It’s time for the Goodreads Choice awards! The Goodreads Choice Mystery Thriller Nominees for 2025 have been announced and I’ve read almost all of them. Here’s what I thought of this year’s picks!
Goodreads Choice Mystery Thriller Nominees for 2025
Update and a spoiler: Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson WON.
It wasn’t the book I voted for, but I’m a fan of hers so I am happy. And I rest my case about authors with multiple books nominated. It’s NOT a good thing. It splits the vote.
There were 20 nominees for in the Mystery Thriller Category of the Goodreads Choice Awards for 2025
First off, how are the Goodreads Choice Awards nominees chosen?
Here’s what it says on the Goodreads website:
- Books published in the U.S. in English between November 13, 2024 and November 11, 2025, are eligible.
- We analyze statistics from the millions of books added, rated, and reviewed on Goodreads to nominate 20 books in each category.
- Opening round official nominees must have an average rating of 3.50 or higher at the time of launch.
- A book may be nominated in no more than one genre category, but can also be nominated in the Debut Novel and/or Audiobook categories.
- Only one book in a series may be nominated per category.
- An author may receive multiple nominations within a single category if they have more than one eligible series or more than one eligible stand-alone book.
My Take:
The Goodreads Choice Awards are definitely a popularity contest and favor a) authors with large fan bases and b) titles that were picked by major book clubs.
I’m okay with that, but I wish they’d introduce a write-in category for books that didn’t make the list.
I’ve seen complaints about:
1) Freida McFadden domination with multiple titles. I think that could actually lower her chances of winning. I go into my theory in comments and I have EVIDENCE. I’m a mystery reader:)
2) The lack of diversity in all the categories, mystery and thrillers included. I agree. I’d add that the Mystery Thriller authorship in general is not particularly diverse. I try to remedy that in my reading, and if you want to join me, check out this post!
Here are the 2025 Nominees in the Mystery Thriller Category:
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
Alice Feeney has a strong track record, a loyal fanbase and a couple of movies based on her books in production.
Beautiful Ugly wasn’t my favorite of her books and won’t make my personal top of 2025, but she’s talented and I’m glad she’s getting recognition!
Why did this make the list? Feeney has a large UK and growing US fanbase
Who will like this: fans of paranormal suspense!
The Crash by Freida McFadden
I’m not a Freida McFadden hater by any means. I have tried some of her books and I can see her appeal to those who want a quick popcorn read (which I do at times!)
I didn’t read this but it’s the lowest rated (3.7) of her three nominated titles. So I’ll definitely skip it!
Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell
I’m a huge Lisa Jewell fan. I thought Don’t Let Him In was solid, but not one of my absolute favorites of hers. I think for me, the topic of romantic swindlers has been very thoroughly covered by podcasts and documentaries. But that could be just me…
Why did this make the list? Jewell’s None of This Is True was hugely popular and her fanbase is growing, deservedly so!
Who will like this: fans of Dirty John, The Tinder Swindler, etc.
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
I am shocked to find this here. Not because I didn’t like it (I LOVED it!) but because I read so many reviews by people who didn’t . But when I checked Goodreads, this book has over 100k reviews and a 3.7-ish rating.
Why did this make the list? McAllister wrote a former Reese’s Book Club pick and it’s possible that she has a larger UK fan base than I realized. I guess I’m part of her smaller US fanbase?
Who will like this: fans of domestic suspense with a different twist!
Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
Again, a favorite author and a book that was, for me, okay but not her most amazing. (If you write a book every year, not every single one can be amazing!)
But other people really enjoyed Forget Me Not and I’m very happy to see it here!
Why did this make the list? Willingham is a big hit among suspense lovers and has had several of her books as Book of the Month picks.
Who will like this: fans of the “returned to my small town to face on old tragedy” books
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
Okay … I DO think this was her best book. I really enjoyed The Ghostwriter and this is a book I’d vote for.
Why did this make the list? Julie Clark’s The Flight was a huge pandemic hit. I’d like to think this made it on word-of-mouth, though her publisher has done a great job getting the word out about this title!
Who will enjoy this book: fans of past present narratives, those who love books about family dynamics.
Gone Before Goodbye by Harlan Coben and Reese Witherspoon
I was dying to see what the sassy Southern Reese Witherspoon and wacky New Jersey crime writer Harlan Coben would come up with. The result was all Harlan Coben, I thought. While this was a fun page-turner, it had tech and medical themes that weren’t my favorite and as a result, it won’t make my list of best of 2025.
Why did this make the list: double fanbase!
For fans of: books by Michael Crichton and Harlan Coben.
Heartwood by Amity Gaige
I really enjoyed this unusual missing persons story. I sort of dispute its inclusion in the mystery/thriller section, though. This is a dual narrative story, one narrative from the “missing” person.
This could make my best of 2025 list, as it was beautifully written and really interesting. But putting this in mystery/thriller and Wild Dark Shore in fiction is a weird call.
Why did this make the list? Amity Gage is a really excellent writer who successfully spans the literary/commercial divide. This book was a GMA Book Club pick.
For fans of: A Wild Dark Shore, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and God of the Woods (which won last year in the Mystery Thriller category).
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
I’m a huge fan of this series. I thought this installment was high on charm and banter and a little low on plot, but I’m not mad at all about it making the list.
Why did The Impossible Fortune make the list? This series hits the sweet spot between thrills, suspense, humor and heart. It has a lot of fans, and deservedly so!
Who will like this? fans of cozy mysteries that balance humor and sleuthing.
The Intruder by Freida McFadden
I decided to try one McFadden book in 2025 and I was lucky to pick the highest-rated one on Goodreads.
