Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Top Mystery Reads: Classic Whodunits, Psychological Thrillers, Cozies, Audiobooks
40
items Hi everyone, these are some of my latest recommendations for the best mystery books and audiobooks—from classic whodunits and cozy crime to psychological thrillers and historical mysteries. Perfect for readers who love clever clues, unreliable narrat...
Sections
6
(Audiobooks)Mysteries On the Go
Classic Whodunits
Cozy Crimes & Clever Detectives
Psychological Mysteries with Twists & Dark Turns
Historical Mysteries
Mystery Books That Kept Me Guessing
(Audiobooks)Mysteries On the Go
Solve a case while you drive, walk, or garden. Narration-first picks with clean production and propulsive pacing.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this seductive audio drama based on the true story of a mysterious woman who bewitched Hollywood’s biggest stars—without ever showing her face.
The Miranda Obsession
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying combines the intrigue of a whodunit mystery with the drama of high school life, creating a compelling young adult novel.
One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you love mysteries set in NYC check The Doorman, a timely murder mystery set in a post-pandemic New York City, where class, race, politics, and privilege collide inside the iconic Bohemia—a fictional Manhattan apartment building home to the...
The Doorman: A Novel
Classic Whodunits
Timeless detectives, fair-play clues, immaculate reveals. The blueprint for modern mysteries.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ an absolute masterpiece of mystery and suspense that has stood the test of time for good reason.
And Then There Were None
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed reading this mystery – silly me thought I was clever enough to figure out the murderer since I have read several of her books.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Classic Christie at her best.
Murder on the Orient Express: Poirot Mystery
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ classic Christie- If you are a fan of a good mystery - check this one out!
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This classic whodunit is set in a small village where a young girl is murdered at a Halloween party.
Hallowe'en Party: (Hercule Poirot series Book 35)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ a captivating murder mystery full of twists, turns, and red herrings.
The Murder on the Links
Cozy Crimes & Clever Detectives
Lighthearted mysteries with big personalities. Expect charming sleuths, small-town secrets, and just the right amount of danger.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love a good historical mystery, and The Secret Detective Agency has a lot going for it—WWII London, espionage, secret agents with nursery rhyme code names, and an unlikely detective duo in Jane Treen and Arthur Cilento.
The Secret Detective Agency: A Cozy Mystery
The first book in the Sanibel Island Mystery series, A Shell of a Problem introduces readers to Guinivere Jones, ace reporter for the Sanibel-Captiva Sun-Times, her two faithful feline companions, Flora and Fauna, the beautiful island of Sanibel, and...
A Shell of a Problem: Sanibel Island Mystery
I'm looking forward to curling up with this fun twist on a cozy caper. Crimes Against a Book Club follows two friends who cook up a wild scheme to fund their dreams—and naturally, things don’t go quite as planned. Light, witty, and full of clever cha...
Crimes Against a Book Club
Psychological Mysteries with Twists & Dark Turns
These mysteries dig deeper into the mind—where secrets fester and trust is a dangerous game. Full of tension, suspense, and shocking reveals.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “ONE OF TIME'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME, ONE OF CNN'S MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE, AND ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S BEST BOOKS OF THE DECADE”
Gone Girl: A Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ keeps you guessing with its unreliable narration, making you question everything you’re reading.
The Girl on the Train: A Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book is a masterpiece of suspense, mystery, and psychological intrigue!
The Silent Patient
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wow! Colleen Hoover's Verity is an absolute masterpiece that utterly captivated me.
Verity - Colleen Hoover
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a beautifully written novel that explores the complexities of memory, identity, and the human psyche.
Don't I Know You? - Karen Shepard
⭐️⭐️ How well do we know the people we love? This is one of the compelling themes running throughout The Golden Couple
The Golden Couple: A Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cate Holahan's One Little Secret is a gripping domestic thriller that intertwines suspense, secrets, and suburban drama.
One Little Secret: A Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved the story within a story and applaud the structure, including chapters of the main character's best-selling novel, Crib.
The Plot: A Novel (The Book Series 1)
⭐️⭐️ Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.
Mad Honey: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Minka Kent's Stillwater Girls was my first dive into her world of suspense and mystery, and what an introduction it was.
The Stillwater Girls - Minka Kent
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Due to be released May 20, 2025, a timely murder mystery set in a post-pandemic New York City, where class, race, politics, and privilege collide inside the iconic Bohemia—a fictional Manhattan apartment building home to the city’s elite.
The Doorman: A Novel
This one is on my TBR list.
Look Closer
Historical Mysteries
Travel back in time to solve mysteries across different eras. Richly detailed settings meet clever investigations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Reading this, my list of go-to mystery authors has grown!
The Queens of Crime: A Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A masterful blend of suspense and intrigue, set against the lush backdrop of a historic estate with a dark past.
Back to the Garden: A Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As a prequel in the Dead Djinn Universe series, it masterfully sets the stage for the adventures that follow, drawing readers into a world brimming with magic, mystery, and intrigue.
A Dead Djinn in Cairo: P. Djeli Clark
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love a good historical mystery, and The Secret Detective Agency has a lot going for it—WWII London, espionage, secret agents with nursery rhyme code names, and an unlikely detective duo in Jane Treen and Arthur Cilento.
The Secret Detective Agency
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This gem melds the intrigue of steampunk with the depth of historical fantasy and wraps it all in a mystery that keeps you hooked, all set against the backdrop of an Egypt that has reclaimed its independence with the aid of djinn magic.
A Master of Djinn: Dead Djinn Universe 1
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fascinating Hollywood mystery!
The Miranda Obsession
Mystery Books That Kept Me Guessing
Some of the twistiest reads I’ve ever picked up—these stories had me second-guessing everything until the final page.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A masterful homage to classic detective stories, seamlessly blending traditional elements with a contemporary twist to create a novel within a novel.
Magpie Murders: A Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️ The influences of H.G. Wells, Agatha Christie, and the writers of Groundhog Day, Harold Ramis and Danny Rubin, can be seen throughout Stuart Turton’s debut novel, The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A must-read for thrillers and psychological suspense novel fans. From the very first page to the gripping conclusion, this book weaves an intricate web of mystery that will had me on the edge of my seat, unable to put it down.
Central Park - Guillaume Musso
⭐️⭐️ A Reese Witherspooon Book Club Pick that I was disappointed in
The Last Thing He Told Me - Laura Dave
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I couldn’t put this one down. The Guest List is set on a remote island during a fancy wedding, and pretty much everyone has something to hide. I loved how the story flipped between different characters’ points of view—it kept me guessing the...
The Guest List: A Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy this book, as it is very much an homage to her book And Then There Were None.
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This story is a mystery wrapped up in a mystery. I loved it!
In the Woods: A Novel (Dublin Murder Squad)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My favorite classic novel of all time! It's an amazing and timeless classic! Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is an absolute masterpiece and easily deserves five stars.
Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you like the TV Show Bones - this is the book series where they got the idea for the show.
Deja Dead: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Book 1)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book touches upon a number of intense subjects - but I guess that's what happens when you glimpse into the lives of a neighborhood. A good mystery to curl up with when you are in the mood for one.
The Other Side of Everything: A Novel