“We all choose to be sceptics when the truth is inconvenient.”
If there’s one thing you can guarantee every year in the literary world, it’s the enduring love readers have for mysteries. The suspense, twists, turns, shocking revelations, hidden motivations, and unreliable narrators—tools authors consistently lean on to befuddle and trick their audiences—will never fail to prove a winning formula for some of the most acclaimed and successful books. From cosy whodunits to gripping psychological thrillers, 2023 delivered some truly jaw-dropping reads. Why not check out the best mystery books from the year at What We Reading?
The Housemaid’s Secret (The Housemaid #2) – Freida McFadden
Kicking off our list of the best mystery books from 2023 is Freida McFadden’s Goodreads Choice Award-winning novel, The Housemaid’s Secret. Though it works as a standalone, the book serves as a follow-up to McFadden’s 2022 book, The Housemaid. Readers again follow protagonist Millie, who is still working as a housemaid.
She’s been given a job working for the Garricks, cleaning their luxurious penthouse with views overlooking the city and preparing expensive meals every night. The only issue for Millie is that she’s never met Mrs Garrick, nor has she ever seen inside the guest bedroom. Faint whimperings behind closed doors and spots of blood on Mrs Garrick’s nightgowns tell Millie that Douglas Garrick has done wrong. It’s just a case of how far she is willing to go this time around. Fast-paced writing, plenty of twists and turns, and an enthralling storyline help make The Housemaid’s Secret one of the most addictive mystery thrillers from 2023!
Check Out Our Book Review Of Freida McFadden’s Never Lie
Glory Be (Glory Broussard Mystery #1) – Danielle Arceneaux
Danielle Arceneaux’s debut novel, Glory Be, introduces readers to the uncensored amateur sleuth Glory Broussard in a vivid and charming mystery set in the Louisiana Bayou.
Settling into her post-church routine, meeting gamblers at a coffee shop, and working as a small-time bookie, Glory receives word that her best friend—a beloved nun in the community—has been found dead. The police rule it as a tragic suicide, but Glory believes there is more to the proceedings. With her reluctant daughter in tow, she begins an investigation into a town running rife with oil tycoons, church gossip, and rumours of voodoo priestesses. Having grown up in segregated America, Glory is used to being overlooked and obstructed. However, nothing is going to stop her from getting to the heart of the dark web of lies she never knew her town of Lafayette was capable of hiding.
The Only One Left – Riley Sager
In 1929, the bloody murders of the Hope Family shocked the Maine coast. Then-seventeen-year-old Lenora was whom the local community suspected, though no one could ever prove that she had killed her family. Since that fateful night, she has not uttered another word, nor has she ever stepped foot outside of Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
Fast forward to 1983, and Kit McDeere has arrived at Hope’s End to care for the decaying house and the wheelchair-bound Lenora, who is only able to communicate with her via a typewriter. Then, one night, she uses that typewriter to tell Kit: ‘I want to tell you everything.’ Riley Sager’s thrilling 2023 mystery, The Only One Left, chronicles what happened during the Hope Family killings, revealing how much more there was than what met the eye. But, as Kit continues to unravel the mysteries of Lenora, she begins to suspect there may also be things she is holding from her, and that the seemingly harmless old woman in her care may be more dangerous than she first thought.
Check Out The Best Books Like The Only One Left
None Of This Is True – Lisa Jewell
Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True is an enthralling psychological mystery book centred around one woman who finds herself as the subject of her true crime podcast in 2023.
While celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at the local pub, podcaster Alix Summers meets Josie Fair. As it turns out, the two share the same birthday, both out celebrating. They cross paths again, and Josie suggests that Alix might be a good subject for her podcast. Josie’s life appears complicated and fascinating simultaneously, but Alix soon discovers a series of dark secrets about her that leave her feeling shaken. Then, as fast as she came into her life, Josie disappeared. Only then does Alix truly begin to understand the terrible consequences of meeting this mysterious woman, with herself and her family becoming the victims in her podcast.
Check Out The Best Books Like None Of This Is True
The Last Devil To Die (Thursday Murder Club #4) – Richard Osman
Richard Osman continues his beloved Thursday Murder Club series with the 2023 mystery book, The Last Devil to Die. Amateur sleuths Joyce, Elizabeth, Ron, and Ibrahim once again spring into action, sticking their noses into the investigation when an old friend in the antiques business is killed, and the dangerous package he was protecting goes missing.
