Mystery & crime · 2025

Best Mystery & Crime Books of 2025

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie was the most-recognized mystery & crime book of 2025, named by 6 of the 153 sources we track. The table ranks all 47 by how many sources named them.

Sources is the number of distinct awards and year-end lists that name the book's ISBN, in any year. 2025 is the award or list year in our catalog.

#BookAuthorSourcesNamed by
1The Savage, Noble Death of Babs DionneRon Currie6
2El Dorado DriveMegan Abbott5
3When the Wolf Comes HomeNat Cassidy4
4Your Steps on the StairsAntonio Muñoz Molina, translated by Curtis Bauer4
5Marble Hall MurdersAnthony Horowitz3
6ElitaKirsten Sundberg Lunstrum2
7Killing StellaMarlen Haushofer, translated by Shaun Whiteside2
8Picks and ShovelsCory Doctorow2
9The Night BirdsChristopher Golden2
10This Book Will Bury MeAshley Winstead2
11Death of the AuthorNnedi Okorafor1
12Julie Chan Is DeadLiann Zhang1
13King of AshesS.A. Cosby1
14The Impossible FortuneRichard Osman1
15The Secret RoomJane Casey1
16What We Can KnowIan McEwan1
17Witchcraft for Wayward GirlsGrady Hendrix1
18All of Us MurderersKJ Charles0
    19All the Other Mothers Hate MeSarah Harman0
      20AuditionKatie Kitamura0
        21Beautiful UglyAlice Feeney0
          22Clown TownMick Herron0
            23DarkenbloomEva Menasse, translated by Charlotte Collins0
              24Fair PlayLouise Hegarty0
                25HeartwoodAmity Gaige0
                  26Killer PotentialHannah Deitch0
                    27Lay Your Armor DownMichael Farris Smith0
                      28Not Quite Dead YetHolly Jackson0
                        29Old SoulSusan Barker0
                          30Saint of the Narrows StreetWilliam Boyle0
                            31Secret Lives of the DeadTim Lebbon0
                              32The CompoundAisling Rawle0
                                33The Expert of Subtle RevisionsKirsten Menger-Anderson0
                                  34The In CrowdCharlotte Vassell0
                                    35The InheritanceTrisha Sakhlecha0
                                      36The LibrariansSherry Thomas0
                                        37The Manor of DreamsChristina Li0
                                          38The Naming of the BirdsParaic O'Donnell0
                                            39The NoteAlafair Burke0
                                              40The PaybackKashana Cauley0
                                                41The Possession of Alba DíazIsabel Cañas0
                                                  42The Princess and the P.I.Nikki Payne0
                                                    43The StalkerPaula Bomer0
                                                      44The Three Lives of Cate KayKate Fagan0
                                                        45The Tokyo SuiteGiovana Madalosso, translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato0
                                                          46The Trouble Up NorthTravis Mulhauser0
                                                            47Vantage PointSara Sligar0