I didn’t love it. The Intruder had extremely short chapters which chopping up a slim plot into tiny bites; tepid world building, and a plot I’d seen before.
Why did this book make the list? I have to give McFadden credit at filling a need. There are a lot of readers who want thriller brain candy and a book with straightforward plots and lots of twists. And she delivers!
Who will like this? Freida’s fans!
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
I have read two S.A. Cosby books: this one and All the Sinners Bleed. I often feel like authors are either storytellers or writers, but rarely both. Cosby just has innate talent for crafting unforgettable characters, tapping into raw emotions, and writing books that just grab you by the throat. I’d vote for it in a heartbeat!
Why did King of Ashes make the list? It’s American crime fiction at its finest!
Who will like King of Ashes: readers who are up for graphic violence and an emotionally intense experience.
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers
I thought true crime podcaster Ashley Flowers’s debut novel, All Good People Here, was a solid effort. But a LOT of readers absolutely hated the open ending.
The Missing Half was the opposite: it got off to a slow start for me, but the ending really surprised me … in a good way! It got me!
Why is The Missing Half on the list? Flowers’s huge Crime Junkie fan base
Who will like The Missing Half? fans of 2010s suspense, like The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
Holly Jackson is a popular young adult author with a trilogy and a Netflix series (both called A Good Girls Guide to Murder.)
While this did have a YA mystery feel to me, Jackson is a writer who excels at creating the kind of snarky and relatable characters that YA readers love.
Why is Not Quite Dead Yet on the list? Holly Jackson’s loyal fan base.
Who will like this? Fans of shows like Veronica Mars.
The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose
Jeneva Rose started out writing chick lit and hit it out of the park with her “Presumed Innocent” inspired thriller, The Perfect Marriage.
I was not expecting a sequel, but sequels are in. But can a book be TOO twisty? Because The Perfect Divorce might have twisted me around so much that I wasn’t sure which way I was facing.
Why is this on the list? Jeneva Rose has a lot of fans for her dark domestic suspense stories.
Who will like this? Fans of morally grey characters and twisty stories.
Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
Haters are going to hate, I guess. People make fun of Dan Brown’s writing style and then his ex-wife claimed she was the one who came up with the idea of The Da Vinci Code (sorry about the paywall!)
But Brown has remarried and persisted with his Robert Langdon series. The Economist called Secret of Secrets a “silly blend of fact and fiction,” but he clearly does have loyal fans!
The Tenant by Freida McFadden
This is McFadden’s third book on the Mystery Thriller list.
I have not read this one, so I’ll ask a question (feel free to answer in comments).
Do you think it’s unfair for an author to have multiple books on the list?
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Woman by Jesse Q. Sutanto
I didn’t LOVE the first book in this cozy series, but I think Vera Wong #2 was a lot better: Vera had assembled a Scooby gang, plus the plot was more interesting and incorporated some issues that seniors face (though I’m not sure Vera is THAT old…)
Why is this book on the list: there ‘s a lot of love for Vera and Jesse Q. Sutanto is a popular and prolific author of books in multiple genres. She writes cozies, like Dial A for Aunties, psychological suspense, like I’m Not Done With You Yet. And YA.
This book is for: fans of humorous cozies.
We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
I was a Karin Slaughter fan but I got really burned out on her Grant County series and the horrific violence in them. I kept reading her standalones, and when I saw that she was starting a new series, I decided to try it.
I LOVED We Are All Guilty Here. I wish she’d leave violence against women out of just ONE book, but I guess it’s her chosen issue (platform?) and this book was expertly crafted and absolutely spellbinding. It’s one of the three books I’d vote for!
The Widow by John Grisham
I hadn’t read a John Grisham book in ages. I know that many readers found this one slow paced and draggy, but I enjoyed the character study and then the legal wrangling.
I wouldn’t vote for it, but I give Grisham credit for mixing it up with this hapless morally grey character!
You Killed Me First by John Marrs
I have nothing to say about this one! I had never heard of it until today. If you have read this author before, leave me a comment and give me the scoop!
Included in the Historical Fiction Category:
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown
This book is arguably as much of a thriller as Heartwood or God of the Woods and it will definitely be on my Best of 2025 list. When you read the synopsis, you might be like “huh,” but everyone I’ve recommended this book to has loved it!
What are your thoughts on this nomination list? Tell me in comments!
Check out my other posts on Best of 2025 Lists!
Okay I’m gonna be the person to tell you to run and read any of John Marrs’ books! I read What Lies Between Us for a local book club last year and I was floored. I read You Killed Me First a few months ago and while it’s also very good, I preferred What Lies Between Us a little more. I’ll be reading anything he puts out from now on!
I agree re: Freida McFadden’s books being alllll on this list. Maybe this will prompt Goodreads to have a caveat regarding multiple works by the same author in the same category? I know it’s unusual to have an author write a book a minute like she does, but I still feel like this should have been considered since it took away opportunities for more (imo) deserving reads…..
Thanks!! What Lies Between Us is officially on the TBR!
I looked at the GR awards rules for the past three or four years and allowing multiple titles for an author isn’t something new. I agree with those who say it’s unfair, but also I wonder if it also splits the vote and makes it less likely for an author with multiple titles to win?
Here’s the history if you are interested. McFadden was nominated for The Housemaid in 2022 (I guess that was the year it was traditionally published because it’s been around for longer than that!) But she didn’t win.
In 2023, she won for The Housemaid’s Secret. That was the only book she had nominated.
In 2024, she had two titles: The Boyfriend and The Teacher. God of the Woods won with 82,602 votes, while The Boyfriend got 57,069 and The Teacher got 56,944. Split vote!