First, use the resources from the “Reader Resources” Page: like “RESOURCE #3) A LIST OF OUR HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOKS,” and “RESOURCE #5) STOP YOU’RE KILLING ME.COM,” a website where you can find lists by geographical location, by lead character’s occupation, by award-winning books, by historical period, and much more, and, “RESOURCE #6) USE ‘IF YOU LIKE THAT, MAYBE YOU’LL ALSO LIKE THIS‘ ” Still need help? ….THEN …. Second, …. maybe one of the following lists could help you:
All the Crime Fiction Classics: List of all the cornerstone books in crime fiction history – from 1748 to 1948. A careful listing, a definitive library of detective, crime, and mystery fiction. HERE. [This will take you to a different website.]
Find lists of The 100 Best Mysteries of all Time!
- TWO OLDER LISTS BY PROFESSIONAL AUTHOR ORGANIZATIONS. Perhaps the Brits came up with the idea first in 1990. Their Crime Writers Association published a book about the “100 Best Mysteries of All Time.” Not to be outdone, perhaps, the Mystery Writers of America came up with their own list of the “100 Best Mysteries of All Time” in 1995. Both lists include books from both sides of the Atlantic. …. => Here’s our PDF with both lists and a third list showing only books that made it onto both lists.
- Here’s a 2023 version of “The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time,” created by TIME Magazine and published Oct 3, 2023. This list not only includes more recently published books, but it is intentionally more diversified in terms of authors from more countries, as well as more racially diverse. Here is how the editors went about making the list…. => This is their website version of the list. This is our simplified version of their list….=> [Under Construction During October 2026].
Holiday Mysteries: A mystery that takes place during Christmas. A thriller on July 4th. A cozy for Thanksgiving. A thriller for Easter. See Janet Rudolph’s famous and a comprehensive list of all holiday crime fiction! [This will take you to a different website.]
Find books by Authors of Color: Crime Writers of Color was started by Kellye Garrett, Walter Mosley and Gigi Pandian, has more than 300 member writers whose work runs the gamut from culinary cozies to the deepest, darkest noir. HERE. [This will take you to a different website.]
Find books by LGBTQ+ Authors HERE. This begins with a list I have put together on this website.
Find Books by Native American Authors that write mystery or other crime fiction books. Includes a 5 page article from Mystery Scene magazine on this topic. Get info plus a list of Native American crime fiction authors- HERE.
A list of Dick Goutal’s favorite authors (a bit old but mostly true). https://www.mysterybookfan.com/about/favorite-author-sites/