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Mystery & Thriller Books

Light the pipe and don the cap, it’s time to deduce your way through a murder mystery. Scamper across rooftops or cozy up by the fireside in a thriller or cozy mystery from classics like Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or rip-roaring modern titles from Freida McFadden or Harlan Coben. Whatever case needs cracking, it’s all up to you!

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From the author of The DaVinci Code - Return to the mysterious world of Robert Langdon. The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown. Shop Now

Sheriff O'Connor returns with a cold-as-ice case. Apostle's Cove: A Novel by William Kent Krueger. Shop Now

Our September Mystery & Thriller Pick: The Seventh Floor: A Novel by David McCloskey. Six spies survived the worst together — now their targets are each other. Shop Now

Slaughter's new jaw-dropping series starts with a bang. We Are All Guilty Here: A Novel (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Karin Slaughter. Shop Now

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The Thursday Murder Club Is Back: An Excerpt from The Impossible Fortune

Richard Osman

A Sparkling Seaside Mystery Series: A Guest Post by Jess Kidd

Jess Kidd

The Parallels of History and Mystery: A Guest Post by Rosanne Limoncelli

Rosanne Limoncelli

Explore the Best Mystery & Thriller Books

Enter a thrilling world of suspense with our wide selection of mystery and crime books. Discover the various categories and subgenres that mystery fiction branches off into. There’s gripping crime fiction, built around a crime that kicks the novel into a “whodunit,” aimed at propelling the reader through suspects and evidence en route to a solution. Cozy mysteries are smaller-stakes mysteries, with lighter elements, but no less investigative qualities. Detective novels have introduced the world to characters like Inspector Gamache, Hercule Poirot, and Sherlock Holmes, centering on a detective figure, often a complex character, as they investigate a crime or series of crimes in search of resolution. Police procedurals are rich in the actual policework involved in an investigation and build out a play-by-play of what officers do (even the deskwork) in search of their culprits.

The long history of mystery and crime stories have spawned countless classics, new and old. From iconic tales like And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie to newer releases like The Tenant by Freida McFadden, there’s a wide selection of mystery books for adults to enjoy. Consider Barnes & Noble® your ultimate destination for the best mystery books and crime classics, new releases, and the best mystery & thriller books of 2025 so far. Looking for a mystery to read immediately? Download mystery and crime eBooks to your smartphone, tablet, or NOOK device and start reading today!

Some of the Best Mystery & Thriller Books to Read in 2025

Victorian Psycho by Virinia Feito
The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson
Strange Pictures by Uketsu
With a Vengeance by Riley Sager
The Crash by Freida McFadden
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers
Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin

Mystery & Thriller Books

Cozy Mysteries & Amateur Sleuths

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True Crime