When I (metaphorically) draw the Venn Diagram of my reading life over the last year, genre fiction makes up a BIG slice. During stressful weeks, I devoured romance novels and puzzle-like mysteries for a dose of escapist bibliotherapy.
There’s nothing wrong with bookish distraction, but I’m most satisfied with my reading life when my weekly reading routine includes a robust mix of genres. That’s why, for the same reasons I adore compulsively readable literary fiction, I LOVE when a book combines the best elements of an unputdownable mystery and a beautifully written literary novel.
Today I’m sharing 15 titles by talented writers who deftly balance propulsive plot and stunning prose. Some of these books are shelved in the literary fiction section, but they contain a mystery that’s central to the plot. The remaining titles are mystery novels with exceptional writing and strong narrative choices.
With a mix of historical settings, courtroom dramas, and Gothic fantasy, this list is suited to a variety of reading tastes. I find that literary mysteries can sometimes be more HSP-friendly, perhaps because I’m entranced by the writing, perhaps because they’re less likely to include graphic depictions of violence. Your experience may differ from mine, so mind your triggers.
15 page-turning mysteries that read like literary fiction
Miracle Creek
Rebecca
The Searcher
Snow Falling on Cedars
Piranesi
Everything I Never Told You
If We Were Villains
Case Histories (Jackson Brodie Book 1)
Things in Jars
The Luminaries
The Lola Quartet
The River
American Spy
This fascinating and multi-layered spy thriller is told from the perspective of a Black woman, recruited by the CIA in the all-white, boys' club-era of the 1980s for an important African mission. Her assigned task is to fall in love—or pretend to—with Thomas Sankara, the president of Burkino Faso, known as "Africa’s Che Guevara." (Sankara is a real historical figure and I was so curious about how Wilkinson would handle his story.) The book's epigraph is from Ralph Ellison: he refers to being "a spy in enemy country," and I'm grateful this work inspired me to learn more about the rich literary history of African American spy novels and the theme of double consciousness. A rewarding read on so many levels.
More info →Bluebird, Bluebird (Highway 59 Book 1)
Long Bright River
Do you have any “literary mysteries” to recommend? Share with us in the comments!
P.S. Love mystery novels? We’ve got you covered with 16 page-turning mysteries that aren’t too dark and gloomy, 20 unputdownable mysteries and thrillers to keep you glued to the page, and 20 historical mysteries featuring feisty female protagonists.
94 comments
Any list that starts with “Rebecca” is a good list to me!
I absolutely agree!
I would add Possession, by AS Byatt. The heart of the novel is a literary novel.
I absolutely agree with Susan. Possession, by AS Byatt is one of my favorites.
Yes! Possession is fabulous. Two wonderful linked stories in different times. Listened to the audio many years after loving the print version. Both excellent.
“Rebecca” was outstanding! Anne, Thank you for compiling this fantastic list. I”ve not read any of them except “Rebecca”.
Blessings!
I’d add The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre. Well written and ever-so-cleverly plotted.
Great list – thank you!
I would add November Road by Lou Berney. It’s set in the days after the Kennedy assassination and told in 3 voices: a gangster who is on the run because he knows too much, a young morher and her two girls running from a drunkard husband, and the hit man chasing them all. His beautifully written prose left me gut-punched at times and the story has lingered and lingered in my mind.
Agree!
I’d suggest all the Louise Penny books. And yes, read them in order!
Also, the Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger beginning with Iron Lake and the Maisy Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear.
Agree with the Louise Penny books and Jacqueline Winspear books.
Third to Louise Penny! It’s her fantastic writing that got me sucked into the whole series in the first place, and why she’s one of my favorite authors of all time!
Three of my favorite authors and excellent in audio format also.
I would not recommend Things in Jars – Myself and my work book club all agreed that this was not a book we would recommend. But I did love Rebecca.
I agree, I would also not recommend “Things in Jars”. I thought the story was a good one, but it was not well-written. I did finish the book, but it was a struggle.
