From Russia With Love
Ian Fleming
29
The Talented Mr. Ripley (Patricia Highsmith)
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Patricia Highsmith
30
Presumed Innocent (Scott Turow)
Presumed Innocent
Scott Turow
31
The Day of the Jackal (Frederick Forsyth)
The Day of the Jackal
Frederick Forsyth
32
Mystic River (Dennis Lehane)
Mystic River
Dennis Lehane
33
Sneaky People
Sneaky People
34
In the Woods (Tara French)
In the Woods
Tara French
35
A Dark-Adapted Eye (Barbara Vine)
A Dark-Adapted Eye
Barbara Vine
36
Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder
37
The 39 Steps (John Buchan)
The 39 Steps
John Buchan
38
Eye of the Needle (Ken Follett)
Eye of the Needle
Ken Follett
39
I, the Jury (Mickey Spillane)
I, the Jury
Mickey Spillane
40
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to '50 Essential Mystery Novels Everyone Should Read'
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN