From Award Winners to Screen Adaptations: 8 Best Mystery Books Released Since 2000, Ranked

A lawyer faces a dangerous client

Michael Connelly’s 2005 novel The Lincoln Lawyer follows Los Angeles defense attorney Michael “Mickey” Haller, who works from the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car. His client, wealthy realtor Louis Roulet, is accused of brutally beating a woman and says he was framed in an extortion scheme.

When Haller learns the truth about Roulet, he must find a way to outmaneuver him in court. The story presents the legal system as a strategic contest, set against a gritty Los Angeles backdrop and told through the perspective of a pragmatic defense lawyer.

A student reopens a murder case

In Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, high school student Pippa Fitz-Amobi investigates the killing of Andie Bell five years earlier for her senior capstone project. Pip aims to show that Sal Singh, Andie’s boyfriend, was not responsible.

With Sal’s brother, Ravi, as her partner, Pip explores secrets in their town and considers whether the real killer remains free. The book uses transcripts, case logs, maps, text messages and school project notes to let readers track the evidence alongside Pip.

Jackson’s debut became an international bestseller, selling more than a million copies, and led to a television adaptation starring Emma Myers. The series’ third and final season is set to air in 2027.

Silence surrounds a shocking crime

Alex Michaelides’ debut, The Silent Patient, centers on Alicia Berenson, a famous London painter who shoots her husband, fashion photographer Gabriel, five times in the face. Afterward, she stops speaking, turning the case into a public mystery.

Alicia is placed in The Grove, a secure forensic psychiatric unit, where criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber treats her and tries to understand her silence. Theo, however, has a motive and mystery of his own.

The novel combines psychological obsession, Greek tragedy and suspense. It won the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller and debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.