Best Mystery Books of 2023
Last updated: March 18, 2024
It's December now and our best mysteries of the year list is wrapping up. Throughout 2023 we've been looking out for new mystery books as they're published and adding them whenever we think they're worth reading. On this list, we also include books that have been nominated for prestigious mystery book awards in 2023, like the Edgars in the US and the Dagger Awards in the UK. The shortlist for the Edgars was announced back in January, the Dagger shortlist came out in May. Bear in mind that these are the best books of the previous year, rather than the very latest—with the advantage that they're already likely to be in paperback.
This list is part of our best books of 2023 series.
The Kingdoms of Savannah
by George Dawes Green
🏆 Winner of the 2023 CWA Gold Dagger
The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green is a dark and yet evocative mystery set in the American South. The world of the wealthy elite of Savannah, Georgia is contrasted with the homeless people living in tents nearby, as well as the slavery that wealth was built on.
Like a Sister
by Kellye Garrett
☆ Shortlisted for the 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett is set in New York City and revolves around the murder of a reality TV star, told from the viewpoint of her estranged sister. It's an excellent, highly readable mystery, with the added bonus that you learn all about the world of Instagram and Finstagram (aka Finsta).
Death Comes to Marlow
by Robert Thorogood
Death Comes to Marlow is almost a caricature of a classic cosy, English mystery by Robert Thorogood, creator of the Death in Paradise TV show. It's the second book in the series, the first was The Marlow Murder Club. The books are set in the town of Marlow on the river Thames and the sleuths are three women, led by the elderly Jude, a demon at cryptic crossword puzzles. The plot—involving a classic locked room murder—is nicely done.
The Maid
by Nita Prose & narrated by Lauren Ambrose
☆ Shortlisted for the 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
The Maid by Nita Prose falls into the cosy mystery genre, though it has an edge to it that makes it extremely memorable. It's set in a boutique hotel in New York and the narrator is the guileless and perfectionistic Molly, who cleans rooms there. The audiobook of The Maid is outstanding, chosen by AudioFile magazine as one of its best books of the year.
“You really feel you are listening to someone whose whole life has to be in the details done the same every time and that if anything goes awry then you’re off kilter. It’s just brilliantly done. The Maid is also a very good mystery, with lots of red herrings, lots of misdirection. You’re really rooting for Molly to be exonerated.” Read more...
Robin Whitten, Journalist
Exiles
by Jane Harper
☆ AudioFile magazine Earphones Award for an exceptional audiobook
Exiles is by Jane Harper, one of our favourite writers of mystery novels. All have been set in Australia in a genre some refer to as 'Outback noir.' Her last book was The Survivors, set by the ocean in Tasmania, her best book (according to two of our interviewees) is The Lost Man. This book, Exiles, is set in South Australia's wine country. It features Aaron Falk as the investigator, who also featured in The Dry and Force of Nature.
Death Under a Little Sky
by Stig Abell
Death Under a Little Sky is a debut crime novel (the first in a series) by British journalist Stig Abell and will appeal to anyone who loves the comfort of reading traditional mysteries. Set in the depths of the English countryside, it’s about a detective whose marriage has failed and who leaves the city to get back to nature and solitude. Naturally, things don’t quite work out that way. Though Covid isn’t mentioned, the book captures really nicely the atmosphere of those first months of the pandemic, when self-sufficiency was back in fashion, people stayed home and learned to do basic things, and let their hair grow long.
None of This is True
by Lisa Jewell
Lisa Jewell's latest psychological thriller, None of This is True, is a good one. Set in London, it introduces the concept of 'birthday twins': two people connected because they share the same birthday. Should you meet a birthday twin, stay well clear: it can only end badly, if this book is anything to go by. (If you like listening to books, the audiobook of None of This is True is a multivoiced performance and includes clips from the podcast the plot revolves around).
Murder in the Family
by Cara Hunter
Murder in the Family is a standalone novel by Cara Hunter, author of the excellent DI Fawley series, and has already hit the bestseller lists in the UK. Like a number of UK mystery writers at the moment, the book experiments with a new format, so if you like your mysteries more traditional, it's better to read her latest Fawley novel, Hope to Die (2022). In the case of Murder in the Family, the scenes play out as a script from a reality TV show. Instead of Hercule Poirot gathering everyone into a room and revealing all, the suspects are gathered together on TV by the producers and work out the crime for themselves. Hunter is great at building atmosphere and this book, set in a wealthy part of London, is no exception.
The Clockwork Girl
by Anna Mazzola
☆ Shortlisted for the 2023 CWA Gold Dagger
The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola is a historical mystery set in the France of Louis XV, with both him and his mistress, Madame de Pompadour, appearing as characters in the book. The action revolves around the making of automata, and one of the main characters is inspired by Jacques de Vaucanson, the Swiss automaton-maker, anatomist and clockmaker.
