The 10 Best New Mystery Books You Should Read This Year (Ranked)

A sudden death, an unknown killer, and a handful of shocking twists are just a few of the hallmarks of the mystery genre that draw you in and make for an exciting page-turner. If you’re looking for a new novel for the fall season, try any one of the ten best new mystery books we’ve assembled in the list below- they won’t disappoint.

10. Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, Benjamin Stevenson

Fans of the classic whodunnit will love Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, the second novel to follow the story of Ernest Cunningham and the mysteries he encounters in his writing career. Ernest, along with all the other people on the train, has previously published a book about a murder. It stands to reason then that everyone in the group would easily be able to get away with such a crime if something were to suddenly happen. If you love Agatha Christie’s classic Murder on the Orient Express, then you’ll have a great time with this one.

9. Murder at King’s Crossing, Andrea Penrose

Murder at King’s Crossing is Andrea Penrose’s eighth novel in the Wrexford & Sloane series, but it is still a great place to start reading the author’s work. The story stands on its own, and the overlap with previous books is simply from recurring characters. While Wrexford and Sloane are attending a wedding, the police find a body at nearby King’s Crossing. Its discovery comes with only a single clue- an invitation to the wedding. However, the invitation was not originally intended for the dead man.

8. Nightwatching, Tracy Sierra

Nightwatching is a tense page-turner that blends the thriller and horror genre into its core mystery. In the dead of night, in the darkness of a relentless blizzard, an intruder steps into a mother’s home. He’s clearly dangerous, and there’s something about him that feels oddly familiar. The mother and her children have to avoid making any noise or risk a deadly confrontation. Incredible atmospheric details and more than a few surprises await the reader.

7. A Step Past Darkness, Vera Kurian

The unassuming town of Wesley Falls, with its seemingly perfect homes, hosts a terrifying crime in the summer of 1995. The main characters of A Step Past Darkness, who were teenagers at the time of the incident, must return more than twenty years later after another murder occurs to uncover the dark secrets of a case they had hoped to leave behind forever. The story hops between two timelines and lets the reader piece together what’s really happening.

6. Secrets of Rose Briar Hall, Kelsey James

Secrets of Rose Briar Hall features an ensnaring gothic darkness that makes it difficult to put down. The year is 1908, and Millie Turner, the wife of one of Long Island’s rich elite, plans to throw an elegant party. However, not everything goes according to her plan. When Millie later wakes up, she finds that the manor is mysteriously dark and that she has no memories of what really happened that evening. The novel is a loose adoption of the classic 1944 film Gaslight.

5. The Hunter, Tana French

When a former Chicago police officer moves to Ireland for retirement, he takes some of his most important experiences and personal ties with him into a new mystery. The most notable from the start is his tie with the two other main characters, Trey and Lena. The former is a teenager whose father returns to town with tales of gold and an easy-to-acquire fortune. The Hunter is a sequel to Tana French’s novel The Searcher, but you don’t necessarily have to read the former book to follow what’s going on in the new one.

4. Displeasure Island, Alice Bell

In Displeasure Island, Claire’s ability to talk to ghosts makes all the difference when she’s trying to solve a new mystery. When she goes on vacation with her best friend, who is incidentally a ghost, she attempts to use her experiences and insight to find a hidden pirate treasure. However, a murder occurs before she can reach her goal, and she’ll need to clear her name before it’s too late. There’s plenty of tension here in the sequel to Bell’s Grave Expectations, but also lots of comedic moments as well.

3. Summerlin Groves, Elizabeth Camden

If you’re looking for a blend of mystery, romance, and history in your next read, Summerlin Groves might be just the ticket. There’s a skeleton out back buried under the orange trees on Jenny Summerlin’s property with more than a few Cold War-era secrets. However, to uncover these secrets, Jenny will have to work with a local detective who’s also her former lover. Though author Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical fiction novels about the late 1800s, her foray into a more contemporary setting is a great success.

2. Death at the Sign of the Rook, Kate Atkinson

Private detective Jackson Brodie is back in Kate Atkinson’s newest novel, Death at the Sign of the Rook. The mystery starts out with a simple art theft. However, as it continues, it quickly evolves into a story that utilizes the best tropes in the genre to its advantage. Brodie and the cast of suspects are snowed in at an old English manor that often hosts murder mystery nights for weekend patrons. Inside, there are plenty of secrets and traps, as well as a killer who’s on the loose.

1. The Hitchcock Hotel, Stephanie Wrobel

When the world’s biggest fan of Alfred Hitchcock opens a theme hotel that celebrates his favorite films, there are plenty of surprises in store for his guests. However, it’s not until one year after the grand opening, when the owner invites his college friends for a reunion, that things get seriously suspenseful. If you’re a fan of any of the classic films, you’re pretty much guaranteed to love this book. The Hitchcock Hotel is full to the brim with exciting references, from the rookery of ravens to direct quotes from films like Rope and Psycho.