Everyone loves a mystery. These books are all-time classic mystery books. Here are the top 10 most influential and popular mystery books of all time:
Top 10 all time best mystery books
These are the top 10 mystery books of all time. Here is the list by book.
| Rank | Book | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hound of the Baskervilles | Arthur Conan Doyle |
| 2 | Murder on the Orient Express | Agatha Christie |
| 3 | The Maltese Falcon | Dashiell Hammett |
| 4 | Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier |
| 5 | The Big Sleep | Raymond Chandler |
| 6 | The Murder of Roger Ackroyd | Agatha Christie |
| 7 | And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie |
| 8 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Stieg Larsson |
| 9 | The Da Vinci Code | Dan Brown |
| 10 | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Arthur Conan Doyle |
Two authors wrote multiple books in this list. Agatha Christie wrote 3 of the top 10 and remains the top selling novelist in history. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 2 on the list. Here is the list of authors of the 10 best mystery books:
| Author | Books in the Top 10 |
|---|---|
| Agatha Christie | 3 |
| Arthur Conan Doyle | 2 |
| Dan Brown | 1 |
| Raymond Chandler | 1 |
| Daphne du Maurier | 1 |
| Dashiell Hammett | 1 |
| Stieg Larsson | 1 |
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his famous detective story The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1902. It is one of the most well-known Sherlock Holmes tales with its eerie Devonshire moors setting. Sherlock Holmes is the most famous fictional detective in history.
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Rich landowner Sir Charles Baskerville mysteriously dies. The Baskerville family has been afflicted by a supposed curse that caused their death.
A family friend named Dr. James Mortimer begs Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes to look into the matter. Sir Charles Baskerville’s heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, has just come from America to take up residence, and Holmes dispatches Watson to Baskerville Hall to ensure his safety.
As Watson conducts his investigation, he comes across a number of unsettling incidents, including reports of a gigantic, paranormal hound. Watson feels that someone is trying to kill Sir Henry and that there has been foul play.
As the investigation progresses, the Baskerville family, as well as their staff and neighbors, become suspects. As they work together to solve the case, Holmes and Watson in Devonshire untangle a complicated web of intrigue and treachery.
The Hound of the Baskervilles highlights Sherlock Holmes’ exceptional deduction abilities and Dr. Watson’s unwavering allegiance. For fans of crime fiction, it continues to be a classic of the detective genre and a must-read.
Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Express by Dame Agatha Christie is a well-loved mystery book. It follows detective Hercule Poirot as he looks into a murder that takes place on the opulent Orient Express train.
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Poirot boards a train in Istanbul, and travels to Calais, France, with a diverse mix of other passengers. A snowdrift in the Alps stops the train in its tracks. During the night, a wealthy American businessman named Mr. Ratchett is discovered dead in his compartment.
Poirot determines that the murderer is still on the train and begins his search for the offender. He speaks with every passenger and learns that they all had a motive to kill Ratchett, who was an infamous felon.
A Russian princess, a Hungarian countess, an American governess, a Swedish missionary, a British colonel, and numerous more people are among the suspects.
Poirot discovers that the murder is more complicated than he initially believed when he pulls together the clues.
Agatha Christie’s classic Murder on the Orient Express is a masterclass in planning and character development.
Murder on the Orient Express book shows why Agatha Christie is the world’s best selling novelist.
The Maltese Falcon
Dashiell Hammett’s classic detective story The Maltese Falcon was released in 1930. Sam Spade, a private eye, takes a challenging case involving the hunt for the Maltese Falcon, a precious figurine.
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The narrative starts with Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a mysterious woman, showing up to Spade’s workplace. She contracts him to find Floyd Thursby, a man she claims ran off with her sister. When Miles Archer, O’Shaughnessy’s partner, and Thursby are both found dead, the investigation turns nasty.
Spade becomes the main suspect in the killings, but he keeps looking into the matter on his own.
As Spade pursues the Falcon’s trail, he comes across a varied group of characters, including the powerful industrialist Casper Gutman, his goon Wilmer Cook, and the stunning thief Iva Archer.
In the end, Spade learns the real reason for the murders and identifies the owner of the Maltese Falcon. He must choose between the devotion he owes to his customers and the fate of the Falcon.
