The 10 best crime novels of all time – Destructoid

If you're a fan of good crime novels, there are plenty of fantastic options to choose from.

I've read a fair amount of crime novels over the years and have always been impressed by how versatile the genre can be. Of course, someone always dies and someone is always investigating, but crime novels can transport you to alternate timelines, take you into the minds of terrifying killers and keep you awake for hours with their gripping plots.

Here are, in no particular order, the best crime novels to add to your reading list.

When it comes to crime novels, Agatha Christie is the undisputed master. It would be perfectly fair to put any of her novels on this list (I have a personal weakness for Death in the clouds), but there really is no better starting point than Murder on the Orient Express. The novel is a great introduction to Christie's famous character of detective Hercules Poirot and has a brilliant mystery plot. There is a reason this novel has been made into a film several times.

Here is another novel that has been made into a film several times for very good reasons. Stieg Larsson's Blindness kicks off a spectacular crime series, introducing characters such as investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the reclusive Lisbeth Salander. The two become unexpected allies while investigating a cold case, and the book really delves into the procedural aspect of solving an unsolved murder. It can be a little long-winded at times, but the characters and plot are absolutely superb.

Arthur Conan Doyle left so Agatha Christie could run. Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson are the most famous detectives in the world today, but their story began with the 1887 novel A Study in ScarletIn the book, the two solve two murders committed out of revenge and discover how brilliant and unorthodox Holmes' methods are. A Study in Scarlet helped establish the crime fiction formula, and reading it today, it's easy to understand why Doyle's approach has been imitated for over a hundred years.

The best crime novels not only keep you guessing throughout the plot, but also captivate you with the personal concerns of all the characters involved. The girl on the train by Paula Hawkins is a particularly personal story, and from the very first pages it is impossible not to empathize with the book's main character, Rachel Watson. The story begins with an examination of Rachel's alcoholism and her obsession with her ex-husband Tom, but slowly she begins to uncover lost memories and stumbles upon a dark secret.

You probably know Gillian Flynn from her novel GoneGirlwhich was made into a film by director David Fincher, but Flynn's debut novel Sharp objects is an equally well-crafted crime thriller. The novel tells the story of journalist Camille Preaker, who returns to her hometown of Wind Gap, Minnesota, to report on a series of young girls who have been kidnapped and murdered. The return home awakens traumatic childhood experiences, and as Camille tries to come to terms with her past, she discovers that she has a personal connection to the gruesome crimes taking place in the town.

Crime novels are usually wrapped in dark realism, but this novel by Sarah Gailey describes what a murder investigation at a school for young wizards looks like. Magic for liars is set at the Osthorne Academy for Young Mages, and when a faculty member is killed, the school hires a non-magical private investigator named Ivy Gamble to solve the bizarre case. Ivy delves into the mystery while navigating her strained relationship with her sister Tabitha, who teaches at the academy.

The big sleep is a classic hard-boiled crime novel by Raymond Chandler, and over 80 years after its original publication, the book still stands out for its great characters and unparalleled atmosphere. Philip Marlowe is a private detective who is asked to investigate a blackmail case, but the blackmail soon escalates into murder. Marlowe finds himself caught in a tangled web of secrets, and the complex plot is entirely satisfying, even if it doesn't answer every single question it raises.

Written by Alice Sebold, In my heaven changes the typical crime plot by telling the story from the victim's point of view. Susie Salmon is just 14 years old when she is brutally murdered by her neighbor George Harvey. Instead of dying, Susie's spirit remains on earth and witnesses her family and friends devastated by her loss, but she also sees them working hard to solve her murder. Their investigation does not go as they hoped, but by subverting the cliches of the genre, In my heaven conquers a unique place.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon is a spectacularly imaginative alternate world novel and one of my personal favorites. The novel is set in a fictionalized version of Sitka, Alaska, where Jewish refugees from World War II founded a sprawling town. Meyer Landsman is a detective working on a strange murder case that leads him down a rabbit hole that eventually uncovers a global political conspiracy. Chabon is a master of genre fiction and all of his skills are on display in this book.

I have to be honest: I'm not a huge fan of James Patterson. However, The Spider's Web has inspired a whole series of films and over two dozen sequels, so I'm definitely in the minority here. This book is completely over the top, but it also has a brilliant plot. Detective Alex Cross is caught between two seemingly unrelated cases – a gruesome family murder and the kidnapping of two children – but he has no idea how deep the secrets run.