Josephine Tey’s—“The Daughter of Time” would be a worthy addition to this list. It’s fabulous. Laura Lippman’s “Girl in the Green Raincoat” is an homage to Tey’s classic novel. Lippman’s book introduced me to Tey-I’ve now read all of the enigmatic Tey’s books.
Things in Jars was an interesting one—I think I gave it a 3.5, it had some weaknesses but I do find myself thinking about it a decent amount. It had a few characters that I absolutely LOVED.
I recommend Josephine Tey’s Brat Farrar.
Oohh! An oldie but a goodie!
I second that recommendation – it is one of my all time favorites. (Long Bright River was also wonderful – my mystery book group had a really good discussion around it.)
This is so funny to me: I’ve never thought of myself as a lover of “literary mysteries,” but reading through this list I found books I’ve loved and books I immediately added to my TBR! I guess I have a new genre I love!
The Luminaries is one of my all-time favourites!! I also recently finished Everything I Never Told You. It was excellent.
I just stayed up until 2 in the morning to finish The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister. I think it qualifies for this genre. I can definitely recommend!
I am picking this up today from the library! So excited!
Such a great list! This sub genre (?) is right in my wheelhouse and I just added several of these to my TBR! Thanks Anne!
Bluebird, Bluebird is wonderful on audio.
I loved The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi. It’s really cleverly written.
I’ve not heard of this but love the description! It’s on my TBR list!
I second this! Super interesting format, and homages to the greats of mystery. Incredible debut novel.
This is on our Book Club’s reading list this year for September! I can’t wait to read it and discuss it!.
Anything by Batya Gur is wonderful and falls in this category. They are set in Israel and explore different aspects of Israeli society while the investigator solves a mystery.
Oooh, sounds fascinating. I just put one of hers on hold at my library – thank you!
Currently reading American Spy and so happy to see it on this list. I’m really enjoying it!
Descent and The Current by Tim Johnston. The books are not connected. The writing in both is outstanding, great characters, and the pages keep turning. I finished Descent in the middle of the night with my heart pounding.
I’ve heard these are great!
Agree re Descent. It’s definitely underrated. I think it should be on many more “best” lists. What an ending!
I am looking forward to listening to bluebird, bluebird on audio. (and, at the risk of sounding snarky, let me point out that it’s not actually a Venn diagram of your reading life but a pie chart of your reading life if you’re talking about this particular genre taking up a significant chunk of your reading. Venn diagrams compare two things and show the overlap between those two things. 😀.)
I could be wrong, but I think she means having a circle with literary fiction, a circle with mysteries, and this list is the crossover of the two.
Love this list! As a mystery lover and literary fiction lover, when the two meet I am in heaven. Tana is my favorite, and I’m adding a few of these to my library holds. It took me a few pages to get into Things in Jars, but then it surprised me with how much I loved it. I hope you get to pick it up soon!
I did not like The River.
After reading the beautiful language and descriptions and after going through an extremely intense experience in the book’s plot, the ending completely disappointed me.
I think I actually said aloud, “That’s it? I went through all of that for this?”
It was a good book, but not for me. For me, there was a lot of anguish and tension to experience to end the way it did.
However, I’m super excited to read most of these books. I just need to wade through my #MMDReadingChallenge first.
I’m so glad to hear you say this! I had exactly the same reaction!
I agree! I read The River and at the end just felt “meh” about it.
I also found “The River” to be a huge disappointment. I found the plot predictable, and the ending totally unsatisfying. I placed blame on reading it too soon after “Celine”, which I loved, but am gratified to see that it isn’t just me!
Me too! I’m so glad I’m not the only one. I absolutely loved the beginning, even the first half, but the end was so unsatisfying!
Yes, agree with you on The River. I was so excited to get my hands on it … then the writing appealed and opening few chapters were very engaging, but it dwindled and dwindled …
I can see why people didn’t like The River, but I really enjoyed it. It’s one of those books that’s just for certain readers.
Literary mystery is a favorite genre of mine. I’ve read several of these books and have added several more to my TBR. Thank you for this list!
Thank you for including Case Histories, I love Kate Atkinson!
