Washington Post Best Mystery Thrillers of 2025

The Washington Post just released their list of the Best Mystery and Thriller Books of 2025. What books made the list? What do I think? Let’s discuss!

Washington Post Best Mystery Thrillers of 2025

The Washington Post shares an owner with Amazon, but their lists are quite different. Once again, there’s not much transparency about the process of book selection, but I assume they are picked by the WaPo Book Review editors, led by John Williams.

I have read six books on this list, so let’s discuss!

The Ascent by Allison Buccola 

I am not the biggest fan of books with cult themes, so I passed on this one, but I requested it from the library to take a look. Have you read it? Tell me in the comments!

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr 

I did read this and it was a fun read. For me, not at the level of “best of” but if you enjoy books that take place in the tech world, give it a try!

Heartwood by Amity Gaige 

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of God of the Woods. Both have strong themes of nature, disappearances, being lost and found, etc. It’s sort of mystery-adjacent but I enjoy books like that.

King of Ashes by SA Cosby 

Not surprised to see this again. It’s on almost every list!

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson 

I was surprised to see this one! It has a fun premise of a dying woman determined to solve her own murder, but the style and feel of the book felt a bit young adult to me. I enjoyed it, but many people found the main character a bit insufferable (I mean, she was in a pretty unusual situation….)

The Note by Alafair Burke 

This was a solid book for me, but not a top standout. I love a good “girls trip” mystery and all the women on the trip had secrets.

A Thousand Natural Shocks by Omar Hussain 

I have been meaning to check this one out! I like suspense books with reporters as main characters. Have you read this one? Share your thoughts in comments!

The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin

This one intrigued me, though I didn’t have time to read it. It’s a debut novel that takes place in New Zealand and has that ” back to your small hometown” premise.

Have you read it? Give us your take in the comments!

We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinsborough 

This is paranormal, which isn’t typically my thing, but it’s also a modern Gothic, so I’d love to read it at some point. Have you? Tell me if I need to prioritize it!

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown 

This is another non-traditional mystery. It takes place in the 90s and leans toward being a coming of age story. But it’s very suspenseful and a book I found hard to put down. I’m happy to see it represented in Historical Fiction on the Goodreads List!