The best detective stories. The best books in the detective genre

If you are interested in serious and controversial literature, mysteries and intellectual heroes, then this is the place for you. Here we have collected best detective books, which will definitely be of interest to you.

The detective genre is very interesting phenomenon in modern literature. It has no prototype in ancient culture. It is the result of thinkers and writers new era, late 18th, early 19th centuries. But all the most interesting books detective stories appeared in a later period of development of this genre in England, towards the end of the 19th century. The best detective books, who left behind immortal heroes, relevant even in modern world. Their personalities, their actions are still relevant, and the methods of investigation will not leave the criminals unpunished.

The best rating of detective books, created by real experts, especially for the sophisticated reader

If you are looking for the best detective books, the list presented here will definitely interest you. Reading works from the rating of detective stories, books, you will find yourself in secret world of the last century, so beautiful on the outside and very unique on the inside, you will be able to find yourself together with the heroes in seemingly dead-end situations from which it is not easy to find a way out.

But the rating of detective books is also full of works by modern writers, whose heroes are much closer to us in worldview, habits, and understanding. The game is big here - countries competing for supremacy, powerful organizations in whose affairs simple but very talented detectives interfere. The detective world is full of mysteries that you will unravel together with romantic heroes, heroes who will achieve justice, no matter what the cost. For the convenience of the reader, all the best detectives in the book are presented as a list where it will be easy to navigate, since reading requires a certain sequence.

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This selection contains the best foreign detective stories - books by famous authors. On the list you will find bestsellers that have become famous through adaptations in films and TV series.

Donato Carrisi. Prompter

Basics actor novel by Mila Vazquez. She is a detective who must, together with her team "Albert", search for six girls who are in no way connected with each other. The heroes managed to find a burial with five left hands, which means that the last victim can still be saved from death... Continue

The novel tells about the Quebec police academy, which has a bad reputation. Corruption and illegal acts of the teaching staff reign here. The main character is a retired senior inspector who became the head of the Academy. His name is Armand Gamache. After a map was discovered in the wall, Arman instructed the cadets to deal with it, but the matter took an unexpected turn. Further

Camille Parker works as a journalist for a small Chicago publication. The girl was assigned to write an article about a maniac who takes the lives of schoolgirls by pulling out the victims’ teeth. During the investigation, it turned out that all the town's inhabitants were keeping terrible secrets. Further

People are threatened deadly danger in the form of wasps that can take away human life with just one bite. With all this, they lay eggs in the bodies of their victims. To figure this out, the Sigma squad gets down to business, because only they can prevent this terrible catastrophe that can destroy humanity. Further

Donato Carrisi. Girl in the fog

The detective story “The Girl in the Fog” is about the disappearance of a young lady named Anna Lou. She went to church, but never reached her destination. To figure this out, Detective Vogel takes on the case. It was he who attracted media workers to cooperation. But will this help the investigation? Where did Anna go? Further

Jo Nesbø. Thirst

Detective Harry has always strived to eliminate crime and restore order in this world. He returned to work in Oslo to catch a serial killer who was preying on people making dates through a dating site. This returns the hero to his dark past. Further

Peter James. Jump over the abyss

Vera Ransom is married to a plastic surgeon. They have a son, Alec. Thanks to her husband, Vera looks great, but for what reason was she deeply depressed? Perhaps it’s all about the spouse who controls every step of the missus? Further

Megan Miranda. All the missing girls

Psychologist Nicoletta Farrell works in Philadelphia and prepares for a wedding. She left her native land after her friend Corinna disappeared. After her brother’s call, the girl returned to her father’s house, because her father had lost his mind and was again talking about his missing friend. In his words, the police find new facts about the girl’s disappearance. Everything will be revealed soon, but is the heroine ready for this? Further

Dan Brown. Lost symbol

Robert Langdon is preparing to give a lecture in the National Statuary Hall of the Capitol when he suddenly hears a scream. Having rushed, he sees a severed hand with a ring on a pedestal. It symbolizes the "Hand of the Mysteries". The main thing is that the owner of the hand is Robert’s longtime friend and mentor, whose name is Peter... Continue

Joel Dicker. The truth about the Harry Quebert case

Marcus Goldman suffers from the fact that his muse has not visited him for a long time, so he goes to his friend, the successful writer Harry Quebert. Harry is accused of an old murder. Marcus begins his own investigation and unexpectedly receives advice on writing a bestseller. Further