I don’t like traditional mysteries (I tried Louise Penny because so many people here recommended, but after less than 100 pages I was “out”), but really enjoy Kate Atkinson and Tana French’s styles.
Lola Quartet and Things in Jars now added to my list—when I see some people love it and some hate it, I gotta find out for myself.
For me, all of the Dorothy Sayers, Wimsey books are literary mysteries at their finest! I especially like Gaudy Night for it’s college setting…
This may be my favorite sub-genre. I’d add, anything authored by Elizabeth George, and especially by the great P.D. James. Less well-known is Morag Joss.
Thanks for this list! I’ve read most, but have added the remainder to by TBR.
I agree with PD James. I just finished The Murder Room and loved the prose, character development and plot. I love it when I find words I don’t know and I look up the meaning right away. It feels satisfying.
I agree with both Elizabeth George and P. D. James and would add Ruth Randell and Reginald Hill. While straight up mystery novels the quality of the writing elevates them and qualifies them for the literary fiction category as well. Louise Penny from a previous thread belongs here too!
Sorry that should be Ruth Rendell.
Great recommendations! Even better is that three of these sit unread on my bookshelf. My 2021 goal is to spend less money (we all LOVE buying books, right?) and also read more books (my 2020 reading life was off). So, I’m inspired to open these volumes I was once draw to but that lost out to new and shiny.
2021 is also my year of the mystery. A good twisty plot is just what my mind needs these days.
I loved Things In Jars! It’s creepy but fun at the same time – and definitely a good mystery. I want more books about Bridie!
I just finished Piranesi and loved it! Looking forward to reading some of your other suggestions.
I would also highly recommend the works of Louise Penny and the Cormoran Strike mysteries by Robert Galbraith ( J K Rowling ). I would suggest reading both series from the beginning.
Things in Jars is amazing on audio. It’s got the atmosphere of Dickens but the imagination of the story itself is off-the-charts interesting (at least to me!). Long Bright River is also excellent. I’ve added several of the rest to my wish list. Thank you so much for the good recs!
The aowasa murders by riku onde extraordinary and a wonderful translation
Thank you for this list! I love literary mysteries and it’s one of the genres I want to read more of in 2021. And, I’ve already read and loved a couple on this list (Long Bright River, Miracle Creek, If We Were Villains).
MIRACLE CREEK is one of my all-time favorites! So good. I also really love WOLF WINTER by Swedish author Cecilia Ekback. I rarely see it in American media, but it was wonderful and I always describe it as “literary mystery.”
I loved Wolf Winter–the characters, the setting, and the plot all worked together for a very satisfying read.
Agree with the suggestions above of Gaudy Night (Sayers) and Daughter of Time (Tey).
I would also think Wilkie Collins’ novels The Moonstone and The Woman in White would fit nicely on this list!
The River and Long Bright River were my favorites of the books I read in 2020!
May I suggest the author Sue Stewart Ade.. 2 books.. Friends Forever and Friends Together.
Linda P
Miracle Creek was absolutely amazing, I was so glad to see it on this list. I missed a streetcar stop while reading, this, it was so hard to put down!
I always enjoyed Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone series.
Looking forward to reading so many of these. If I may add two:
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón was my favorite read last year (it came out in 2005) if anyone is also looking to read more translated novels this ticks off two boxes.
Also, Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish. For fans of Possession, it took a while for me to get into it, but once I did I couldn’t stop.
Yes!! I was scrolling to see if someone else had put The Shadow of the Wind! It’s one of my all-time favorites—I thought all four books in the series were great.
The Luminaries sounds really interesting. I love puzzle kind of mysteries (like Agatha Christie). Nothing too “cosy” or gory.
The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett! Part literary mystery, part love story. Excellent writing.
I walked into a tiny bookstore in Crested Butte and asked the lovely lady if she had any British mysteries for me to read. She showed me Things in Jars and I put my fill trust in her and gave it a go. Now, a little thing about me, I abhor horror and detest gothic style stories but enjoy fantasy. After reading a couple chapters I thought this Bookstore lady had me all wrong. I stuck with it, starting to appreciate the dark wit and style from this unknown-to-me author. I was captivated by the love story that plays in the background, scratched my head at the mythical sea creature, and totally fell for Bridie so much so I’m rooting for a sequel!
