I have analyzed the major “Best of 2023” lists, I have crunched the numbers, and I am here to evaluate what others think are the Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023 AND let you know what I think. How many of these books have you read? What do YOU think? I hope you will let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Written and edited by Jen Ryland. Last updated on:
Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023
This post will go over:
- My process for evaluating the Best Mysteries and Thriller Books of 2023
- What are the top books that six major media outlets picked as the year’s best Mysteries and Thrillers?
- Which of these books are on MY Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023 list
- What 2023 Mysteries and Thrillers you might consider reading based on your interests
How Did I Make This Best Mystery and Thriller Book List?
I talk a little about my process last year in my Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2022 list. This year my process is a little different.’
In evaluating ANY list, I look at who is making it and what their selection process is. None of the major lists I analyzed has a transparent selection process.
These are the lists I analyzed: Goodreads, Amazon, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Barnes and Noble. Last year I included the NY Times, but this year they put their list behind a paywall.
Jen Ryland Reviews Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023 Process:
- I compared all the major lists and looked at what books appeared on the most lists
- I analyzed ALL the Goodreads ratings and which of ALL the selected books had the highest ratings
- I grouped the books by theme and subgenre so you can find selections in your areas of interest
Mysteries and Thrillers Appearing on the most lists:
Links lead to my review!
On FIVE Best of Lists!
I have read and can get behind these! All the Sinners Bleed is a great read that’s political, personal, and pretty thrilling. Bright Young Women is a fictionalized version of some of Ted Bundy’s crimes.
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
On Three Best of Lists:
I also really enjoyed these three. The Only One Left is Gothic suspense, The Last Devil to Die is a poignant installment in a cozy series I really enjoyed, and Small Mercies was hard-boiled historical fiction that set a mystery against racial tensions in 1970s Boston.
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
The Devil to Die by Richard Osman
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
On Two Best of Lists:
These were two more unconventional mysteries. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, while not my favorite of this author’s books, followed a meddling mother solving mysteries from her tea shop. I Have Some Questions for You was excessively long in my opinion, but asked questions about the true crime craze and who it actually serves.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
My Picks for Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023
MY TOP TEN MYSTERIES AND THRILLERS OF 2023!
I didn’t try to pick a book from each sub-genre I read, but it worked out that way. Note: I don’t really read horror, historical mysteries (though I did read Small Mercies), or very many cozies.
JEN’s PICKS FOR BEST HARDBOILED/PROCEDURAL CRIME NOVELS OF 2023:
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
When I reviewed this back in the summer I (correctly) predicted it would top the “best of 2023” lists. An amazing book that touched on social issues, personal and family issues and tied it all up with an investigation into a serial killer in a small town.
The Taken Ones by Jess Lourey
This book is more under the radar but was an unexpected surprise. I thought it was a fantastic story that reminded me of some of the great procedurals of the 1980s and 90s and I am so happy it will be a series.
JEN’S PICK FOR BEST CLASSIC/COZY MYSTERY OF 2023:
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
I love this series and the way it blends amateur detectives with former intelligence operatives with small town life in a retirement home with poignant humor. This installment was great!
JEN’S PICK FOR BEST NON-TRADITIONAL MYSTERIES OF 2023:
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
I read this recently and just put up a short Goodreads review, but I understand the high ratings. It’s not traditional at all but really original.
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
I’m a language nerd and I loved how Kim explored the role of language and narrative in both life and in explaining the unexpected.
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the structure of Bright Young Women but I think this was a very original hybrid between a true crime novel and fiction. It also takes a feminist look at the role of women in the criminal justice system and in true crime narratives.
JEN’S PICK FOR THE MOST CHILLING PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE OF 2023:
The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard
The twist in this one was so disturbing to me that I refused to see it at first. Thankfully, some fellow readers helped me out in my Spoiler Review of The Trap.
JEN’S PICK FOR THE MOST DISCUSSION-WORTHY PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE OF 2023:
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Again, my readers came through. I thought that None of this is True was a pretty straightforward story of a con artist and her mark. But I should have paid attention to the title.
My readers who participated in my Spoiler Discussion of None of This is True made me see the book in a whole new way!
JEN’S PICK FOR BEST POPCORN THRILLER OF 2023:
Zero Days by Ruth Ware
Ruth Ware had one of my favorite classic mysteries of 2022, so I was surprised and thrilled when she switched it up and showed up in 2023 with a breathlessly-paced, page turning, action-packed read. The high-octane thriller is a subgenre dominated by men (Coben, Child, Swanson). I loved that Zero Days is a female-forward action thriller with a tech subplot. My Spoiler Discussion for Zero Days is here.
It’s being made into a movie, and I am NOT surprised!
JEN’S PICK FOR THE BEST GOTHIC SUSPENSE OF 2023:
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Riley Sager has been putting out suspenseful borderline horror books for years and I thought his last book was weird and disappointing, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that he tried his hand at one of my favorite subgenres: Gothic suspense.
Sager took Gothic tropes and had fun with them. This was a well-crafted book that really kept me guessing right until the end. You may need my Spoiler Discussion of The Only One Left to keep it all straight.
Top 10 Books By Goodreads Rating on ALL Best of Mystery and Thriller Lists
Goodreads ratings are accurate as of early December 2023
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman: 4.56
One Last Kill by Robert Dugong: 4.5
The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths: 4.46
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger: 4.4
After That Night by Karin Slaughter: 4.38
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane: 4.33
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby: 4.3
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb: 4.29
The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden: 4.28
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent: 4.25
Picks for Readers Who Love Historical Mysteries
I’m seeing some interesting new (and old) trends in these lists, and I will be writing about those in my weekly newsletter in 2024. Subscribe now if you want to receive it!
But I think the largest representation overall on the 2023 Best of Lists are historical mysteries. I don’t read historical mysteries that often, but if you do, here are some top rated picks:
The Benevolent Society for Ill Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman (set in London in the1810s)
A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales (set in London in the 1810s-20s)
Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke (set during the Civil War)
The Devil’s Playground by Craig Russell (set in 1920s Hollywood)
Golden Gate by Amy Chua (set in 1940s San Francisco)
The River We Remembered by William Kent Krueger (set in 1950s Michigan)
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane (set in 1970s Boston)
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead (set New York in the 1970s)
Are you curious about the lists I chose for my project? Below are the Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes and Noble Lists below. The WaPo, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly lists were much more quirky and have less overlap. Send me an email at jen@jenryland.com and I will email you those lists.
Goodreads Best Mystery and Thriller Books of 2023 List
All the Dangerous Things by Stacey Willingham
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Homecoming by Kate Morton
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Amazon’s Best Mystery and Thriller 2023 List
Age of Vice by Deepit Kapoor
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie
Bright Young Women by Jessica Kroll
Drowning by T. J. Newman
Going Zero by Anthony McCartin
Golden Gate by Amy Chua
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
Mother Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Pet by Catherine Chidgey
The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb
Barnes and Noble Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023
There are a lot of sub-lists which you can find here!
After That Night by Karin Slaughter
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose
Zero Days by Ruth Ware
Thanks for checking out my analysis of the Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023. I want to know your favorites of 2023. Please let me know in the comments!
Good list. I’ve posted 95 best mystery/thriller lists on Deadly Pleasures if you are interested in more than 6 lists.
Thanks, George! It’s so interesting how some books come up over and over and other lists have so little overlap. I find that the Publishers Weekly and Kirkus lists tend to be the most taste-specific and often have books that aren’t widely read (and sometimes aren’t highly rated by the average reader). But I always find a few unsung gems on every list to try. The bookseller and newspaper lists tend to be more broadly commercial.