,

This list is for fiction, especially novels, in which the commission, detection or punishment of a crime is a central element of the plot.

There are plenty of lists for sub-genres -- professional or amateur detectives, male or female detectives, British, Swedish or some other nationality detectives.

This is for all of them -- whodunits, police procedurals, psychological thrillers, courtroom dramas, the lot. Detectives from Britain, Sweden, Japan or Botswana.

The only limitation is that crime must be a dominant, and not an incidental element of the plot.
1

by
3.71 avg rating — 4,812 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
2

by
4.79 avg rating — 47 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
3

by
4.24 avg rating — 34 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
4

by
4.74 avg rating — 185 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
5

by
4.47 avg rating — 38 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
6

by
4.29 avg rating — 1,072,550 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
7

by
4.16 avg rating — 333 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
8

by
4.15 avg rating — 110 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
9

by
3.64 avg rating — 40,936 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
10

by
4.39 avg rating — 384,188 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
10

by
3.87 avg rating — 77,528 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
12

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 100,303 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
13

by
4.13 avg rating — 386,618 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
14

by
3.77 avg rating — 218 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
15

by
3.77 avg rating — 4,420 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
16

by
4.13 avg rating — 486,884 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
17

by
3.84 avg rating — 17,196 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
18

by
4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
19

by
4.03 avg rating — 2,640 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
20

by
4.23 avg rating — 26 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
21

by
4.41 avg rating — 85 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
22

by
4.13 avg rating — 115,036 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
23

by
4.07 avg rating — 59,311 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
23

by
4.66 avg rating — 79 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
25

by
4.55 avg rating — 11 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
26

by
4.26 avg rating — 34 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
27

by
3.81 avg rating — 275,532 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
28

by
4.06 avg rating — 446,500 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
29

by
4.24 avg rating — 774,667 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
30

by
3.56 avg rating — 1,845 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
30

by
3.60 avg rating — 385 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
30

by
3.86 avg rating — 219 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
30

by
3.93 avg rating — 332 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
34

by
4.05 avg rating — 20 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
35

by
4.36 avg rating — 14 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
36

by
4.58 avg rating — 12 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
3.76 avg rating — 1,296 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
38

by
4.19 avg rating — 115,728 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
39

by
3.72 avg rating — 45,837 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
40

by
4.03 avg rating — 1,388,718 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
41

by
3.86 avg rating — 5,764 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
42

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 503,581 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
43

by
3.75 avg rating — 1,301 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
44

by
3.91 avg rating — 12,656 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
45

by
4.60 avg rating — 10 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
45

by
4.17 avg rating — 144 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
47

by
4.06 avg rating — 35,364 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
47

by
3.80 avg rating — 5,994 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
47

by
4.24 avg rating — 5,765 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
47

by
3.59 avg rating — 412 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
51

by
4.19 avg rating — 1,238 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
52

by
3.80 avg rating — 113 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
52

by
3.93 avg rating — 7,465 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
52

by
3.62 avg rating — 34 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
4.07 avg rating — 121 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
4.57 avg rating — 7 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
3.92 avg rating — 4,735 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
58

by
3.88 avg rating — 25,698 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
58

by
4.30 avg rating — 73 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
60

by
3.74 avg rating — 7,397 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
60

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 78,886 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
60

by
3.98 avg rating — 55,402 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
63

by
4.17 avg rating — 146,423 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
3.74 avg rating — 2,225 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.03 avg rating — 79,277 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
66

by
3.74 avg rating — 3,187 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
66

by
3.80 avg rating — 5,604 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
68

by
3.95 avg rating — 165,393 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
69

by
4.03 avg rating — 255,404 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
69

by
4.18 avg rating — 164,799 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
71

by
4.20 avg rating — 727,479 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
71

by
4.07 avg rating — 15 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
73

by
4.03 avg rating — 121,689 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
74

by
3.96 avg rating — 54,311 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
75

by
3.83 avg rating — 30,869 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
75

by
3.92 avg rating — 1,259 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
3.52 avg rating — 23,094 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
78

by
3.98 avg rating — 18,952 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
79

by
4.04 avg rating — 69,784 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
80

by
3.84 avg rating — 29,183 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
81

by
3.73 avg rating — 80,278 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
82

by
4.02 avg rating — 6,463 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
83

by
3.93 avg rating — 8,558 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
84

by
3.93 avg rating — 10,006 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
85

by
4.06 avg rating — 462,259 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
86

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 31,903 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
87

by
3.88 avg rating — 155,632 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
88

by
4.03 avg rating — 10,714 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
89

by
4.03 avg rating — 101,126 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
90

by
3.58 avg rating — 279 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
91

by
4.25 avg rating — 306,084 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
92

by
3.89 avg rating — 33,917 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
4.37 avg rating — 137 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
4.35 avg rating — 23 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
4.14 avg rating — 197 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
4.28 avg rating — 68 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 21 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
4.08 avg rating — 13 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
3.78 avg rating — 3,352 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
93

by
4.05 avg rating — 20 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
523 books · 234 voters · list created October 2nd, 2015 by Stephen Hayes (votes) .
17 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Stephen 2186 books
102 friends
John 15 books
0 friends
Juan 23 books
0 friends
Saturday's 2249 books
67 friends
Russell 1 book
0 friends
Russell 5 books
118 friends
Megan 511 books
9 friends

More voters…


No comments have been added yet.




Related News

Now here’s an interesting stack of books…   To honor the conclusion of the first quarter of the new century, we’ve ventured deep into the...

Anyone can add books to this list.