2024's Best-Loved Mystery, Thriller, and Crime Bestsellers

Ten years ago while gallivanting in Paris, seven Australian soldiers witnessed a murder. Now, two are dead. Bert and Cec don’t want to be next, so they turn to their friend Phryne Fisher for help.

They were part of a group of soldiers in 1918. And as fate would have it, Phryne was also in Montparnasse that same violent day.

It’s bad enough that the investigation raises memories of Phryne’s own days in Paris, but an unexpected wedding is throwing her household into disarray.

To regain her peace and save her friends, she needs to solve a murder from the past before it’s too late.

Thirty years after it was first published, this collection of short stories proves that Mr. Campion isn’t going anywhere.

The stories range from classic capers to Christmastime tales, all highlighting the wit and range of Margery Allingham.

Whether it’s a traditional British mystery or a tale dashed with romance, there is something for everyone—and more than a little of Mr. Campion added for good measure.

Who doesn’t love a holiday getaway?

This collection of fourteen stories from the golden age of British crime fiction features some of the era's biggest names. It includes rare stories that can’t be found anywhere else, each one combining the pleasure of a luxury holiday with a detective twist. 

Editor Martin Edwards includes a brief history of each author that sheds light on their writing and career.

The first four books in the Skeleton Detective series introduces readers to Professor Gideon Oliver.

With mysteries that are more down to earth, but no less dangerous, these first cases follow Gideon as he uses the secrets of the past to unlock the clues necessary to solve present-day murders.

The first four books in the Skeleton Detective series introduce readers to Professor Gideon Oliver.

With mysteries that are more down to earth, but no less dangerous, these first cases follow Gideon as he uses the secrets of the past to unlock the clues necessary to solve present-day murders.

The first four books in the Skeleton Detective series introduce readers to Professor Gideon Oliver.

With mysteries that are more down to earth, but no less dangerous, these first cases follow Gideon as he uses the secrets of the past to unlock the clues necessary to solve present-day murders.

John Dickson Carr was one of the most popular Golden Age mystery authors, garnering praise from the Queen of Mysteries, Agatha Christie.

In his widely lauded masterpiece, The Hollow Man, readers were introduced to Dr. Gideon Fell, a wickedly smart sleuth. In these three novels, Fell proves why he was the terror of every London criminal and the envy of Scotland Yard.

When the English Resident of the small state of Rajpore doesn’t answer his door the morning after the 1909 New Year’s Ball, his valet convinces the local police to break it down. Inside, the Resident is dead.

The wealthy Maharaja is called to the scene where he deduces the Resident was poisoned. British authorities send their own investigator, giving the Maharaja a ticking clock.

Suspecting that the British have their own reasons for hiding the truth, he has to solve the murder before their inspector arrives.

Detective Inspector Jack Laidlaw is Glasgow’s original gritty detective. Joining forces for the first time, Ian Rankin and William McIlvanney take readers back to Glasgow, Laidlaw’s original stomping ground.

This prequel goes back to the beginning, detailing his first case where gangs, police, politicians, and innocent bystanders are caught in the endless battle of crime and corruption.

Lord Peter Wimsey works through his Great War shellshock through a variety of hobbies. And while collecting rare books and sampling fine wines are satisfying enough, they don’t hold a candle to catching criminals.

In this collection of four, Lord Wimsey stars in four puzzling whodunits as told by one of the greatest mystery writers of his time.

Baltimore’s most eligible mortician finds himself sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong—again. When a young nanny is fished out of the river, the police call it a suicide.

But something doesn’t sit right with Hitch. 

Navigating criminal politicians, right-wing religious fanatics, and a tabloid journalist who only wants to find Hitch’s ex, he has to sort through the noise so that he can find out what really happened to the nanny.

It’s 1932, and amid crisis and doubt, the R.M.S. Aquitania is finally returning home after months abroad.

Rowland Sinclair finds himself dining with interesting passengers, including a retired World Prophet, a Bishop, and a suffragette. But when people start dying, the air of elegance and civility turns hostile.

And in the middle of all that tension, Rowland finds himself in pursuit of a killer.

If anyone knows how well crime truly pays, it’s the Bruschetti brothers. Sal, Max, and Enzo have a lifetime of nefarious activity that they’ve kept hidden from the police.

When Max decides it’s time for the family to retire, a young actor overhears their final plans. Only, when Henry tries to warn the intended victim of their intentions, he finds himself on the wrong side of the law with a killer on his tail.

His acting skills may come in handy, but nothing will prepare him for what happens next.

Every year, Adrian Gray invites his extended family to stay with him over the holidays.

None of his children are fond of him. Several family members want him dead.

