In honor of Goodreads' Mystery & Thriller Week, which runs May 1 through May 7, the site will release a list of 100 reader-favorites in the crime- and suspense-filled genre. For a sneak peek, I've got 10 must-reads from Goodreads' top mysteries and thrillers list for you to preview below. Trust me: these make the perfect beach reads.
The last few years have been great for mysteries and thrillers, with books like Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, Big Little Lies, Live at Night, The Circle, and Mr. Mercedes making the jump from the page to the screen. Goodreads ranked its top mysteries and thrillers using readership and user ratings, so you'll probably recognize a lot of the titles on the short list below as The Books Everyone Is Talking About.
Of course, that's exactly why you have to read them. Sometimes must-read books aren't the titles you need to read for self-improvement, but for the social gains of a shared experience. And, as an added bonus, you don't have to lie about having read them anymore!
Check out the must-reads I've selected from Goodreads' top mysteries and thrillers list below, and share your favorite titles from the genre with me on Twitter!
1
'Big Little Lies' by Liane Moriarty
Three women whose children attend the same school forge a friendship that culminates in a mysterious falling death at a parents' night in this shocking novel from Truly Madly Guilty author Liane Moriarty.
2
'End of Watch' by Stephen King
In the conclusion to his Bill Hodges Trilogy, Stephen King pits his un-retired hero against the previously comatose Mercedes Massacre perpetrator for one final showdown.
3
'Fingersmith' by Sarah Waters
A pickpocket poses as a lady's maid to a rare book dealer's niece in order to fleece the old man, but falls in love with her disposable mark instead.
4
'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn
After five years of marriage, Nick and Amy Dunne have hit a rough patch. When Amy disappears, Nick's the prime suspect, and that's before detectives find Amy's private journal, which points to serious problems in their relationship.
5
'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier
When she marries a widower, the new Mrs. de Winter cannot escape the traces of her husband's first wife, the titular Rebecca, which lie around every corner of the estate.
6
'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson
After his reputation is tarnished in court, a radical financial journalist teams up with a brilliant hacker to investigate the sordid disappearance of a beloved great-niece who vanished in 1966.
7
'The Westing Game' by Ellen Raskin
Clearly inspired by the work of Agatha Christie, Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game centers on eight pairs of unrelated heirs given cash funds and a set of clues to solve the mystery of their millionaire benefactor's death and inherit his fortune.
8
'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt
Six classics majors at a prestigious Vermont college share the burden of a local farmer's death at the hands of one of their own, and the subsequent offing of another friend when the secret grows too heavy to bear.
9
'The Silkworm' by Robert Galbraith
The second Cormoran Strike novel from J.K. Rowling — writing as Robert Galbraith — challenges the private investigator to find out what happened to a writer who disappeared after submitting a manuscript that laid bare the secrets of everyone in his life.
10
'The Shadow of the Wind' by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Sharing the name of the meta-novel within, this debut from Carlos Ruz Zafón follows a man obsessed with The Shadow of the Wind as he studies himself and the book's author — whose mystery continues long after his death.
