What Were the Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024? I’m going to do my post a little differently this year, as I analyze lists by major media outlets AND share my own. Plus I want to know what you think! Let’s discuss it!
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The Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024
Last year I did a big survey post of The Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023 that looked at which books appeared on the most major “best of” lists. I find these lists interesting and also helpful in highlighting great books I might have missed.
Most Mentioned Books on Best of 2024 lists: have you read these?
- God of the Woods by Liz Moore (review link): I loved this but it’s a slow burn mystery/suspense
- What Happened to Nina by Dervla McTiernan: going to check this one out and report back! The premise sounded pretty common, so I skipped it!
- All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker: I’m reading this now and … I love the idea of it but I don’t love an omniscient POV in a mystery. I want accountability!
- The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak (review link): this surprised me, but I recommend it for fans of Harlan Coben
- We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (review link): I didn’t like this as much as Thursday Murder Club, but it was enjoyable.
What’s on My List?
I make a case for ALL my picks in my full Jen’s Picks: Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024 list, but here’s the list with links to all my reviews! Check out the full post where I help you find books that you will love!
- The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (also a Barnes and Noble pick!)
- Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
- Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney
- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (also a Goodreads, NY Times and Amazon pick)
- Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose (also a Goodreads pick)
- Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh (also an Amazon pick)
- Murder Road by Simone St James
- The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (also a NYT pick)
- One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
- The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
What’s New in 2024?
- This year’s lists have far less overlap (interesting!) so I will analyze each list more in depth and try to highlight possible books for YOU based on what you like to read.
- I’m going to quickly summarize each list here AND also give each list its own post
- I’ll highlight titles on each list that will appeal to fans of other popular books
If you want all my hot takes and unpopular opinions on how these lists are curated, I go into that in depth in last year’s Best of 2023 post. But in short, it’s good to consider:
- Who is making the list?
- What is their role in the publishing world? Bookseller? Book reviewer?
- What are their criteria?
- What interesting patterns and preferences do their lists reveal?
There is not much transparency on this in large organizations.
The Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024: Amazon Editors’ Picks
Who are the Amazon editors?
I’m not really sure. Amazon is both a bookseller and a publisher (Thomas & Mercer, Montlake, Lake Union and Mindy’s Book Studio.)
Overall, I found Amazon’s list pretty balanced, with a good blend of subgenres. There were books I had read and was very familiar with, but many that were new to me. It’s actually a good list to check out.
A few books I’m going to check out on the Amazon Best of 2024 Mystery and Thriller list:
Wordhunter by Stella Stands, about a woman with exceptional linguistic abilities. It sounds interesting, but the Goodreads reviews of this are harsh.
Lost Man’s Lane by Scott Carson, about a teenager who helps a local PI actually makes headway in a case. I am a huge Veronica Mars fan and love unusual detectives. This has a high Goodreads rating, so I am optimistic!
What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris, as I’m a fan of the author and behind on her books!
You can find the whole Amazon Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024 List here with my comments!
The Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024: Barnes and Noble Picks
The Barnes and Noble list seems to lean very commercial and I suspect is picked either by popularity or publisher marketing.
This list has a higher percentage of books that I’ve read (half rather than my usual one-third). So I didn’t find any new titles except:
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker, because it’s on so many lists.
Find the full Barnes and Noble Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024 list here with my commentary!
Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024: Crime Reads
I always confuse Crime Reads with Novel Suspects. Both are websites that promote mysteries and thrillers. But Crime Reads is affiliated with LitHub, while Novel Suspects is owned by Hachette Publishing (which includes mystery thriller imprints Grand Central and Mulholland).
On their site, Crime Reads has lists of best Historical Mysteries, Horror, Espionage Fiction, and more.
Because my blog audience loves psychological suspense, I checked out the Crime Reads picks for The Best Psychological Thrillers of 2024, which I found HEAVY on characters who were socialites and influencers (NOT my favorite). I did not enjoy this list and I’ll tell you why here!
The Best Crime Novels of 2024, which the editors admit is heavily weighted toward small presses and hard boiled titles, could be worth a look if you like Noir Fiction. I’m not opposed to it, and here are some of my own Noir favorites from over the years.
Goodreads Choice Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024
I’ve seen a lot of people on social media complaining that Goodreads Awards is a “popularity contest” and uh… that is (literally) true. Goodreads members vote for their favorite books in different categories.
Though the Goodreads list is weighted heavily toward celebrity book club books (Reese, Jenna, GMA), I found the Mystery and Thriller list surprisingly balanced.
I have read EVERY book on this list except one (sorry, Society of Lies, I will try to get to you!) so I have no new discoveries on this list, BUT check out my full post on the Goodreads Choice Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024 to find the books on the list that are perfect for you!
Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024: New York Times
The New York Times has two lists: Crime Fiction and Thrillers.
Just one complaint: most of the books on the the “thrillers” are NOT thrillers (see my definition of a thriller here.)
If you a) love historical mysteries and b) are looking to diversify your mystery reading, check out the Crime Fiction List. It is heavy on historical mystery and also had several titles with LGBTQ detectives, including a transgender detective.
The “thriller” list had some good picks, like God of the Woods and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, but also some very low rated on Goodreads books.
Check out the New York Times Best Crime Fiction (Mystery Thriller) of 2024 lists and my commentary!
The Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024: Washington Post
Oh, Washington Post. I thought I found some good picks on your list, but I have some complaints about this year’s list. My main complaint is that your list has too many series books, which is not helpful for those who don’t want to read a whole series just to get to the book you recommended.
Check out the full Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024: Washington Post Picks and my commentary.