The 25 Best Mystery Novels of the Past 25 Years
This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
About this list
Wall Street Journal, 25 Books
This list shines a spotlight on the 25 best mystery novels of the past 25 years, emphasizing the emergence of new writers in the crime fiction genre while still acknowledging the contributions of seasoned authors. Curated by Tom Nolan for the Wall Street Journal, the selection prioritizes narratives that tell gripping stories in memorable ways, with a preference for those who have risen to prominence in recent decades. The methodology appears to focus on the storytelling prowess and impact of each novel rather than popularity or sales figures.
Who Voted: Tom Nolan
This list was originally published in 2025 and was added to this site 11 months ago.
| Rank | Book | Authors | Year | Country | Language | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17152 | All Things Cease To Appear | Elizabeth Brundage | 2016 | American | English | |
| 17152 | Big Sky | Kate Atkinson | 2019 | British | English | |
| 7690 | Birnam Wood | Eleanor Catton | 2023 | New Zealand | English | |
| 5661 | Bluebird, Bluebird | Attica Locke | 2017 | American | English | |
| 7137 | Bury Your Dead | Louise Penny | 2010 | Canadian | English | |
| 17152 | Dark Sacred Night | Michael Connelly | 2018 | American | English | |
| 3389 | Death Of A Red Heroine | Qiu Xiaolong | 2000 | Chinese | English | |
| 17152 | Elegy For April | John Banville | 1993 | Irish | English | |
| 17152 | Find You First | Linwood Barclay | 2021 | Canadian | English | |
| 9029 | The Hunter | Tana French | 2024 | Irish | English | |
| 17152 | Iq | Joe Ide | 2016 | American | English | |
| 17152 | The It Girl | Ruth Ware | 2022 | British | English | |
| 17152 | The Last Equation Of Isaac Severy | Nova Jacobs | 2018 | American | English | |
| 17152 | The Long Drop | Denise Mina | 2017 | Scottish | English | |
| 7998 | Magpie Murders | Anthony Horowitz | 2016 | British | English | |
| 17152 | One Shot Harry | Gary Phillips | 2022 | Unknown | English | |
| 14985 | The Plot | Jean Hanff Korelitz | 2021 | American | English | |
| 14985 | Razorblade Tears | S. A. Cosby | 2021 | American | English | |
| 7922 | Small Mercies | Dennis Lehane | 2023 | American | English | |
| 17152 | A Talent For Murder | Peter Swanson | 2024 | Unknown | English | |
| 14232 | The Thursday Murder Club | Richard Osman | 2020 | British | English | |
| 17152 | The Turnout | Megan Abbott | 2021 | American | English | |
| 17152 | The Twenty Year Death | Ariel S. Winter | 2012 | American | English | |
| 5421 | What The Dead Know | Laura Lippman | 2007 | American | English | |
| 9912 | Your House Will Pay | Steph Cha | 2019 | American | English |