The classic noir book The Maltese Falcon is one of the best detective novels ever produced. It is renowned for its action-packed storyline and sharply rendered characters.
Rebecca
The Gothic fiction book Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier was released in 1938. The story is written from the viewpoint of the second Mrs. de Winter and is situated in the rich and mysterious world of the aristocratic in England.
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While serving as a companion to a wealthy woman in Monte Carlo, the young and impressionable protagonist meets wealthy widower Maxim de Winter. She moves in with him at his lavish house, Manderley, after they marry and fall in love.
The new Mrs. de Winter learns that Maxim’s deceased first wife, Rebecca, still has a strong influence over everyone at Manderley, even the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, as she adjusts to her new life.
Rebecca was killed in a boating accident. As the new Mrs. de Winter learns more about her husband’s background and the reality of his connection with his first wife, she grows more and more infatuated with Rebecca.
The new Mrs. de Winter discovers herself in a struggle for control of her own life as the plot of the novel develops. She struggles with the memories of Rebecca and the expectations of people around her.
To learn the truth about her husband and the circumstances that led to Rebecca’s murder, she must navigate a maze of secrets and lies.
The disturbing and tense book Rebecca tackles the concepts of love, obsession, and the influence of memory.
Rebecca is a Gothic classic and has been made into several movies, including the famous 1940 Alfred Hitchcock film.
The Big Sleep
Raymond Chandler’s classic detective story The Big Sleep came out in 1939. The story follows private eye Philip Marlowe as he looks into a murder, blackmail, and corruption case in 1930s Los Angeles.
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Wealthy General Sternwood hires Marlowe to look into a blackmail plot against his daughter, Carmen. Marlowe soon finds himself caught up in a complicated web of violence and treachery as a result of the involvement of the General’s second daughter, Vivian, in the case.
As Marlowe investigates the case further, he runs across a variety of interesting people, including criminals, dishonest police officers, and the mysterious and alluring Vivian Sternwood. Additionally, he gets involved in a string of killings, each one more horrifying and vicious than the previous.
Marlowe discovers a labyrinth of deceit and corruption that permeates society’s highest echelons as the investigation progresses. To learn the truth about the blackmail scheme and identify the person responsible for the murders, he must travel across a perilous and deadly landscape.
In the case’s dramatic and violent climax, Marlowe meets the murderer, but the experience leaves him feeling defeated and hopeless about the crooked society he lives in.
The classic noir book The Big Sleep is one of the best detective novels ever produced. It is renowned for its realistic depiction of Los Angeles in the 1930s, its vibrant characters, as well as its intricate and unpredictable plot.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Agatha Christie first released her detective story, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, in 1926. Dr. James Sheppard, a doctor in the tiny community of King’s Abbot, tells the tale. He gets embroiled in the inquiry into the slaying of Roger Ackroyd, a wealthy and well-known businessman.
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When Roger Ackroyd is discovered dead in his study, Mrs. Ferrars, his young widow who had just lately admitted to poisoning her first husband, quickly comes under suspicion. Ackroyd, however, got a letter from Mrs. Ferrars just before he passed away.
She claimed to have been the victim of extortion by a villager and had been threatened with exposure if she did not make the payment.
As the investigation progresses, other suspects emerge.
Hercule Poirot, the renowned Belgian investigator who has retired to the village, pays Dr. Sheppard a visit and draws him into the inquiry. Dr. Sheppard is persuaded by Poirot to serve as his assistant and help him crack the case.
Poirot must use all of his deductive skills to sort through the intricate web of deceit and intrigue that surrounds the case. It becomes evident that nearly everyone in the town has a reason for killing Ackroyd.
The killer is finally unmasked by Poirot in a surprising twist that has grown to be one of Christie’s most well-known stories.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was voted as the best crime novel ever by the Crime Writers’ Association.
And Then There Were None
Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel, And Then There Were None was published in 1939. The plot revolves around ten strangers who are brought to a remote island under various guises. They discover that they are trapped and separated from the outside world.
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They soon realize they have been brought together by a mystery host who accuses each of them of a heinous act. The visitors start dying one by one, in line with a disturbing nursery rhyme that hangs on the walls of their rooms.
