Next Read ClubBest Mystery & Thriller Books
Mystery and thriller aren't one genre — here's the best of each kind, from cozy whodunits to books that mess with how much you trust the narrator.
"Mystery and thriller" gets treated as one genre, but it really isn't.
A cozy mystery and a psychological thriller ask completely different things of you — one wants you relaxed and guessing, the other wants you tense and a little paranoid. Here's the best of each kind, organized so you can pick the version you actually want tonight.
Psychological thriller
1.
Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn
The book that made an entire generation stop trusting narrators. Still holds up.
Explore this book →2.
The Silent Patient
Alex Michaelides
One of the cleanest final-page twists in recent thriller writing.
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3.
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn
Darker and more unsettling than Gone Girl, with a narrator you're never quite sure you can trust.
Explore this book →Cozy mystery
4.
The Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman
Four retirees solving cold cases, played for real humor without losing the actual mystery.
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5.
And Then There Were None
Agatha Christie
The blueprint for basically every locked-room mystery that came after it.
Explore this book →Dark academia and atmospheric
6.
The Secret History
Donna Tartt
The book that basically invented dark academia as a vibe — you know the murder happens from page one, and it doesn't matter.
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7.
In the Woods
Tana French
Atmospheric, literary, and willing to leave some questions unanswered — not for readers who need every thread tied off.
Explore this book →Puzzle-driven
8.
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown
Fast, mysterious, and built entirely around momentum — the kind of book you finish in a weekend without meaning to.
Explore this book →Want the full shelf? Our best mystery books and best thriller books hubs cover the rest of the catalog.
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