Nothing keeps readers’ eyes glued to the pages better than a complex yet compelling mystery. And what makes mysteries such an effective genre is because it’s so diverse and can tap into so many different avenues. And the fun of reading a mystery is trying to spot the clues and red hearings.

We’re listing fifteen great mystery thrillers.

(1) The Gray Man (The Gray Man 1) by Mark Greaney (2009). The story follows Court Gentry who, after assassinating a powerful figure, becomes hunted himself as he evades his pursuers to mount a mission to rescue his handler.

(2) Icebound by David Axton (1995). The story follows a group of international scientists stranded on an iceberg set with bombs rigged to blow while an assassin hides among the crew with an agenda of his own.

(3) Storm Front (The Dresden Files 1) by Jim Butcher (2000). Wizard Harry Dresden is hired by the police to consult on a double murder using black magic, but his life becomes threatened when the black mage responsible learns Harry’s name.

(4) The Edge (An FBI Thriller 4) by Catherine Coulter (1999). While recovering from a car bombing by terrorist FBI agent Ford MacDougal searches for his sister after she disappears while recovering from a near death experience.

(5) To Die For by Lisa Gray (2023). Real estate agent Andy Hart is among a group of colleagues vying to find a buyer for a Malibu beach house, but things get complicated when a dead body found at the open house turns the dream home into a crime scene.

(6) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium 1) by Stieg Larsson (2005). Journalist Mikael Blomkvist has been hired by industrial tycoon Henrik Vanger to investigate the 40-year-old disappearance of Henrik’s niece Harriet. He teams up with the introverted and skilled computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.

(7) On Target (The Gray Man 2) by Mark Greaney (2010). Four years ago, Court Gentry was betrayed by his handlers in the CIA. To survive, he had to eliminate his own brothers in arms. Now, as a master assassin known as the Gray Man, he makes his living killing other people. But when an old comrade he thought dead returns to haunt him, his own life is put in the crosshairs.

(8) A Man’s Promise by Brenda Jackson (2004). Superstar musician Caden Granger has spent years running from love, commitment and family. Corporate fund-raiser and society maven Shiloh Timmons finally got her life on track once her relationship with Caden ended, and she’s in no hurry to revisit a romance with the man she left standing at the altar.

(9) The Snow Empress: A Thriller (Sano Ichiro 12) by Laura Joh Rowland (2007). The story follows detective Sano and his team who venture to northern Japan to solve the murder of the governors’ mistress.

(10) Honeymoon (Honeymoon 1) by James Patterson and Howard Roughan (2005). FBI agent John O’Hara is sent investigate the mysterious femme fatale Nora Sinclair, but things get complicated as he gets closer and closer blurring the lines between justice and passion.

(11) Relic (Pendergast 1) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (1995). The plot follows NYPD Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta, FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast, and graduate student Dr. Margo Green who hunts a mythical creature that is killing people in a New York City’s American Museum of Natural History.

(12) Pegasus Descending (Dave Robicheaux #15) by James Lee Burke. Detective Dave Robicheaux investigates the death of a young co-ed while dealing with the daughter of his former partner who has her eyes on the man responsible for her father’s death.

(13) The Girl in the Spider’s Web (Millennium 4) by David Lagercrantz (2015). The story follows Lisbeth tackles some extremely dangerous family secrets while also investigating a case involving Russian organized crime and government cyberspying alongside her accomplice, journalist Mikael Blomkvist. 

(14) The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz (1981). After suffering from her son’s death, Tina Evans might be ready to put her grief behind her and start over until a shocking message appears on the chalkboard in Danny’s NOT DEAD. Those two words send her on a terrifying journey where she uncovers a terrible secret.

(15) The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium 2) by Stieg Larsson (2006). The story follows Lisbeth Salander as she returns to Sweden after spending a year abroad. She falls under suspicion of having murdered a journalist and his girlfriend, as well as her own social services guardian, Nils Bjurman, while Mikael Blomkvist tries to find her before the authorities.

Thanks for checking out the post and in the comments let us know what your favorite mystery thrillers are.