As the tension rises, the remaining visitors feverishly strive to identify the killer and flee the island before it’s too late.
The work is famous for its convoluted storyline, psychological intricacy, and deft use of red herrings and misdirection. Each character has a thorough past, making it tough for readers to figure out who the murderer is.
The novel’s topics of guilt and retribution provide an extra element of tension. Each character must confront their previous actions and face the potential of death.
The reader is kept guessing until the very end as the death toll increases and suspicions shift from one character to the next. The climactic twist, revealing the identity of the perpetrator, is one of the most stunning and memorable in mystery fiction history.
And Then There Were None is a cherished classic that demonstrates Christie’s mastery of suspense and surprise.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a 2005 psychological thriller novel by Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson. The plot revolves around Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist hired by wealthy businessman Henrik Vanger to look into the disappearance of Vanger’s niece, Harriet.
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Blomkvist’s research is supported by Lisbeth Salander, a young and mysterious computer hacker with a difficult past. Blomkvist and Salander unearth a dark and twisted family history of torture, murder, and corruption as they investigate the case further.
They discover that Harriet’s abduction may be linked to a string of other unsolved murders that have haunted the area for decades.
Blomkvist and Salander become entangled in a perilous game of cat-and-mouse with people who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets hidden as they strive to uncover the complicated web of secrets and lies surrounding the case.
The work is noteworthy for its vivid and complex portrayal. Salander has become one of modern literature’s most memorable and important characters. The novel also delves into themes of sexual violence, abuse, and gender inequality, and has been lauded for its uncompromising depiction.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an engrossing and thrilling story that mixes aspects of a conventional whodunit with a biting societal critique.
It has spawned numerous adaptations and cemented Larsson’s position as one of the most important and influential writers of the 21st century.
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown’s 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code is a mystery thriller. The plot revolves around Harvard professor Robert Langdon and French cryptologist Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris’s Louvre museum and become entangled in a conspiracy involving the Holy Grail, the Priory of Sion, and the Catholic Church.
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Langdon and Neveu discover that the victim, the Louvre curator, was a member of the Priory of Sion, a secret group that has been guarding a centuries-old secret concerning Jesus Christ’s lineage.
They know they are being pursued by members of a Catholic organization called Opus Dei, who are trying to keep the secret from being revealed as they follow a trail of clues left by the curator.
Langdon and Neveu meet a cast of characters includes a mystery monk, a wealthy benefactor, and a British royal historian as they race against time to decode the clues and uncover the truth.
The work is organized around a series of puzzles and codes, with real historical and artistic references used to construct a complicated and detailed story.
The depiction of the Catholic Church, as well as its investigation of religious history and symbolism, made The Da Vinci Code controversial upon its debut. It did, however, become an international best-seller, generating a series of film adaptations, sequels, and spin-offs.
Its fast-paced plot, compelling tension, and deep historical and religious information have contributed to the novel’s success, making it a must-read for aficionados of thrillers and historical mysteries.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle and originally published in 1892, featuring the legendary investigator Sherlock Holmes. Dr. John Watson, Holmes’ faithful friend and colleague, narrates the story.
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Each narrative introduces a fresh case for Holmes to solve, ranging from murder mysteries to theft and espionage cases. Holmes is known for his sharp mind and deductive reasoning abilities, which he uses to make seemingly difficult deductions from seemingly minor clues.
Throughout the novels, Holmes’ distinct personality shines through as he uses unconventional tactics to solve the cases at hand. Watson serves as a narrator as well as a counterbalance to Holmes, presenting a more conventional viewpoint and exposing the detective’s eccentricities.
The stories are noteworthy for their evocative descriptions of Victorian London and its residents, as well as intriguing characters and complex plots.
Some of the collection’s most renowned stories include:
- A Scandal in Bohemia – Holmes competes with the crafty Irene Adler
- The Adventure of the Speckled Band – Holmes investigates a string of inexplicable killings at a secluded estate.
Overall, Conan Doyle’s mastery of the genre and the continuing appeal of his renowned protagonist make The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes a timeless classic of detective fiction.
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