Encountering art forgers, online fraudsters, and drug dealers, danger is on their heels throughout. As the body count continues to rise and the missing package still eludes them, the question looms: who will be the last devil to die? In addition to being another stellar cosy mystery story, The Last Devil to Die offers an intimate and emotional look at our twilight years and the inevitabilities that come with old age.
The Maid’s Diary – Loreth Anne White
In another 2023 mystery book featuring a maid with a snooping habit, Loreth Anne White introduces readers to Kit Darling in The Maid’s Diary. Kit is accustomed to poking into the lives of her wealthy clients. However, when she witnesses something she really shouldn’t have in the home of her latest clients, a privileged couple expecting their first child, she realizes that she has become a danger to them, and her.
Homicide cop Mallory Van Alst is dispatched to a luxurious waterfront home known as the Glass House. There, she’s confronted by a bloody scene of a violent assault, one in which the victim is unlikely to have survived. Except there is no body, no homeowners, and no maid. As Mel untangles the web of secrets that sent all of these lives hurtling towards an irreversible and messy collision course, she realises that nothing in this house is as it seems.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers – Jesse Q. Sutanto
Another one of the best cosy mystery reads from 2023, sixty-year-old Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than relaxing with a hearty cup of Wulong and engaging in some ‘harmless’ internet sleuthing (which mainly consists of checking to see if her grandson has a partner yet).
However, when a dead body suddenly appears in the middle of Vera’s tea room, she knows it will take more than a strong Longjing to clear things up. No one quite sniffs out wrongdoing like a Chinese mother with too much on their hands, and Vera believes she can do a much better job solving this mystery than the police. This contemporary murder mystery follows the sharp amateur sleuth as she sets to work getting her chief suspects to spill the tea.
Don’t Let Her Stay – Nicola Sanders
Nicola Sanders sets up a chilling premise in her 2023 thriller, Don’t Let Her Stay: ‘What happens when you know someone in your house wants to kill you?’ Joanne seemingly has the perfect idyllic life. Her husband, Richard, is wonderful, and they have the most gorgeous baby girl, Evie.
However, things are upended when Richard’s daughter, Chloe, arrives at their door. Chloe hasn’t spoken to the pair since they were married two years ago but claims to want to make amends by staying with them for a while and helping with the baby. All seems perfect until a series of events begin to make Joanne question what Chloe’s true intentions may be. Has she made a terrible, potentially deadly mistake letting her into her home? And is it too late to ask her to leave?
All The Sinners Bleed – S.A. Cosby
After years of working as an FBI agent, Titus Crown becomes the first black sheriff in Charon County, Virginia’s history. A year and a day after Titus’ election, this quaint town of honeysuckle, moonshine, and cornbread is rocked by the murder of a school teacher by one of their students. Titus’ deputies fatally wound the student in response, splitting the town and all of its festering secrets apart.
As Titus investigates the shootings, he discovers terrible crimes and a serial killer hiding in plain sight, hunting the dirt lanes and abandoned woodlands. Titus is forced to grapple with the killer’s connections to the local church, the weight of the town’s morbid history, a far-right group attempting to organize a march remembering the Confederacy, and his secrets in this beautifully told and distinctive 2023 mystery book by S.A. Cosby.
Check Out The Best 2023 Books For Men
All The Dangerous Things – Stacy Willingham
One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life was upended. Her one-year-old son, Mason, was kidnapped from his crib while Isabelle and her husband were asleep in the next room. Since that fateful night, she hasn’t been able to rest until Mason is returned to her – literally. With the case going cold, aside from the occasional blackout where she loses all sense of time, Isabelle hasn’t slept in a year.
Realizing that things cannot continue as they are, and in the hopes of unearthing a new witness or piece of evidence, Isabelle agrees to be interviewed by a true crime podcast. However, the interviewer’s obsession with her past soon begins to unnerve her. Coupled with severe insomnia, she begins to doubt her recollection of the past. Paranoia and distrust, even toward herself, begin to mount, but she remains determined to unlock the truth of the disappearance, no matter where it leads.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
