11 Literary Mysteries & Thrillers For Readers Of Literary Fiction

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

For fans of: Mare of Easttown, family dramas, sister stories, books thoughtfully dealing with the opioid crisis

This one was a hit for my friend after I recommended it and that makes me so happy as y’all know I couldn’t stop talking about it in 2020 and was one of the best books I read that year!

Part literary family drama, part suspenseful police procedural — this book blew me away and was so much more than I imagined it to be. It will hit that sweet spot even if you don’t normally like the whole police procedural/detective thing (I don’t normally).

At its heart it is a gritty and emotional family story woven into the suspense of a police officer worrying about and trying to find her estranged sister, who is homeless and struggles with addiction, when a string of murders happens targeting girls that could be her sister.

Notes On An Education by Danya Kukafka

For fans of: really smart and thought-provoking books about our obsession with true crime/serial killers, books that are more slow burn and character driven

Literary fiction meets true crime/suspense — the most compelling book I read last year!

It deals with a serial killer who is on death row, unraveling his story mostly by women in his orbit, and expores many compelling themes — namely the deft exploration of the true crime and serial killers frenzy in pop culture and society.

I thought this one was interesting/unique and also would appeal to readers who are looking for outstanding writing with their more suspenseful book.

Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski

For fans of: character driven books, dark and gritty books, Long Bright River, something suspenseful and at times thrilling

This literary suspense/crime thriller is so underrated! It’s dark & gritty, character driven and the writing helps elevate the literary fiction feeling of this book.

Set in the 1990’s, it drops you right into the world of these dancers at a gentleman’s club. Two of the dancers have been involved in an accident after leaving the club one night — one is dead at the scene and the other is missing.

We follow the murder investigation/missing person case, and this was really well done, through the eyes of many POVS: the other dancers, suspects, detectives, club patrons and the killer themselves.

It really had me on the edge of my seat and I really think this is a great & thought-provoking book club book as it tackles a lot really important things (like violence against women) in such a masterful way.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

For fans of: books about books/writers, more literary thriller than mystery

I really loved this one — a great thriller if you are looking for more of a literary thriller!

The main character is named Jacob and he’s a writer who is in a bit of a dry spell after a successful book years ago and is also a creative writing professor.

He has this super cocky student who announces he has the absolute perfect plot and, when Jacob keeps a bit of a peak of it, he really knows it’s a winner of an idea. Sadly, that student dies after the residency leaving that idea to die with him. But does it HAVE to? SHOULD it when it’s such a winner of an idea?

The story fast forwards about four years where our main character has another smash hit book and things are going great — until he gets some threatening messages with a big accusation that he plagiarized the plot for his latest book and they are going to out this literary transgression of his.

I loved the plot of it all and also the interesting and thought-provoking exploration of intellectual property and more!

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

For fans of: intricate puzzles and high concept murder mysteries, genre-bending stories

Ooh this high concept literary thriller & murder mystery is one of a kind, complex and just such an intricate puzzle you won’t be able to put down. Plus the prose is fantastic for people looking for fantastic writing in this genre in addition to great plots.

Stay with me on the plot even if you don’t normally do time loop type stuff, okay??

Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered at 11pm the night of her parents’ gala and now, until he can figure out who the murderer is by inhabiting the body of different party guests, Aiden is stuck reliving this same day over and over again.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

For fans looking for: a more character-driven & literary crime/detective mysteries

I checked out this one after reading Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life (amazing but so different from this) and this was a nice surprise as I don’t really love PI/detective books as much as I love other types in the genre!

It’s about a PI named Jackson Brodie who is taking on three seemingly unrelated cold cases involving families. The writing is a step above most of what I’ve read in the drama and characters are so compelling that you almost feel like it’s a fast-paced thriller instead of a more slow burn mystery.

When The Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

For fans looking for: a truly gorgeously written mystery/crime novel

I have loved a couple historical fiction novels from this author but this is, hands down, my favorite books from her.

