I found 108 best mystery, crime fiction and thriller lists this year (mostly from the U.S., but some from the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia and India). From those I tallied the number of times certain titles were mentioned on those lists. This is an attempt to find some consensus on what exactly are the best mysteries, crime novels and thrillers of the year 2024. The numbers on the list refer to how many best lists a particular title appeared on.
The following is the result of my efforts – the Best of the Best of 2024.
If mentions on Best lists can count as votes then Liz Moore’s THE GOD OF THE WOODS was the winner of the best mystery of the year. My choice for best mystery of the year, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK by Chris Whitaker, came in second. I also liked THE GOD OF THE WOODS, but not as much as COLORS.
There are 74 titles listed below. I’ve read 20 of them, including 7 of the top 10. 14 of these titles appeared on my personal best of 2024 list. In my opinion 2024 was another banner year for excellence in crime/thriller fiction.
The two biggest factors for a book getting on a best list are: 1. the critic read the book, and 2. the critic considered the book to be excellent. Unfortunately all the critics posting “best of the year” lists of crime fiction and thrillers have not read all of the 74 books below (myself included). I certainly would have read more of the 74 if the publishers had sent me the books. In many cases, I suspect that the critic has only read a handful of them. If they had read all 74, I expect that the order of books mentioned on best lists would be different than it is. But it is not a perfect world and one works with what one has. What’s certain is that this is as good a list of best mysteries and thrillers that one can come up with.
Observations:
- Psychological/Domestic Suspense reigned supreme again. Traditional mysteries are also in the ascendancy, spurred on by the success of such writers as Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz.
- The two top vote-getting debut novels, LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera and FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston, are both written by authors who have written for the YA age group. These two books are their first mysteries for the adult audience and they are very popular. I liked FIRST LIE WINS more than LISTEN FOR THE LIE, but admired both for their creative plotting.
– George Easter
37
THE GOD OF THE WOODS, Liz Moore
33
ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, Chris Whitaker
WE SOLVE MURDERS, Richard Osman
26
THE HUNTER, Tana French
24
LISTEN FOR THE LIE, Amy Tintera – Debut
23
GUIDE ME HOME, Attica Locke
21
FIRST LIE WINS, Ashley Elston – Debut
19
THE WAITING, Michael Connelly
16
THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK, Emiko Jean
15
SMOKE KINGS, Jahmal Mayfield – Debut
THE SEQUEL, Jean Hanff Korelitz
14
THE MIDNIGHT FEAST, Lucy Foley
12
MIDNIGHT AND BLUE, Ian Rankin
THE GREY WOLF, Louise Penny
CREATION LAKE, Rachel Kushner
HUNTED, Abir Mukherjee
ONE PERFECT COUPLE, Ruth Ware
EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT, Benjamin Stevenson
THE LAST MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD, Stuart Turton
11
KARLA’S CHOICE, Nick Harkaway
10
PONY CONFIDENTIAL, Christina Lynch
CITY IN RUINS, Don Winslow
DEATH AT THE SIGN OF THE ROOK, Kate Atkinson
THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS, Janice Hallett
NIGHTWATCHING, Tracy Sierra – Debut
9
HERE ONE MOMENT, Liane Moriarty
THE BLUE HOUR, Paula Hawkins
WHERE THEY LAST SAW HER, Marcie R. Rendon
CLOSE TO DEATH, Anthony Horowitz
8
HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER, Kristen Perrin – Debut
THE FURY, Alex Michaelides
THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM, Laura Dave
BLACK RIVER, Nilanjana Roy
THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING, Jason Rekulak
THE EXAMINER, Janice Hallett
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, Riley Sager
7
ORDINARY BEAR, C. B. Bernard – Debut
YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID, K. T. Nguyen – Debut
CAHOKIA JAZZ, Francis Spufford
WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND, Wanda M. Morris
THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE, Jo Piazza
KILL FOR YOU, KILL FOR ME, Steve Cavanagh
FINDER MYSTERIES, Simon Mason
SHANGHAI, Joseph Kanon
MISSING WHITE WOMAN, Kellye Garrett
DAUGHTER OF MINE, Megan Miranda
WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?, Dervla McTiernan
BLACK WOLF, Juan Gomez-Jurado
THE MURDER OF MR. MA, S. J. Rozan & John Shen Yen Nee
6
WITNESS 8, Steve Cavanagh (in U.S. 2025)
THE DARK WIVES, Ann Cleeves
CALIFORNIA BEAR, Duane Swierczynski
ALTER EGO, Alex Segura
THE BRIAR CLUB, Kate Quinn
THE CRACKED MIRROR, Chris Brookmyre – U.K.
A CALAMITY OF SOULS. David Baldacci
DEADLY ANIMALS, Marie Tierney – Debut
WORDHUNTER, Stella Sands – Debut
HOUSE OF GLASS, Sarah Pekkanen
5
MERCY CHAIR, M. W. Craven – (In U.S. 2025)
SPIRIT CROSSING, William Kent Krueger
DEAD MAN’S LANE, Scott Carson
THE BOYFRIEND, Frieda McFadden
THE TEACHER, Frieda McFadden
BROILER, Eli Cranor
THE EXPECTANT DETECTIVES, Kat Ailes – Debut
ERUPTION, Michael Crichton & James Patterson
DARLING GIRLS, Sally Hepworth
WHITE CITY, Dominic Nolan – U.K.
WILD HORSES, Colin Barrett – Debut
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?, Shari Lapena
HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE, Jeneva Rose
A TALENT FOR MURDER, Peter Swanson
SOUTHERN MAN, Greg Iles