Top 10 Best Detective Books of All Time

Detectives are one of the most popular book (and not only) genres. Some readers undeservedly consider detective works to be “easy” reading, good only for passing the time. But fans of this genre know that detective stories are not only fascinating reading, but also an opportunity to put their logical and deductive abilities into practice.

There is nothing more exciting than trying to solve the main intrigue of a detective novel and guess the name of the criminal. We bring to the attention of readers the best detective books of all time – a rating of the top 10 most fascinating works of the detective genre, compiled according to the reviews of readers of major Internet resources.

10 No place for old men | Cormac McCarthy

Opens our list of novels Cormac McCarthy No Country for Old Men. The book is written in the genre of a cruel bloody parable. Vietnam War veteran Llewellyn Moss finds himself at the site of a bandit showdown while hunting antelope in the mountains of West Texas. He finds corpses and a suitcase with a huge amount – two million dollars. Yielding to temptation, he takes the money. The hunt begins for Moss – Mexican bandits and the cruel hired killer Anton Chigur are following in his footsteps.

Based on the novel, the Coen brothers filmed the thriller of the same name, which received 4 Oscars.

9. Girl with dragon tattoo | Stig Larson

Stig Larson – Swedish writer and journalist who wrote only three novels in his life, which are very popular. He died of a heart attack at the age of 50, never seeing the publication of his first book.

В “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” The disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist is made a lucrative offer by an industrial magnate – to uncover the mystery of the disappearance of his great-niece. She disappeared 40 years ago, and the industrialist is sure that the girl was killed by someone from the family. The journalist takes up the case not because of money, but to distract himself from problems. He soon realizes that the disappearance of young Harriet is connected with the murders of women that occurred at different times in Sweden.

This is interesting: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of Stephen King’s 10 favorite books.

8. The one that was gone | Boileau – Narcejac

This is the story of a husband who, under the influence of his mistress, kills his wife, but soon begins to experience pangs of conscience.

“The One That Wasn’t” – a psychological foreign novel with an unpredictable denouement, the tension in which grows with each page read. The authors of this classic detective story managed to create the illusion that the reader is completely immersed in the events unfolding in the book.

7. Kissing girls | James Patterson

Patterson’s books have repeatedly become the best-sellers of all time, and he himself is one of the best-selling writers in the world. Alex Cross, the protagonist of a whole series of books by Patterson, enjoys a special love of readers.

In a detective thriller “Kissing Girls” A forensic psychologist is on the trail of a serial killer nicknamed Casanova, who has kidnapped and murdered several young women. Cross has his own important reason to find a maniac – in the hands of Casanova is his niece.

6. Day of the Jackal | Frederick Forsyth

Novel is in 6th place Frederick Forsythe “The Day of the Jackal”. The first book of the writer made him famous – a political detective about the attempted assassination of Charles de Gaulle instantly became a bestseller. According to the plot of the novel, an extremist organization hires a killer under the pseudonym “Jackal” to destroy the President of France. The French authorities receive information that a professional is involved in the assassination attempt, about whom nothing is known, except for his pseudonym. An operation to find the Jackal begins.

Interesting fact: Forsyth was an agent for MI20 (the British intelligence service) for 6 years. His manuscripts were read at MI6 so that the writer would not inadvertently give out confidential information.

5. Maltese falcon | Dashiell Hammett

Novel Dashiell Hammett “The Maltese Falcon”, one of the classics of world literature, occupies the 5th line of our rating.

Private detective Sam Spade takes on the investigation at the request of a certain Miss Wonderly. She asks to find her sister, who ran away from home with her lover. Spade’s partner, who was accompanying the client to meet her sister, is found murdered, and Sam is suspected of committing the crime. It soon turns out that the figurine of the Maltese falcon is involved in the case, for which many are hunting.

4. Study in crimson | Arthur Conan Doyle

All novels about Sherlock Holmes investigations are read in one breath and it is difficult to name the best of them. “A study in Scarlet” is the first book dedicated to the great British master of the deductive method.

Victorian England. Due to financial constraints, retired military doctor John Watson shares an apartment in London with another gentleman, Sherlock Holmes. The latter is full of mysteries, and his activities, as well as strange visitors, suggest to Watson that his flatmate is a criminal. It soon turns out that Holmes is a detective who often advises the police.

3. Azazel | Boris Akunin

Third place goes to the first novel from the cycle of works about Erast Fandorin Azazel by Boris Akunin. Twenty-year-old Erast Fandorin serves in the police as a simple clerk, but dreams of a career as a detective. The strange suicide of a student, witnessed by the protagonist, gives him a chance to show his abilities in investigating this complicated case.

2. Silence of the Lambs | Thomas Harris

Novel The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris brought the writer great popularity. This is the second book about Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant forensic psychiatrist and cannibal.

Clarice Starling, an FBI cadet, receives a task from her superiors – to involve Hannibal Lecter, a dangerous criminal and an excellent forensic psychologist, in cooperation.

The novel was filmed in 1991 and received 5 Oscars in the most prestigious categories.

1. Ten Little Indians | Agatha Christie

Each of the novels of the English writer is a masterpiece, but “Ten Little Indians” have a particularly dark atmosphere. A small island, ten guests invited by the mysterious owner of the mansion, and murders that are exactly the same as a children’s rhyme, acquiring an increasingly sinister meaning with each new victim.

The novel has been filmed several times.