This year, as I searched out best mystery lists on the Internet, I found a number of sites that had best fiction lists as well as best mystery/crime fiction lists. On the best fiction lists I encountered many of the following novels that appealed to not only fans of mainstream fiction but also crime fiction afficionados. Associate Editor of Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine Larry Gandle likes these crossover novels and was a big help in coming up with the following list. All the books have some crime fiction or thriller elements. The number following each title indicates how many best lists that the novel appeared on. If you are like Larry Gandle and like “literary” crime fiction, this is the list for you.

Deepti Kapoor, AGE OF VICE (21)
Eleanor Catton, BIRNAM WOOD (16)
Rebecca Makkai, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU (16)
Colson Whitehead, CROOK MANIFESTO (15)
R. F. Kuang, YELLOWFACE (15)
James McBride, THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE (10)
Angie Kim, HAPPINESS FALLS (10)
Lauren Groff, THE VANDER WILDS (7)
Emma Cline, THE GUEST (6)
Tananarive Due, THE REFORMATORY (6)