I feel like this list was written for me. Everything I haven’t already read is going on my list. I would add Winter’s Bone, by Daniel Woodrell, and Human Croquet, by Kate Atkinson (similar content warnings to Tana French and Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series). I’ll also have to revisit The Lumineers. I was definitely not following the plot the first time around. How I made it through 800 pages without knowing what was going on…
Also want to add the excellent Your House Will Pay, by Steph Cha. Loved this one on audio.
I’m definitely bookmarking this page for the next time I’m managing my library holds list. I didn’t know Emily St. John Mandel had a mystery!
Another series that I love is Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler series similar to Louise Penney and Elizabeth George. Attica Locke’s Jay Porter series is good.
Yes yes yes to Things in Jars! It was the last book I read in 2020 and it made my Top 5 of the year. Loved it!
As for the rest of the list I loved The River, The Lola Quartet, Snow Falling on Cedars and Everything I Never Told You.
I do not understand the hype around Long Bright River. It really left me cold.
I loved The Eight by Katherine Neville. Well written and keeps you turning those pages.
I ADORED Things In Jars!!! It was a 5 star read for me. It is delightfully weird and wonderful… truly a mash-up of so many genres it nearly defies description. Pick it up immediately!
I love Keigo Higashino’s books, all of them are good but Under the Midnight Sun is absolutely incredible.
Things in Jars!!!!!
I’m really excited that I have already half of them. This says to me that since joining MMD a couple years ago, my reading horizons have immensly (it’s friday evening and my brain is fried, so I’m having a hard time spelling. LOL) broadened.
I was interested to note that you didn’t find The Searcher “gripping”. I read it in one sitting, ignoring a bunch of other obligations because I couldn’t put it down, and my aunt told me she tried (unsuccessfully) to keep reading it on her Kindle while walking her dogs. Lol. Tastes differ, so I just had to say it was my favorite of all French’s novels.
Having just watched an interview with the marvelous legal mystery author, Scott Turow, I have just finished re-reading his first book in the Kindle County series,Presumed Innocent, and his just released book, The Final Trial. So well written and such interesting characters and stories that I finished both in a few days each. Highly recommend.
Peter Lawson’s books remind me of Tana French. I read all of hers but The Searcher last year, and now I’m on my 5th of his so far this year. Great writing, mystery, surprises, and some minor characters that appear in different books. He definitely belongs on this list!
Peter *Swanson 🤦🏻♀️
Saving Grace by Debbie Babitt. John Lescroart calls it “the scariest literary ride of the year.”
Love this list! Adding Sujata Massey’s series that starts with The Widows of Malabar Hill.
The Secret History-Donna Tartt
The Likeness-Tana French
Thanks for this list! I’d never explicitly thought about my preference for literary mysteries in connection with my HSP self, but it makes perfect sense. I would highly recommend “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” by Olga Tokarczuk. The writing is just extraordinary: I’ve never encountered something that felt so deeply thoughtful and was able to propel me forward at the same time. This is one where I finished the audiobook and wanted to read a physical copy just to spend more time with her language. There are some disturbing scenes and much that is unusual, but the depth of the storytelling! Very much worth it.
An Instance of the Fingerpost. Mystery told from 4 perspectives by Iain Pears-super high literary quality and phenomenal ending. And Stones Fall by the same author.
I’m very late to the party but did not see a single recommendation (perhaps I missed it?) for The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Turton. This book fits your criteria to an absolute T.
As is the case with many a quality and complicated mystery, it may take a bit to adjust to the required suspension of disbelief — but once you do, you will be invested to the end.
I thought the writing (of Seven and a Half) was mediocre. I just couldn’t sink my teeth into it. The story was vaguely interesting, though I found my self more curious about the narrator’s story than about Evelyn’s. I finally just put it down near the end and never picked it up again!
Thank you for this list!
As a Conan Doyle and Austen fan like you, I needed this list.
I would also include “Tree of Redemption,” a little know, but highly regarded novel that has multiple story arcs.