Once again, readers will be treated to a continuation of the adventures of detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. This time the heroes will be looking for a psycho who kills victims with a machete. In this book, the author will reveal the secrets of the heroes’ former lives, so the reader will be able to understand what contributed to Cormoran and Robin becoming such individuals. Further

A group of girls receives a message from their friend Kate, which is exactly the same as 17 years ago, when Kate's father died. The heroines have always been inseparable, but they got a bad reputation because they lied to others, but did not lie to each other while playing the game. Now they must get together again to realize that the main rule of their fun has been broken. Further

Richard always wanted to join the closed club of the course ancient culture, but getting here is not so easy. Over time, his dream came true. And so, one day a student of this closed club died, but the culprits escaped punishment. Now unpleasant secrets begin to surface, turning into a series of tragedies. Further

Stieg Larsson. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

For 40 years now, an elderly tycoon has been concerned about the mystery of his relative’s disappearance. He asks for help from a journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, who takes on this case as a distraction. But when he comes close to the solution, the man’s life is in danger. The investigation leads to a quiet town where hell reigns. Further

Mayfly. James Hazel

Charlie Priest is a lawyer and former police officer who was attacked in his own home. The offender demanded something that the hero did not have, then the enemy left the house. Very soon he was found impaled. Charlie cannot leave the case without investigation, so he conducts his own investigation. Further

Jonathan Kellerman. The Killer's Daughter

The main character of the novel is Grace Blades. She is a successful psychotherapist who finds an approach to every patient. The girl has a hobby - casual relationships with strangers. Everything changes when one of her patients turns out to be one of her random lovers. He was found dead, and the police had a lot of questions for Grace. Further

Liane Moriarty. Big little lies

The book tells about three mothers whose children are studying in one educational institution. Everything is fine in their families, but everyone keeps an unpleasant secret. How to overcome difficulties that arise in families? What causes domestic violence, misunderstandings and disrespectful behavior? Will these secrets become the subject of public attention? Further

Robert Bryndza. Dark Waters

In this novel, Erica Foster continues her detective investigations. This time the heroine will deal with the case of a girl who disappeared 6 years ago. She was recently found dead, and Erica takes up the case. New facts are gradually being revealed about the family of the deceased, and the woman herself fears for her life. own life… Further

Gillian Flynn. Dark Secrets

Libby in early childhood I lost all my relatives except my brother. The girl grew up and turned into an egoist who does not take into account other people's opinions. She blamed her brother for the death of her loved ones, but was he guilty? Will Libby be able to accept the truth about the terrible event that happened 24 years ago? Further

The story tells about a psychiatrist named Mathias Frere. His life changed after one patient suffered from the “patient without baggage” syndrome. Now the hero is forced to collect memories bit by bit in order to become who he was before. In addition, certain events contributed to Matthias being accused of the murders. Further

These were the best foreign detective stories - books from the most popular world-famous authors. If you have already read something from our list, tell us about your impressions. 😉

For decades, books in this genre have helped not only to pass time with interest, but also to develop one’s own ingenuity, for which they are loved by almost everyone. There are many subgenres of this type of literature, but how can you not get lost in this variety of both good and not so good books? We have compiled for you a list of the 15 most worthy representatives of the detective genre, which you will definitely not regret reading! in our library.

The best foreign detectives

Modern detective books from foreign authors will appeal to those who appreciate not only a mystery, but also the individuality of the author himself and his style. This genre has become an excellent platform for the most daring experiments. If you are ready for unexpected twists, truly shocking mysteries and an unusual atmosphere, these works will suit your taste.

1. Mats Ohlsson

Journalist Harri Svensson, who has lost popularity and his former zeal, decides to change his line of work when a sensation falls into his hands. The nationally known artist was caught in a hotel room alone with the tortured body of a young woman. Harry decides not to miss the chance and plunges headlong into the investigation. He also has personal accounts- the second victim of the real killer is an acquaintance of the journalist, with whom they became friends over a common passion for BDSM.

2. Jo Nesbø

Oslo police officer Harry Hole encounters first in Norway serial killer, distinctive feature which is the first snow. As soon as the ground is covered with a thin white blanket, women in the city disappear. A hastily put together snowman becomes a tombstone for their cruelly taken lives.
The novel is replete with bloody details of crimes and a depressive atmosphere, but charismatic main character will not let you drown in the darkness of someone else's madness.

