Best Murder Mystery and Thriller Books to Read in 2024

Welcome fans of heart-pounding suspense and mind-bending twists! In this blog, we’ll dive into the captivating realm of crime and thriller books, where each turn of the page promises an adrenaline rush and a new puzzle to solve.

Mystery, Crime and Thriller books by Indian Authors

First, let’s begin by exploring some of the best thriller books by Indian authors. From the bustling streets of Mumbai to the serene backwaters of Kerala, Indian authors bring a unique perspective to the mystery books genre.

Hot Stage by Anita Nair

When elderly Professor Mudgood, a well-known rationalist and fervent critic of right-wing forces in India, is found dead in his home in Bangalore by his daughter, ACP Borei Gowda is quite certain that it is a homicide.

Although all evidence points to the murder being politically motivated, the more Gowda delves into the case, the more convinced he is that it isn’t an assassination. As he and his team launch a parallel investigation, they stumble upon a secret and murky world where there are no rules or mercy. When Gowda’s hand is forced, he takes a calculated risk and infiltrates the sinister domain to bring the truth out into the open … Will he succeed? And at what price?

Vivid with detail and taut with suspense, Hot Stage is at once a cracking police procedural and an intense exploration of the squalor and vice that fester in the shadowy lanes of an urban sprawl.

Read an excerpt here.

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Razor Sharp – A Kutta Kadam Thriller by Ashwin Sanghi

A baffling crime. A rundown ex-cop. But he’s their best bet.

A city on edge

A ruthless serial killer stalks the streets of Mumbai, leaving behind a gruesome trail of tortured victims. As the city reels in terror, the authorities grapple with a vital question: What links these seemingly random targets?

A dogged investigator

Enter Prakash Kadam, once a decorated cop but now an angry, bitter wreck of a man haunted by his past. Summoned to put an end to the madness, he finds himself neck-deep in an investigation mired in police sluggishness and antiquated forensics.

A deadly game

As old enmities resurface and perplexing twists in the case push him to the limit, can Kadam find the killer before it is too late? Or will he lose someone close to him—again?

With Razor Sharp, the first book in an exciting new series, Ashwin Sanghi demonstrates yet again his undisputed mastery at writing complex and gripping crime books, that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

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The Stolen Necklace: A Small Crime in a Small Town by Shevlin Sebastian & V.K. Thajudheen

When V.K. Thajudheen, a middle-aged man working in Doha, returned to his hometown, Kannur, after a few years, little did he know that instead of celebrating his daughter’s summer wedding he would be put behind bars for stealing a gold necklace.

The local police, smug at apprehending a criminal in record time, wanted a confession to lock it in. Horrified and bewildered, Thajudheen showed proof that he had been busy with the wedding at the time of the crime. But all proof he provided crumbled in the face of the CCTV footage from that day, for it showed clearly that it was Thajudheen on the scooter, riding away from the crime scene. But how could he be in two places at the same time?

And so started a cat-and-mouse game between Thajudheen and the police-the former trying to prove his innocence and the latter hell-bent on pinning the crime on Thajudheen. The media caught whiff of this case and the whole of Kannur was talking about it.

The Stolen Necklace might seem to about a small crime in a small town, but with its incredible twists and turns, it is ultimately the story of a common man who fought the system and pulled off a miraculous victory.

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Ela’s Unfinished Business by Gayatri

On the surface, Beri Shola appears to be a quiet, charming hill town dotted with boarding schools and tourist traps. Like many such remnants of the colonial Raj across India, it is steeped in history and eccentric traditions. Its locals are a hodgepodge from across the country that Beri Shola accepts as its own.

Piu, a forty-something therapist with a penchant for magazine quizzes, has left her old life behind to set up practice here. Sure, business isn’t booming, but she has a variety of patients and an ‘it’s complicated’ love life that keep her suitably busy.

Then, a week before the much-anticipated annual flower show, beautiful and well-connected Rose is murdered and a new patient, Ela, stumbles into Piu’s office, certain that she’s murdered someone. And life in Beri Shola begins to unravel.

