This is a list of mysteries that received the highest ratings by Goodreads reader/reviewers. Here’s how the list breaks down. There are 22 books by female authors and 8 by male authors. 15 of the books on the list could be considered psychological suspense/domestic suspense novels. There is only one action thriller (DROWNING by T. J. Newman). I get it. Psych/Domestic Suspense is quite popular right now. But so are other subgenre’s that fit under the umbrella of what we call “mysteries.” This list seems a bit skewed in that regard. Surprisingly there is only one cozy listed.
In my opinion there are a few good books on the list, but overall I’m not impressed. I’ve read 6 of the books on the list (indicated by **), none of which have made my own Best of 2023 list so far. There are also quite a few titles that I’ve never heard of.
What struck me is the absence of certain titles that should be on any best list of 2023 – SMALL MERCIES by Dennis Lehane for one – my vote (so far) for the best crime novel of 2023. See below the Goodreads list for titles I would have on a list such as this.
It should be noted that Goodreads is owned by amazon.com and may suffer from the same problem that the reviews found on amazon products suffer from – the possibility of an author and an author’s friends submitting glowing reviews and inflating the ratings of such products. I take such ratings with a grain of salt.

ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS, Stacy Willingham
THE HOUSEMAID’S SECRET, Freida McFadden
I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU, Rebecca Makkai
AGE OF VICE, Deepti Kapoor
VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS, Jesse Q. Sutanto
HOMECOMING, Kate Morton
WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS, Kate Alice Marshall
**EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE, Benjamin Stevenson
**EXILES, Jane Harper
**I WILL FIND YOU, Harlan Coben
THE WHISPERS, Ashley Audrain
THOSE EMPTY EYES, Charlie Donlea
**ALL THE SINNERS BLEED, S.A. Cosby
ON THE SAVAGE SIDE, Tiffany McDaniel
THE SENATOR’S WIFE, Liv Constantine
DROWNING, T. J. Newman
MURDER YOUR EMPLOYER: McMasters Guide to Homicide, Rupert Holmes
THE MAID’S DIARY, Loreth Anne White
THE SOULMATE, Sally Hepworth
**THE BANDIT QUEENS, Parini Shroff
MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH MURDER, Colleen Cambridge
THE LAST WORD, Taylor Adams
IT’S ONE OF US, J. T. Ellison
**HIDE, Tracy Clark
THE NEW MOTHER, Nora Murphy
ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME, William Landay
SYMPHONY OF SECRETS, Brendan Slocumb
THE VILLA, Rachel Hawkins
MY MURDER, Katie Williams
STONE COLD FOX, Rachel Koller Croft

What’s Missing – Other Remarkable Crime Novels and Thrillers That Should be on a Best of 2023 (So Far) List

Debuts
BETTER THE BLOOD, Michael Bennett
A DISAPPEARANCE IN FIJI, Nilima Rao
CITY UNDER ONE ROOF, Iris Yamashita

Crime Novels
SMALL MERCIES, Dennis Lehane
LYING BESIDE YOU, Michael Robotham
EVERYBODY KNOWS, Jordan Harper
OZARK DOGS, Eli Cranor
ALLIGATOR ALLEY, Mike Lawson
RED QUEEN, Juan Gomez-Jurado
INDEPENDENCE SQUARE, Martin Cruz Smith
SONS AND BROTHERS, Kim Hays
PHILANTHROPISTS, Rozlan Modh Noor

Thrillers
GOING ZERO, Anthony McCarten
BURNER, Mark Greaney
MOSCOW EXILE, John Lawton
MY FATHER’S HOUSE, Joseph O’Connor

British Crime Novel
THE MOTHER, T. M. Logan