3. Camilla Lackberg

A woman is not a frequent guest of a serious detective, but Camilla Lackberg certainly does not allow anyone to doubt her talent.
A lonely lighthouse on an alienated island in the middle of the sea becomes the starting point in the investigation into the murder of Mats Sverin, the director and leader of a serious social project. They say that the lighthouse is cursed and the ghosts of those who died there earlier dragged the man along with them, because he was there a few days before his death. But these are prejudices; the killer must be found and punished. But who could commit a crime if the victim had no enemies?

4. Inger Frimansson

There are women on whose heels death follows. Anyone who finds themselves close to Justine risks going to the next world. Perhaps this is a curse? Or an unhappy childhood and the early loss of her mother turned her into a bloodthirsty monster, forcing her to live in an empty house alone with only one bird. But without reading the novel to the end, you won’t know the real reason Justy's misadventures.

5. Harlan Coben

Adam's life changes radically when he gets hooked on stranger with a pleasant face and reports that everything he knew about his wife was not entirely true. This stranger was not the only one who warned him. When he appeared, he destroyed lives with the truth and sometimes even demanded money so that this truth would not become public knowledge. But Adam does not want to believe his words. You'll have to find out everything yourself.

The best Russian detectives

Domestic detective fiction is a practically separate movement, with its own characteristics and its own style. These books will appeal to those who enjoy reading about mysteries in a familiar setting. It’s easier to empathize with Russian characters and it’s easier to put yourself in the place of the main character in such conditions. Below is a list of the best mystery books.

1. Boris Akunin

Baku before the First World War becomes the backdrop for the fateful events of the novel. A gloomy oil city, torn apart by criminals of all stripes. The reader can expect chases, shocking secrets, colorful characters and fear. Will the main character of the novel really die?

2. Tatyana Ustinova

The director and his assistant are in Nizhny Novgorod to work on a radio show. However, instead of ordinary workdays, they are faced with an investigation into a mysterious death that occurred right during one of the performances at the local theater. How to find a killer among those who are naturally endowed with outstanding acting talent? The main characters will have to make every effort to solve the fatal incidents.

3. Natalya Solntseva

The small town is welcoming back those who left it long ago. The heroes Larisa and Renat did not expect to encounter ghosts, animals unknown to science, and certainly did not expect to get involved in the investigation. But who knows, perhaps it was their common past that became the impetus for the devilry happening here.

4. Alexandra Marinina

The heroine goes to a Siberian city to help a friend find a place to build a boarding house. However, this matter fades into the background when she gets involved in the political intrigues of the local authorities. Residents blame politicians for a whole series of murders, and only a truly flexible mind is able to unravel this bloody tangle of crimes.

5. Anton Leontyev

A popular TV presenter is trying to restore her reputation after a scandal in live. She agrees to a place in a project about psychics and, to her surprise, realizes that not all of them are greedy charlatans. One of the participants finds out creepy details old case - the kidnapping and murder of a child. But she does not see her own imminent death...

World bestsellers of the detective genre

Every self-respecting detective lover should familiarize themselves with best-selling books. These are the best and most famous books, on which you can safely put a quality mark. They are loved and films and TV series are made based on them. But it’s always better to read the original! So, detective books - a list of the best.

1. Agatha Christie

Classic story - mysterious man collects completely different people in a distant house. The guests die one after another, but who needs that?

2. Arthur Conan Doyle

A collection of the most interesting cases of Sherlock Holmes.
⌁ Silver
⌁ Yellow face
⌁ Adventures of a clerk
⌁ "Gloria Scott"
⌁ Musgrave House Rite
⌁ Reigate Squires
⌁ Hunchback
⌁ Regular patient

3. James Grady

"Condor" is the nickname of Ronald Malcolm, who suddenly becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his colleagues on the job. He has to take into his own hands the proof of his innocence. But this is not all the troubles that will befall his life.


Art and science are truly mysterious fields. What if the legendary paintings contain a secret code that leads to the solution to the world's most incredible mystery.

5. Stieg Larsson

To escape from his problems, journalist Mikael takes up the investigation of a completely hopeless case. A young girl was brutally murdered several years ago. However, this turns out to be not the only crime of the maniac, and the journalist himself is in mortal danger.

I compiled a list from your advice, it turned out to be very solid and, apparently, promises a lot of fun.

For those who, like me, love detective stories, I will post it here. I will be glad if these tips are useful not only to me.

