1
The best crime and mystery
Detective stories, crime, noir and whodunnits. Ranked by tier, then by how often the lists chose them.
11 novels, ranked best first
The Big Sleep is the highest-rated crime or mystery novel, on 6 of the 16 lists it could have made.
The Novel Index earns a small commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our rankings. More about how we earn.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
Olga Tokarczuk, 2009
On 2 of the 12 lists it was eligible for
9
10
11
More with crime at their heart
Crime and Punishment leads these 33 books, each filed under another genre but with crime at its heart.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon, 2003
On 3 of the 18 lists it was eligible for
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1886
On 2 of the 13 lists it was eligible for
Lists used on this page
- The 100 best novels of all time, The Guardian (2026). Original list
- The 100 best novels written in English, The Guardian / Observer (2015). Original list
- The 100 greatest novels of all time, The Observer (2003). Original list
- The 100 best books of the 21st century, The Guardian (2019). Original list
- The 100 greatest British novels, BBC Culture (2015). Original list
- 100 novels that shaped our world, BBC Arts (2019). Original list
- 100 novels everyone should read, The Telegraph (2009). Original list
- All-Time 100 Novels, Time (2005). Original list
- 100 Best Novels (board's list), Modern Library (1998). Original list
- The 100 best books of the 21st century, The New York Times (2024). Original list
- Bokklubben World Library, Norwegian Book Clubs (2002). Original list
- 100 books of the century, Le Monde (1999). Original list
- Booker Prize (winners and shortlists), Booker Prize Foundation (1969-). Original list
- International Booker Prize (winners and shortlists), Booker Prize Foundation (2016-). Original list
- Women's Prize for Fiction (winners and shortlists), Women's Prize Trust (1996-). Original list
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (winners and finalists), Columbia University (1918-). Original list
- Costa (Whitbread) Novel Award (winners and shortlists), Costa (1971-2021). Original list
- Walter Scott Prize (winners and shortlists), Abbotsford Trust (2010-). Original list
- British Book Awards: Fiction Book of the Year (winners and shortlists), The Bookseller (1990-). Original list
- National Book Award for Fiction (winners and finalists), National Book Foundation (1950-). Original list
- The Big Read top 100, BBC (2003). Original list
- Readers' top 100 novels, The Guardian (2026). Original list
- The Big Jubilee Read, BBC Arts and The Reading Agency (2022). Original list
- The Great American Read, PBS (2018). Original list
- Richard & Judy Book Club picks, Richard & Judy / WHSmith (2004-). Original list
- Waterstones Book of the Year (winners and shortlists), Waterstones (2012-). Original list
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime, Amazon.co.uk (2014). Original list