As they gather on Christmas Eve, they find that by the next morning, their wish has been granted.

But which of his children killed him? And why?

The world in 1893 finds itself in a dangerous and unpredictable situation. Professor Moriarity uses the tensions in the East to sow dissent and create his plan for world domination.

Only one man is capable of stopping him. But is Sherlock Holmes alive and up to the task. Starting in a train to Russia, a thrilling global chase begins and the missing years of Sherlock Holmes finally come to light.

A pair of vintage motorbikes from World War II are Alice Somerville’s inheritance. Only, her grandfather buried them in a Highland peat bog.

When she finally unearths them, she discovers more than the bikes—there’s also a dead body. DCI Karen Pirie is called to investigate how a body with modern Nike trainers ended up in the bog.

With every clue, it becomes more obvious that nothing in this case is what it appears to be. But the biggest problem is she seems to be the only one interested in justice.

The case of serial killer Christopher Masters was solved and shut. He abducted several women, four victims in total, and was found guilty.

But the last victim, a woman named Holly Kemp, was never found. Even more disturbing, Masters never confessed to killing her. When her remains are found six years later, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is relieved they can finally close the case for good.

Only, as she and her partner take a closer look, details don’t align. And the closer they look, the more danger they’re in.

Someone will go to great lengths to keep their secrets hidden—including murdering a police officer asking too many questions.

Katie Warren knows the road leading to her aunt’s country house on Lake Michigan well. She navigates through the dark and fog, reaching the mansion gates, only for a figure to appear in her headlights before she can stop.

The collision results in her aunt’s longtime companion dying. A companion Katie wasn’t exactly on good terms with. That makes her the prime suspect.

But when Katie realizes the death wasn’t an accident, she knows there’s more to the story. With a mansion full of suspects, she intends to clear her name and find a killer.

A corporate executive is found dead in a parking garage in the middle of Rio de Janeiro. It appears to be a clear-cut case of robbery gone wrong.

But Inspector Espinosa knows that nothing in the city is what it seems. First, his briefcase is missing. And there’s the matter of him taking out a million-dollar life insurance policy.

His mistress is missing, and his wife is acting suspiciously. And when two more bodies appear, Espinosa knows he needs to kick his investigation into high gear before anyone else dies.

Retired professor Andrew Basnett wants nothing more than a quiet holiday. That’s why he heads to the quiet seaside town of Gallmouth.

When he runs into his nephew, Peter Dilly, it’s an unexpected surprise. And it sets off a series of unpredictable events.

First, Andrew’s invited to a local novelist’s home, where the author’s sister-in-law is found dead and Peter is the prime suspect.

Now, it’s up to Andrew to clear his nephew’s name and find a murderer before they strike again.

It was supposed to be an ordinary trip. But when a chemist goes missing, an artist is kidnapped, and a poet is murdered, it quickly becomes obvious to Shelia Grant that this journey will be anything but normal.

Even worse, Shelia’s life is in danger. Fleeing across the Scottish Highlands, she seeks a man named Appleby, the only person who can keep her alive.

He has no idea he’s Sheila’s best hope to survive. And with a killer on her trail, she can only hope to find Appleby before it’s too late. 

Jamison Maddox’s life as a Wall Street Broker is over. His reputation is marred after he’s convicted of insider trading, he has no choice but to take a research job in the quiet town of Redemption, Illinois.

It doesn’t take long for him to realize that the work he’s doing might be illegal. So, when the beautiful co-worker he’s falling for asks him to run away, he enthusiastically agrees.

It doesn’t take long for the company to pursue them hellbent on making sure the company secrets stay that way.

But even more dangerous are the secrets his companion is hiding. Secrets that might be more deadly than the people they’re running from.

In the early morning hours, on the sand dunes in the lowlands of the Netherlands, a jogger finds a dead body. Police identify the corpse as Peter Geffel, or Cunning Pete.

But outside of the dagger sticking out of his back, the scene is absent of any other clues. Homicide Detective DeKok answers their call for local assistance.

As he and his sidekick Vledder trawl the streets of Amsterdam, another body appears.

How is Cunning Pete’s death tied to a murder in higher social circles? That’s what DeKok is going to find out.

Though he was once an army officer, Stephen Munro takes a job as a footman in Wintringham Hall to make ends meet.

His first task is welcoming the Lady Susan Carey’s guests to a weekend house party. When an after-dinner séance leads to the Lady’s nephew going missing, Stephen and another guest volunteer to search for the lad.

After all, it’s likely a childish prank.

But when they stumble across a body, the evening takes a far more sinister tone, and it’s up to Stephen to find a killer before they strike again.