So:

1. Donald Edwin Westlake “The Cursed Emerald.” A masterpiece!) Sometimes you want unpredictability from a detective. I couldn’t say “Oh, I knew it!” about any of the Donald Westlake novels I read. or “Well, how could it be otherwise!” or “Who would doubt it!”
http://lib.aldebaran.ru/author/uyestleik_donald/uyestleik_donald_proklyatyi_izumrud/
http://lib.ru/DETEKTIWY/UESTLEJK/
The fool is dead...
The dude is a waste...
2. J. Simenon - a series of books about Commissioner Maigret. I read it just when I was very interested in detective stories.
3. Earl Stanley Gardner with his hero lawyer Perry Mason. Gardner is great.
4. Wilkie Collins - "The Woman in White", "The Moonstone".
5. Neyo Marsh is quite a detective story, but there are funny moments. Maybe not a detective story in the modern sense, but it made an impression :)
6. The Magnificent J. Dixon Carr. If you find Carr, start with the Emperor's Snuff Box. Great stuff. That's class, that's class.
7. D. Francis
8. A. Christie
9. A. Conan Doyle
10. S. Japrizo. “A Lady with Glasses and a Gun in a Car” (simply high-class) and “Trap for Cinderella” (no worse, but different in atmosphere). "Killing Summer", "Farewell, Friend" - delight. "Women's Favorite" and "Running of the Hare through the Fields"
"The Executioner" is a detective story for the keen amateur.
11. B. Akunin
12. Rex Stout - delicious! real jam.
13. Carter Brown - boldly, brazenly, humorously and very much in the style of America a certain number of years ago (Lieutenant Wheeler is a kind of Dr. House, only serving in the police))
14. Mickey Spillane
15. D.H.Chase
16. Gaston Leroux. A bit boring, IMHO.
17. Hadley
18. Maurice and his Arsene Lupin.
19. John Le CarrĂŠ "Our Game"
http://www.ingushetiya.ru/history/nasha_igra/
20. Deshiel Hammett
http://mydetectiveworld.ru/hemmet.html
21. Perez-Reverte - not action films with puzzle elements
22. Victor Canning, "Passed Pawn".
23. Also probably Ellery Queen. I've only read a couple of works, but the impressions are positive.
24. Chesterton
25. Alistair MacLean
26. Jerzy Edigei
27. From modern Russians Malyshev. Especially her early stuff.
28. Priestley - Blackout at Gretley. You can call him a military detective.
29. Have you read Patricia Wentworth? She wrote somewhat earlier than Agatha Christie. Wentworth has a funny detective: Miss Silver is an old maid, a former governess.
30. Charles Snow - a great detective story "Death Sailing"? This is a very worthy detective story. http://lib.ru/INPROZ/SNOW/snow.txt
31. Nora Roberts - not a classic, but somehow nice. There is reflection.
32. Chandler, http://www.lib.ru/DETEKTIWY/CHANDLER/
33. Eksbrayya, http://publ.lib.ru/ARCHIVES/E/EKSBRAYYA_Sharl "/_Eksbrayya_Sh..html
34. Andras Totis, http://lib.ru/DETEKTIWY/TOTIS/
35. Ross Thomas, http://lib.aldebaran.ru/author/tomas_ross/
36. Penticost http://lib.ru/DETEKTIWY/PENTIKOST/
37. Boileau-Narcejac. "The one who was gone." And other books too.
38. Alistair MacLean
39. Yu. Semenov - why not political detectives?
40. Robert Ludlem
41. Try reading The Cat Who by Lillian Brown. There are about 20 very nice classic detective stories, I love them.
42. If you like historical detective stories, a series of novels by Ellis Peters about Brother Cadfael.
43. There is a wonderful Phyllis Dorothy James - this is no longer a historical detective story, but an ordinary one.
44. Ed McBain is a good police novel.
45. Patricia Cornell - a little dark and naturalistic, but overall not bad written.
46. ​​Josephine Tay “Daughter of Time” and others.
47. Margaret Allingham
48. Dorothy Sayers - almost English. classic;
49. Georgette Heyer (she has a lot of romance novels, but detective stories are humorous)
50. Elizabeth Peters - a little lady-adventure-humorous
51. Of ours, I liked Elena Afanasyeva “ne-bud-duroy.ru” and its sequels, but this is not quite a detective story.
52. Robert van Gulik is a classic detective from stylized medieval China. Super.
53. Richard Stark
54. "The Paper Conspiracy" by David Liss. I recommend it to you with pleasure, it’s a wonderful thing. A good English novel, but also very good as a detective story.
55. Umberto Eco “The Name of the Rose” is a medieval detective story with psychology and mysticism.
56. Rebecca de Mornay - psychological detectives from English life 19th century.
