What is the best mystery novel you've read?

[platinumplus]

Or psychological thriller?

"Clandestine" by James Ellroy. More of a straightforward mystery than his later novels.

I started reading Anna O by Matthew Blake today and can’t put it down!

I enjoyed the Needless St book - thought about it for a while after, which is usually how I tell if I’ve enjoyed it!

@Floralnomad
Was that the second Richard Cole as the first one is absolutely dire and no one would guess the killer because the plot was so ridiculous."

Good thing we're not all the same!

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

It's really helpful people are also putting others they like. I can't stand Lisa Jewell so I assume other recommendations from people that do like her also won't be for me. I wish this happened more often.
I love Lucretia Grindle, and I also like Ian McEwan, Muriel Sparks, and Rumer Godden. I also loved We Were Liars.

@platinumplus I read A Flicker In The Dark and then All The Dangerous Things both by Stacy Willingham back to back and i would give both 5*s. I was gripped. Im looking forward to reading her new one and she will be an auto-read author for me from now on.

I like Belinda Bauer too.

And Alex Marwood. She usually bases them quite loosely on real cases. They are very atmospheric.

Not a conventional mystery/thriller, but I loved When Will There Be Good News and all the other Jackson Brodie stories by Kate Atkinson.

Not a fan of her other stuff but Lady Killer by Martina Cole is a fabulous book. I can see George in my mind as she describes him so well.

Oooh great to know! Been wanting to read both of those for a while.

13/thirteen is Steve cavanagh.

I love her books - some of it is laugh out loud funny while also being super saw

I've read most of the books on this thread, I'd also recommend John Marss and Peter James novels

Authors for psychological thrillers ( my favourite kind of books)..
Lisa Jewell.
Shalina Boland.
Mark Edwards.
Louise Voss.
Miranda Rikjs.
Jess Ryder.
Adele Parks.
Claire Douglas.
T.M Logan.

Showing my age here, but for something a little different Emily Barr’s “Backpack”.

Great recommendations on here. Thank you all.

Agatha Christie- anything! But the Poirots are the best
Alex Pavesi- Eight Detectives
Alexandra Benedict- anything
Anthony Horowitz- Magpie Murders, Moonstone Murders, the Hawthorne series
Catherine Ryan Howard- anything
Gilbert Adair- The Act of Roger Murgatroyd, A Mysterious Affair of Style
James Anderson- the Inspector Wilkins series
Janice Hallet- anything
Liane Moriarty- anything
Kate Atkinson- the Jackson Brodie series
Robert Thorogood- the Marlowe Murder Club series
Sam Hepburn- Her Perfect Life
Sophie Hannah- anything
Stuart Turton- The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

I'm sure more will come to me! Can you tell I'm a murder mystery obsessive?!

Thanks everyone. A lot of authors to work through.

Engleby by Sebastian Faulks - a v dark yet at times funny psychological thriller

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

Dark Adapted Eye and a Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine

After the Party by Cressida Connolly. Not a straight psychological thriller but a very chilling historical book.

Tana French In the Woods and Faithful Place are her best of the Dublin Murder series imo. Wych Elm is also good.

Mo Hayder - the Jack Caffrey series but read them in order.
Jo Nesbo - the Harry Holë series.

@BarbaraBuncle I love Belinda Bauer. Normally I dislike books that feature kids, but for some reason it doesn't worry me with her books. The Exmoor Trilogy is excellent.

The only problem I have with her is that she doesn't write many books.

I've read a couple of Lisa Jewell books but they're really basic and the last one I read was so tedious I just flipped through it to get to the end

I liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series

I used to read a lot of Minette Walter's a good few years ago

I love all the Lianne Moriarty books which I read before all the TV adaptations which were mostly excellent BTW

I have The Mother to read by T M Logan which seems popular on here but I'm hoping it's not too Lisa Jewell like because her books aren't satisfying enough they're not quite fully accomplished

That said not that I'd recommend as brilliant books but I do like the Agatha Raisin by M C Beaton books when I just want an easy cosy read that makes me chuckle but with a mystery to solve

Yes I think the same. Nice cosy mysteries!

Any Harlan coben is a good mystery too.

@platinumplus I've read 3 by Grady Hendrix. Final Girl Support Group, which I enjoyed well enough, Horrostor which is more a novella and quite fun, and How to Sell a Haunted House which was one of my top two books of 2023. It was terrifying, violent, hilarious and heartbreaking.

My other top book was Exiles by Jane Harper. It's SO GOOD.

Not sure if my reply comes too late. I read it.
It's up there in my top 10 worst books ever read. It was truly awful.