You Must Remember This
by Kat Rosenfield
You Must Remember This is another novel by American writer Kat Rosenfield, whose very nicely plotted No One Will Miss Her caught our attention last year. You Must Remember This also surprises with its plot. This time the main character you become invested in (though somewhat less than in No One Will Miss Her) comes from a wealthy background, and the plot unfolds at a mansion in Maine. The family gathers as the grandmother in the family, who has dementia, comes home one last time.
A Killing in November
by Simon Mason
☆ Shortlisted for the 2023 CWA Gold Dagger
A Killing in November by Simon Mason is a police procedural set in Oxford, the first book in series a featuring two DIs who coincidentally are both called Wilkins. Inevitably, there are echoes of Colin's Dexter Inspector Morse series (a positive, in our view), though the characters are very different.
The Silent Brother
by Simon Van Der Velde
☆ Shortlisted for the 2023 CWA Gold Dagger
The Silent Brother by Simon van der Velde is a gritty novel set in Newcastle, based on the author's own experience of working there as a lawyer. It's a sad story about alcoholism, drug dealing and violence. As van der Velde writes in the afterword, "In a community with so little hope, overstretched social services and policing priorities elsewhere, it's easy for the gangsters to take over — and anyway, no one likes a grass."
Notes on an Execution
by Danya Kukafka
🏆 Winner of the 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
Notes on an Execution is not so much a mystery as a sad, hard-to-put-down story about a serial killer and the women in his life. The book opens as he sits on Death Row, awaiting his execution, plotting his escape using his powers of manipulation.
The Lost Man of Bombay
by Vaseem Khan
☆ Shortlisted for the 2022 CWA Gold Dagger
The Lost Man of Bombay is the third book in Vaseem Khan's Malabar House series, a set of historical mysteries set in post-independence India. It has echoes of Seven Years in Tibet as well as Mick Herron's Slough House series. The main protagonist is Persis, the first and only female detective to have qualified for the Indian Police Service.
A Winter Grave
by Peter May
A Winter Grave is by Peter May, a writer of very thoughtful crime fiction. This is a work of cli-fi, really, set in the near future (2051), in a world where we didn't stop global warming in time. The action takes place in May's native Scotland, both in Glasgow and a remote Highland village during an ice storm. Occasionally it's a little didactic, but it's easy to forgive, given the subject matter. It's very evocatively done, and the melancholy mood of the book stays with you.
The Winter Guest
by W.C. Ryan
☆ Shortlisted for the 2023 CWA Gold Dagger
Historical mysteries are popular on the shortlist of this year's CWA Gold Dagger award. The Winter Guest by W.C. Ryan is set in Ireland just after the First World War, during the Irish War of Independence. It's a sad, somewhat bleak tale, as an IRA intelligence officer goes to investigate the killing of a former fiancée.
The Devil Takes You Home
by Gabino Iglesias
☆ Shortlisted for the 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias is a weird and wonderful book, more horror/tragedy than mystery, though it does have a satisfying twist. It takes place between the US and Mexico and has been described as 'barrio noir.' The book is a surprising mixture of religion and the supernatural, Mexican drug cartels and murder, drug addiction and the unfairness of the US healthcare system, English and Spanish. The story is told through the eyes of Mario, the kind of character you keep wishing wouldn't do what he's about to do.
Gangland
by Chuck Hogan
☆ Shortlisted for the 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
Gangland by Chuck Hogan is based on the true story of Chicago mob boss Tony Accardo (1906-1992), who never spent a night in jail and died at home surrounded by his family.
Devil House
by John Darnielle
☆ Shortlisted for the 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
We've featured Devil House by John Darnielle on this list as it's been shortlisted for the 2023 Edgars, but it's not a mystery per se. It's more of a reflection on the writing of true crime books. In the course of the book, you're living inside the mind of a true crime writer. Truth be told, the book is slightly disjointed in terms of the crimes, though it is making a point about the true crime genre: that it's more fiction based on facts than nonfiction.
Stateless
by Elizabeth Wein
***2024 Odyssey Award Honor Audiobook for Young Adults***
From Our Best Books for Teens 2023
1937: with fascism on the rise and Spain in the midst of civil war, young pilots from 12 countries are setting off on an air race to promote peace in Europe. 17 year old Stella North — who is representing the UK and the only female competitor — is worried that the press will find out that she is in fact stateless, travelling on a Nansen passport for refugees. When one of the planes goes down with its young pilot, she suspects sabotage. As the list of suspects gradually narrows, can our young protagonists overcome their political differences to outwit the murderer and survive until the end of the race? An exciting novel for anyone who is interested in early aviation, 1930s Europe, or murder mysteries.
“It’s about a teenage boy called Abel who gets a part in a popular TV drama. He’s doing it so that he can, on the sly, investigate the death of his brother who died under mysterious circumstances. He’s from England, and when he gets to Los Angeles he’s drawn into this glittering world of fame and riches and privilege. But he discovers that there’s a much darker side to the TV show, and that it has destroyed more than one life already. He’s at risk of it destroying his life, too, if he’s not careful.” Read more...
Kathryn Foxfield, Children's Author