From the onset it looks like you are just reading a book about a missing persons detective who, after suffering a personal tragedy, who gets involved in a missing persons case of a local teen girl in the small town she tried to flee to in grief — a case that feels weirdly similar to an unsolved murder from the past.

And, yes, that is the suspenseful mystery that propels you forward in this book but it’s about so much more — the one thing that really was explored profoundly for me was in regards to trauma.

Well written in every way, if you are looking for that standout literary mystery/crime novel — this is it. It is quite dark so just be well aware of that in case that’s not the type of book you are looking for.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

For fans of: family sagas with compelling mysteries; Liane Moriarty or Celeste Ng

This literary courtroom drama and mystery is, I cannot say it enough, a must-read even if the courtroom drama thing is not normally your thing.

I shied away from this book for so long for that reason but this book is a gem that readers of literary fiction looking for a mystery/crime element!

It’s thought-provoking and thoughtful as it explores a lot of different things woven into the mystery — immigrant life, parenting (particularly of special needs kids), care-giving, grief and more.

It’s hard to describe this one without giving too much away but you’ll get dropped into the murder trial of a little boy who dies in a fire (purposely set) when he was in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber which was used (controversially) as treatment for for people with disabilities and other conditions.

As the trial plays out, secrets and more come to light. Just so perfectly plotted and definitely was a tear-jerker for me (and by tear-jerker I mean I wept like a baby).

Makes a smart, discussion-worthy book club book that readers won’t be able to put down.

As an aside, her latest novel (Happiness Falls) appears to fall under the literary mystery vein. Can’t wait to read it!

In The Woods by Tana French

For fans of: a well-written series to dive into

Tana French is an outstanding writer and takes on a more literary style of writing for this police procedural/murder mystery series. Her characters have so much more depth than most I’ve read — like a careful examination and character study of each one but also of human nature in general.

The murders and the characters both propel you forward pretty evenly which is not normally something I experience — I needed answers just as much as I couldn’t wait to unravel these characters more.

This first book tackles an old unsolved murder that personally affected one of the main detectives (he survived a traumatic ordeal but can’t remember much) and in the present time a murder presents itself in the same woods in a eerily similar manner that he must solve in order to hopefully have answers about both the case at hand and the one he is still trying to piece together from his childhood.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

For fans of: dark academia & The Secret History

Now I read this one so many years after The Secret History (which is one of my favorites!) so I didn’t feel too frustrated in how similar these two books felt but I know some people did.

The writing and the structure of the book is so good in how it is set up like a Shakespearean tragedy.

It’s about a retiring Detective who wants one last chance to find out the truth about what happened 10 years ago with a man (Oliver Marks) he helped put in jail 10 years ago for a murder and is now being released.

Oliver agrees and retells everything that led to him being put in jail for this murder — a tale about a group of young Shakespearean actors at an elite academy whose roles on stage blur and bleed into their real life dynamics as the exclusive collective of actors turns into something much more sinister that ends in death.

As of writing this post, it’s currently on Kindle Unlimited so check that out here if you subscribe to that.

We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker

For fans of: small town crime/murder mystery stories

One of my absolute favorite books from 2021 — had such a visceral emotional reaction to it too!

Part literary crime drama and coming of age story, it’s about a crime that happened 30 years ago and has reverberated all those years later especially into the life of a 13 year old self-proclaimed outlaw who has had to grow up too soon because of her unfit mother and having to take care of her brother.

The crime has also really affected the life of the now chief of police who has a complicated relationship with a man being released from jail as he was the one who turned his friend in for that crime.

He’s tried to look out for the kids, as a friend of the family, and now he’s trying to help get his friend back on his feet after his release from jail.

And then another crime happen making the newly released man become the prime suspect and has 13 year old Duchess out for revenge.

At the time of writing this, it’s currently on Kindle Unlimited so check it out here!

What are your favorite literary mystery books or favorite literary thrillers? Would love more recommendations!