19 Best Murder Mystery Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 19 best murder mystery books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best Murder Mystery books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best murder mystery books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
19 Best Murder Mystery Books
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The Alienist
Kreizler, Book 1
The Girl on the Train
Also recommended by
4 people
Barack Obama recommended this bookBarack Obama
Barack Obama's "2016 Summer Reading List."
Barack Obama's recommendation of this book 
Jennifer Aniston recommended this bookJennifer Aniston
"COULD. NOT. PUT. DOWN." - Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston's recommendation of this book 
George R. R. Martin recommended this bookGeorge R. R. Martin
"It's a strong story, with a great sense of time and place, and one that had me from start to finish." - George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin's recommendation of this book 
Joe Hill recommended this bookJoe Hill
"['Insomnia'] is the twistiest & most gripping thriller since [this book]." - Joe Hill
Joe Hill's recommendation of this book
In Cold Blood
Also recommended by
3 people
Ben Shapiro recommended this bookBen Shapiro
"Truman Capote's best book. It's a really, really good book." - Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro's recommendation of this book 
Sam Harris recommended this bookSam Harris
"If you just want to forget about the future and lose yourself in the book that forever changed how narrative nonfiction is written, read [this book]." - Sam Harris
Sam Harris's recommendation of this book 
Tim Draper recommended this bookTim Draper
"My [mother] recommended [this book]." - Tim Draper
Tim Draper's recommendation of this book
And Then There Were None
Also recommended by
2 people
Stephen King recommended this bookStephen King
"Lots of murders, but relatively bloodless. And a great mystery." - Stephen King
Stephen King's recommendation of this book 
Rian Johnson recommended this bookRian Johnson
"Her best book." - Rian Johnson
Rian Johnson's recommendation of this book
Gone Girl
Also recommended by
2 people
Anderson Cooper recommended this bookAnderson Cooper
"A great read. I highly recommend it." - Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper's recommendation of this book 
Patrick Rothfuss recommended this bookPatrick Rothfuss
"An amazing book. Stupefyingly good. It's read-it-no-seriously-let-me-buy-you-a-copy good." - Patrick Rothfuss
Patrick Rothfuss's recommendation of this book
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Millennium, Book 1
Also recommended by
2 people
Charles Koch recommended this bookCharles Koch
Charles Koch recommended this book on his website.
Charles Koch's recommendation of this book 
James Clear recommended this bookJames Clear
"[One of] the 10 best fiction books." - James Clear
James Clear's recommendation of this book
Rebecca
Also recommended by
1 person
Taylor Swift recommended this bookTaylor Swift
"When I was reading [this book] there was a part of me that was relating to that because at some point in my life I felt that way, and so I ended up writing the song 'Tolerate.'" - Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's recommendation of this book
My Sister, the Serial Killer
A Novel
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Flavia de Luce, Book 1
The Da Vinci Code
Robert Langdon, Book 2
Also recommended by
2 people
Shah Rukh Khan recommended this bookShah Rukh Khan
"I like what [this author] writes, it also helps me understand certain aspects of the religion that he writes about, so that’s good." - Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan's recommendation of this book 
Ev Williams recommended this bookEv Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book
The Secret History
Also recommended by
2 people
Jenn Im recommended this bookJenn Im
"A story of a group of students in this really prestigious elite university, and it's a murder mystery." - Jenn Im
Jenn Im's recommendation of this book 
Nicola Sturgeon recommended this bookNicola Sturgeon
"I don’t re-read lots of books, but making an exception for this modern classic." - Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon's recommendation of this book
The Big Sleep
Philip Marlowe, Book 1
Also recommended by
1 person
Jordan Peterson recommended this bookJordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book
Big Little Lies
Mystic River
Night Film
A Novel
Postmortem
Kay Scarpetta, Book 1
The Dry
Aaron Falk, Book 1
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal Lecter, Book 3
Sources
- 1
The 10 best murder mystery books updated 2021
cbr.com
- 2
The 19 Best Mystery Books to Keep You Guessing Until the Last Page - PureWow
purewow.com
- 3
The 30 Best Mystery Books of All Time | Reedsy Discovery
reedsy.com
- 4
30 Murder Mystery Books - Best Mystery Thrillers
countryliving.com
- 5
14 Murder Mystery Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down
murder-mayhem.com
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
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