Best Mystery Book Authors Of All Time: Mystery is perhaps the most difficult genre to write in – the author needs to nail the plot, the character as well as the ambience. There is no scope for compromise in any of the three, if the book is to work. Here is a list of fifteen authors who have excelled at all these, and are now considered the best authors of their genre.
Best Mystery Book Authors Of All Time
Agatha Christie
Agatha is the popular writer of mysteries, but she is also equally known for her thrillers. From “And Then There Were None” and “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” to “Curtain”, Christie has displayed her flair for crime fiction. Often featuring the iconic detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, her Books often deal make use of mundane objects as clues, poisoning, murder and quaint English villages to craft her stories.
Arthur Conan Doyle
Doyle’s most famous works, which he considers often overshadowed his other more serious works, include those featuring the great Sherlock Holmes. From “Hound of the Baskervilles” to “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, these mysteries are solved by the mad genius and recluse Sherlock Holmes. Holmes has as his partner the doctor John Watson.
John Grisham
If you haven’t read a John Grisham mystery, where are you? Grisham is one of the most popular mystery writers alive, and his oeuvre includes Books like “The Firm”. “A Time To Kill”, “The Whistler” and “Sooley”. His books are usually legal thrillers, but they have an uncanny mystery element to them that is worth watching out for.
Raymond Chandler
Chandler is best known for his detective fiction, and for the creation of his detective Philip Marlowe. His detectives are often great, like Marlow, who is a morally upright man with strong ideals who lives in poverty. In the morally dubious world he lives in, he resembles the only shred of humanity left in the world.
Gillian Flynn
Among Flynn’s works are “Sharp Objects”, “Dark Places” and “Gone Girl”. All of these are the highest ranked in the genre. Flynn focusses on thriller cum mysteries which include dark, psychological elements. The protagonists of her books are usually unreliable, and spew dark and horrifying tales. However, her books are also entertaining, full of intrigue and drama.
Tana French
French is an American mystery writer with books like “In The Woods”, “The Searcher” and “The Likeness” to her name. her writing is lilting and lyrical, which creates a uniquely alluring ambience for mystery novels. Thus she merges the genre of literary fiction and mystery, because her plots are just as ingenuous.
John le Carre
This is the pen name of British thriller novelist David Cornwell, who has written works like “The Looking Glass War”, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, “Smiley’s People”, “The Little Drummer Girl”. His espionage novels have become so popular that they are now modern classics. The characteristic suspense of the spy works are a treat for everyone who reads them.
Stephen King
Stephen King needs no introduction. He wrote horror, science fiction, thriller, fantasy and mystery books. Some of his best mystery novels include “The Shawshank Redemption”, “It”, “The Outsider” and “The Shining”. The reason his mystery books are spectacular is that they have eerie, supernatural elements, making them all the more scary.
Dan Brown
Brown’s works, which feature religious or historical mysteries that take place in the span of a night, include “The DaVinci Code”, “Origin”, “Inferno” and more. These mysteries often surround ancient societies and secret brotherhoods, and have at their centre the historian Robert Langdon. Langdon deciphers symbols and codes to get to the heart of the mystery.
Patricia Highsmith
Highsmith is an American writer of short stories and novels that revolved around psychological issues. She also wrote five novels that feature Tom Riley, who steals someone else’s identity. Her books are ingenuous in plot, fast paced and feature complex characters – criminals who are likeable. She also wrote “Strangers on a Train”.
Dean Koontz
Koontz wrote wonderful thriller mysteries, which often have elements of the supernatural or science fiction within them. His books like “James Hawk”, “Odd Thomas”, “Night Chills” and “Whispers” are musical and lyrical, but with great plots too. They often have a haunting effect, making an impression on the mind. Also, they have elements of humour.
James Patterson
Some of the best books the popular author James Patterson wrote include “Run, Rose, Run”, “22 Seconds”, “The President is Missing” and more. His Alex Cross series are the best of the lot, and will make you finish the books in a go.
Lee Child
Lee Child is the pen name of James Grover Grant, the prolific author of suspense thrillers. Child’s most extensively read series is the Jack Reacher series, which follows an ex-military policeman as he solves murder mysteries. This series includes books like ‘Killing Floor’ which is the first, ‘The Enemy’ and ‘A Wanted Man’.
Lucy Foley
Foley is a British author, and she writes three genres, according to her bio – contemporary, historical fiction and mystery. Her mystery books include “The Guest List”, “The Hunting Party”, “The Paris Apartment” and more. Her books are ambient and atmospheric, with an eerie touch to them. They also have stellar plots to watch out for
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