The 12 Best Mystery Books

20 Of The Top Mystery Books According To Goodreads Users | Book Riot

The 30 Best Mystery Books of All Time | Reedsy Discovery

Gone Girl

Perdida

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

La Chica del Dragón Tatuado

The protagonist, unnamed, and her spouse, Maxim de Winter, are moving from one European hotel to another, cherishing the memories of a beautiful dwelling called Manderley, which was devastated by fire. Reminiscing about the past, the protagonist remembers how she and Maxim met in Monte Carlo. During this period, she was employed as a travel companion for a wealthy American, Mrs. Van Hopper. Maxim was staying in the same hotel and after a short acquaintance, he proposed. Following their marriage, they moved to Manderley, his ancestral home. However, their life was overshadowed by the untimely demise of Maxim's previous wife, Rebecca, who had drowned near the estate. The presence of Rebecca's loyal housekeeper, the eerie Mrs. Danvers, combined with the constant reminders of Rebecca's perfection, fueled the protagonist's feeling of inferiority and her suspicion that Maxim was still attached to Rebecca.

Every year, a fancy-dress ball was organized at Manderley, and as the event approached, the protagonist found herself enthusiastic. However, the celebration ended poorly when Mrs. Danvers tricked her into wearing the same outfit Rebecca had worn at the previous ball. This had a profound effect on Maxim, and the protagonist became convinced that Maxim was still devoted to his deceased wife. The following day, a shipwreck was discovered near the mansion, and divers found Rebecca's sailboat, with her body inside. This led Maxim to confess to his new wife that Rebecca was a manipulative woman, embroiled in numerous affairs and planning to bear another man's child. In a fit of rage, Maxim had shot her and then sunk her boat with her body inside.

The protagonist's knowledge about Rebecca's true character rejuvenates her marriage, although Maxim soon finds himself facing legal issues. The discovery that Rebecca's boat had been tampered with raised suspicions of murder. Rebecca's cousin, Jack Favell, accused Maxim of the crime, leading to an investigation by Colonel Julyan. A visit to a Doctor Baker in London, whom Rebecca had seen on the day of her death, uncovered that Rebecca had been terminally ill with cancer and was infertile, contradicting her claim of pregnancy and providing a possible reason for suicide. As they returned to Manderley after being cleared of the murder charges, they found the mansion ablaze with Mrs. Danvers missing.

Rebecca

Best mystery books

Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1

Misterios de Vampiros Sureños, No. 1

Dead Until Dark

Muerto Hasta El Anochecer

On a crisp morning in November 1959, Herbert Clutter oversees his expansive ranch while across Kansas, Perry Smith rendezvouses with Dick Hickock. The Clutters carry on with their routines, unaware of the impending danger as Smith and Hickock prepare their car for a long journey. By the end of the day, they arrive at the Clutter residence, armed with deadly intentions.

The following morning, the grim discovery of the Clutter family's lifeless bodies stuns two of Nancy Clutter's friends. The local authorities are initially perplexed, with Bobby Rupp, a friend of the family, briefly considered a suspect. The lead investigator, Alvin Dewey, theorizes that the culprit must be someone familiar with the family, setting the community into a whirlwind of speculation and fear. In the meantime, Smith and Hickock, the true culprits, have returned to Hickock's home in Olathe. After committing check fraud, they flee to Mexico, where they engage in frivolous spending and dream of a life of luxury. Perry, reminiscing about his troubled upbringing, knows the money won't last.

As the investigation stagnates, a prisoner named Floyd Wells, incarcerated in the Kansas state prison at Lansing, recognizes Hickock's involvement in the crime. He contemplates revealing what he knows to the authorities. Concurrently, Smith and Hickock, now penniless in the American desert, attempt car theft unsuccessfully. Wells eventually confesses, prompting Dewey to initiate an extensive manhunt. The duo manage to avoid capture for a while, even returning to Kansas City and Miami, before their luck runs out in Las Vegas when their stolen vehicle's license plate is identified. Following intense interrogation, both men confess and are sentenced to death. They spend the following five years on Death Row, enduring the company of other hardened criminals, while their appeals are processed. As their execution approaches, Dick's demeanor is clumsy, while Perry expresses regret.

In Cold Blood

A Sangre Fría

And Then There Were None

Diez negritos

A Novel

Una Novela

Still Life

Naturaleza Muerta

Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

Asesinato, Magia, y Locura en la Feria que Cambió América

The Devil in the White City

El Diablo en la Ciudad Blanca

The Woman In White

La Mujer de Blanco

The story begins with a puzzling incident where a cane is left in the office of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson by an unknown person, later identified as James Mortimer. Mortimer spins an old tale about a fiendish hound that haunts the Baskerville family ever since the demise of an ancestor, Hugo, who had entrapped a rural lass and died while chasing her on the solitary moors. According to Mortimer, the recent passing of Sir Charles Baskerville has stoked the old fears and his successor, despite receiving an anonymous warning and experiencing the peculiar loss of a shoe, has come to London to claim his inheritance at Baskerville Hall.

Holmes and Watson agree to pursue the case and soon find that Sir Henry Baskerville is being stalked in London by a shadowy bearded man. Holmes, however, assigns Watson to accompany Mortimer and Sir Henry to Devonshire to continue the investigation as his representative. At Devonshire, Watson finds himself in the midst of heightened security due to an escaped captive, encounters potential suspects, and experiences a string of peculiar events. These include spotting a solitary figure on the moors, hearing what sounds like a hound's howl, receiving an enigmatic warning from Beryl Stapleton, and learning about a clandestine meeting between Sir Charles and a local lady, Laura Lyons.

Taking on the responsibility to disentangle the mystery, Watson uncovers that Barrymore, the help, is aiding the runaway convict who happens to be his wife's brother. Watson also interviews Laura Lyons and surprisingly stumbles upon Holmes, who has been clandestinely observing the situation. Holmes reveals that the primary suspect is Mr. Stapleton, who stands to gain from the Baskerville fortune. It is discovered that Mr. Stapleton deceitfully used Laura Lyons to lure Sir Charles to the moors and set his ferocious dog on him, inducing a fatal heart attack. In the climax, Holmes and Watson trap Stapleton using Sir Henry as bait. Stapleton, in his attempt to flee, drowns in a marsh while his abused wife, wrongly introduced as his sister, is found restrained at his home. The case concludes with Holmes explaining the stolen shoe was used to guide the hound to Sir Henry and the warning note was from Beryl Stapleton, manipulated by her adulterous husband.

12 Best Mystery Books of All Time

Gone Girl

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Rebecca

Dead Until Dark

Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1

In Cold Blood

And Then There Were None

Still Life

A Novel

The Devil in the White City

Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

The Woman In White

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Alienist

Kreizler, Book 1

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Sources

What To Read Next

12 Best Mystery Books of All Time

Gone Girl

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Rebecca

Dead Until Dark

Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1

In Cold Blood

And Then There Were None

Still Life

A Novel

The Devil in the White City

Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

The Woman In White

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Alienist

Kreizler, Book 1

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Sources

What To Read Next

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