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The Zamindar’s Ghost by Khayaal Patel

An idyllic town.

A haunted manor.

Five deaths.

Ooty, 1933

Presumed dead in a bloody coup to quell Indian revolutionaries, Arjun Rana returns to the sleepy town of Ooty after six years, throwing the townsfolk, and his household, in disarray.

Troubled by the suicide of his father, Zamindar Digvijay Rana, Arjun tries his best to live up to the town’s expectations as he takes up the mantle of zamindar. Little does he know that his detractors are many, and formidable. Within days of his arrival a spate of unexplained deaths occur. The town doctor does not have a clear assessment, the local head constable thinks they are the work of a spy sent by the revolutionaries to bring down the British East India Company, but the townsfolk speak in hushed whispers:

The ghost of Zamindar Digvijay Rana is responsible for the deaths.

As events hurl towards a chilling climax, the residents of the quaint little town will discover that eachof them is right in their assumptions and each of them is wrong …

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International Mystery and Crime Books

Here are some of the best psychological thriller books to read by international authors! Join thousands of readers on a journey across continents and cultures with these crime and mystery books.

The Bookstore Mystery Series by Sue Minix

This mystery series includes 6 titles all taking place at a bookstore:

1. Murder at the Bookstore
2. The Murderous Type
3. A Chapter on Murder
4. A Cover for Murder
5. Sentenced to Murder
6. A Murderous Plot

(Click the links to read more!)

End of Story by A. J. Finn

This is the chilling invitation from Sebastian Trapp, renowned mystery novelist, to his long-time correspondent Nicky Hunter, an expert in detective fiction. Welcomed into his lavish San Francisco mansion, Nicky begins to unravel Trapp’s life story under the watchful eyes of his enigmatic wife and plainspoken daughter.

But Sebastian Trapp is a mystery himself. And maybe – probably – a murderer.

Two decades ago, his first wife and son vanished, the case never solved. Is the master of mystery playing a deadly game? If so, who will be the loser?

And when a body surfaces in the family’s garden, they all realize the past isn’t buried – it’s waiting.

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Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah & Agatha Christie

It’s 19 December 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are called to investigate the murder of a man in the apparent safe haven of a Norfolk hospital ward. Catchpool’s mother, the irrepressible Cynthia, insists that Poirot stays in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while Poirot solves the case. Cynthia’s friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital and his wife is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to explain why.

Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else – someone utterly ruthless – also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot . . .

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Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

IT WAS A CASE THAT GRIPPED THE NATION

LUKE RYDER’S MURDER HAS NEVER BEEN SOLVED

In October 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home in London, leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything.

Now, secrets will be revealed – live on camera.

Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence on Infamous, a true-crime show – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on.

Or does the truth lie closer to home?

Can you solve the case before they do?

The truth will blow your mind.

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The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent

Something bad happened last night. My best friend Posey is dead. The police think it was a tragic accident. I know she was murdered.

I’ve woken up with the hangover from hell, a stranger in my bed, and I’ve gone viral for the worst reasons.

There’s only one thing stopping me from dying of shame. I need to find a killer.

But after last night, I can’t remember a thing…

From the author of How to Kill Men and Get Away With It, don’t miss this wickedly witty and utterly addictive novel, perfect for fans of Bella Mackie, Dawn O’Porter and Killing Eve.

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How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways by Eve Kellman

Are you on a date that doesn’t feel right?

Can’t shake that creepy guy at the bar?

Worried you’re being followed home?

Message M.

After one too many terrifying encounters, Millie Masters sets up a hotline for women who feel unsafe walking home alone at night: Message M.

But very quickly she realises that there’s much more to be done to help the women who call in. Because the men just do it again the next night, and the next, and the next…

And when her own sister is assaulted on a night out, the temptation to take the law into her own hands becomes too much to resist.

Because M can also stand for murder…

A deliciously dark, hilariously twisted serial killer thriller with a villainous female lead. Perfect for fans of Bella Mackie’s How to Kill Your Family, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer, or anyone who enjoyed watching You.

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