57. Valeria Verbinina - series about an agent Russian Empire Amalia. The action takes place in the 19th century, the heroine is a very charismatic person. There are already about ten books, but what’s good about them is that each has its own genre. There is a thriller, there is an ironic, gothic and hermetic detective story, there is a western, there is a treasure hunt detective. And many books have different narrators, so the familiar heroine is introduced through the words of other characters - a very interesting effect.
58. In modern detective fiction, I don’t miss the books of Olga Tarasevich (Artifact Detective series) and Maria Bricker (Reality Detective series). Tarasevich builds plots on cultural themes and biographies of famous people of the past ("Chagall's Weeping Angel", "The Curse of Edvard Munch" - about artists, "Deadly Fragrance No. 5" - about Coco Chanel and her famous perfume). Detective stories combine two tenses - a crime in the present is intertwined with events of the past and life history famous people. I also read her books as a cultural reference book - in them the biographies simply come to life, and the work of artists or fashion designers is written in a very fascinating way. Bricker's plots are quite cleverly twisted and the characters are very colorful.
59. Chesterton
60. E. Po
61. Forsyth
62. I recommend Henning Mankell to everyone. If he forced me, not a detective fan, to read book after book, then this is a worthy author!
63. Well, Benaquista and Pennac (stories about Mr. Malosen).
64. Fred Vargas and Jean-Christophe Grange are amazing French detective writers. Both write very psychologically, you can’t put it down. But Vargas is more sophisticated, with humor, while Granger has more shocking details and hints of mysticism (but everything turns out to be more prosaic).
65. Eugene Pepperow, one of the most enjoyable masters of the short detective story. I recommend it.
66. Victoria Platova to the list. All things except "Death in the fragments of a meben vase", "Nubian cross", "Dance of Lakshmi". That's not her.
67. Mary Higgins Clark. One of the best-selling detective stories in America and virtually unknown in Russia.
68. James Patterson.
69. Were there Weiners? What would it be like without them?! These are our detective classics!
The most famous and most read (and most loved):
“A Visit to the Minotaur”, “A Cure for Fear”, “The Noose and the Stone in the Green Grass” and so on.
70. Ellery Queen. Also a classic of the genre.
Here you can read his things: http://www.2lib.ru/getbook/6251.html
"Sanatorium of Death" I liked it very much.
71. Anton Chizh and his “Divine Poison”. This is an absolutely amazing book! It's a pity that she is little known. In my opinion, one of the best Russian detectives for recent years five.
72. Gregory MacDonald, Fletch series. Masterpiece!
73. Elizabeth George with her magnificent, dare I say it, series about Inspector Linley and Sergeant Havers. .
74. Ian Rankin and his series about Inspector Rebus.
75. Jeffrey Deaver and his books about Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs.
76. Natalya Solntseva, modern author of mystical detective stories:) http://www.solntseva.com/
77. S. Rodionov, “A Long Business” - Soviet detective story. Super!
78. Gregory MacDonald
79. Elmore Leonard.
80. There is also a good Scottish detective - Ian Rankin.
81. And my aunt writes well about maniacs (but in a painfully naturalistic, amateurish way) - Val McDermit.
82. Elizabeth George with her magnificent, dare I say it, series about Inspector Linley and Sergeant Havers. It's strange that she wasn't named.
83. Ian Rankin and his series about Inspector Rebus.
84. Jeffrey Deaver and his books about Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs.
85. Another very popular guy in the West - Jeffrey Deaver
86. Michael Connelly
87. Lee Child
88. Harlan Coben
89. David Baldacci
90. Popular aunts - Katie Reichs
91. Caryn Slaughter.
92. Joanna Khmelevskaya. Everything is red. What the dead man said. Wells of ancestors.
Although her works are sometimes called ironic detective stories, she has nothing in common either with Dontsova or with all the other “ironic detective stories.” The humorous wrapper is obvious, but at the core there is a real classic detective story.
Panya Vanya can be found here -
http://lib.ru/DETEKTIWY/HMELEVSKA/
93. Lev Sheinin “Notes of an Investigator”. The author is painfully ambiguous, but essentially this is a detective story. Although I would rather view it from a historical perspective - as another look at the USSR.

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