Mystery/Thriller

The Best Mystery Books: 2023 Upcoming Titles

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Michelle Regalado

Staff Writer

Michelle Regalado is a New York-based digital writer and editor. When she's not hunting down her next must-read book (recommendations are welcome!) or writing about all things pop culture, you can probably find her drinking iced coffee and hanging out with her dog, Lola. Follow her on Twitter: @mar8289

There are plenty of exciting new book releases to look forward to in 2023, particularly when it comes to mystery novels. While the upcoming year is set to bring plenty of highly anticipated new titles to shelves from across all genres, including sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and nonfiction, it will be a particularly rich year for some of the best mystery books. 2023 promises pulse-pounding murder mysteries and cozy whodunits. You’re sure to find a title that suits your interest on this list.

As you await these buzzy novels to hit shelves in the coming months, there are also several books from the last few weeks of 2022 that are worth adding to your nightstands and bookshelves. This list includes captivating reads from late 2022 that you can pick up in stories now, as well as several anticipated 2023 releases that are still on the way. From a thrilling debut novel set on a college campus to a captivating sci-fi mystery located on a remote colony in Jupiter, these engrossing page-turners will keep you hooked until the very end.

So break out your TBR list, and read on for some of the best new mysteries that you won’t want to miss out on in 2023, below.

The Best Mystery Books: 2023

cover image for the storyteller's death

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal

This stunning family saga follows an 18-year-old teenager in Puerto Rico who uncovers a strange and mysterious ability after the death of her grandmother. When her grandmother passes away, Isla inexplicably finds herself getting visions of the tales she’s heard from her family throughout her life. But one vision presents her with the case of an old murder mystery, Isla realizes the stories she once found fascinating could actually be dangerous. 

Book cover of Jackal by Erin E. Adams; image of young Black woman with night sky superimposed over one side of her face.

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

Liz Rocher reluctantly returns to her predominately white home town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to attend her her best friend’s wedding. She braces herself for a weekend of awkward reunions. But on the day of the wedding, the couple’s daughter, Caroline, disappears, leaving behind nothing but a piece of white fabric covered in blood.

cover image for The Last Party

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh 

On New Year’s Day, Rhys Lloyd, a developer of exclusive lake vacation homes for wealthy outsiders, is found dead in a small village on the border between Wales and England. DC Leo Brady of Cheshire Major Crimes takes on the case, partnering with Ffion Morgan of the North Wales Police. Told through the perspectives of a large cast of characters, this page-turner moves between past and present to reveal the truth about Rhys and his murder. 

cover image The Resemblance

The Resemblance by Lauren Nossett

This atmospheric mystery set in the world of academia follows the case a fraternity brother who is hit by a car at the University of Georgia. The twist: all the witnesses say the driver looked identical to the victim and was smiling. The detective on the case, Marlitt Kaplan, is the daughter of a professor and knows all the school’s shameful secrets. But as she investigates the hit-and-run, she must dig even deeper into the university’s Greek system, finding some long-buried secrets that have made their way off campus.

cover image for A World of Curiosities

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

Your Inspector Gamache fix has arrived! In the latest installment from Louise Penny, the now adult children of a murdered woman have returned to Three Pines, alarming the local detective and the rest of the town. Their worry only deepens after the discovery of a letter written by a long dead stone mason, which reveals the location of an attic room filled with curiosities.

cover of a dangerous business

A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley 

Set in 1850s Gold Rush California, this historical mystery follows Eliza Ripple, who began working at the local brothel as a means of gaining financial security after her husband died. When the dead bodies of young women start appearing outside of town, Eliza, fueled by her love reading and Edgar Allan Poe’s detective Dupin, recruits her best friend, Jean, to try to catch the killer.

cover of the widowmaker

The Widowmaker by Hannah Morrissey 

The Reynolds family name has become synonymous with murder and mystery ever since mogul Clive Reynolds went missing 20 yeas ago. After receiving a cryptic note, photographer Morgan Mori reluctantly returns home to Black Harbor and into the web of their family secrets. The night she photographs the latest Reynolds holiday get-together, Morgan becomes witness to a shocking crime that could crack open the cold case.

death in Tokyo book cover

A Death in Tokyo by Keigo Higashino

This is the third entry in Higashino’s Detective Kyoichiro Kaga series that has been translated into English. After a man is found stabbed on a famous bridge in the center of Tokyo, Detective Kaga is assigned to the team investigating the murder. When a prime suspect is located, the Tokyo Police Department thinks this could be a simple open and shut case. But as Kaga looks into the suspect,  his investigation takes him down unexpected roads and reveals the dark truth of what really happened and why.

liar, dreamer, thief book cover

Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong (January 10)

Both a surreal mystery and an intimate exploration of mental health, Liar, Dreamer, Thief follows Katrina Kim, who forms an obsession with her co-worker Kurt as one of her many coping methods. While riffling through his things one day, Katrina finds evidence that someone is aware of what she’s been doing and she runs to her ritual spot at the bridge to soothe herself. But when she arrives, she finds Kurt, who slams her with a horrifying accusation before jumping to his death. Spiraling from his indictment, Katrina revisits everything she knows about him — only to discover that Kurt was watching her, too. As she dives further into Kurt’s life, she faces more shocking revelations about her own. 

city under one roof book cover

City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita (January 10)

In this gripping debut, detective Cara Kennedy sets out to investigate a teen’s murder in Point Mettier, Alaska, where all 205 citizens live in a single high-rise building. After a blizzard causes the only tunnel into the building to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and suspicious residents, each of which seems to have their own secrets to hide. 

decent people book cover

Decent People by De’Shawn Charles Winslow (January 17)

Winslow follows up his powerful debut, In West Mills, with another historical mystery set in segregated West Mills, North Carolina. In the compelling follow-up, former resident who has recently moved back to town is determined to help solve the triple homicide of three siblings. Though the crime is the first reported murder in the area in decades, the white authorities don’t seem to have any interest in solving the case. When Jo Wright realizes her childhood sweetheart, the half-sibling of the murder victims, could be named a prime suspect, she sets out to prove his innocence.

cover image for Exiles

Exiles by Jane Harper (January 31)

Federal Investigator Aaron Falk travels to his small home town in Southern Australia with plan to enjoy his vacation and attend the christening of a friend’s baby. What he doesn’t realize is that the timing coincides with the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Kim Gillespie, who went missing during a town festival with no leads. After Kim’s daughter makes a plea for information, Aaron finds himself drawn to the case and slowly begins to infiltrate his way into Kim’s circle of friends and family.

cover of last seen in papas

Last Seen in Lapaz by Kwei Quartey (February 7)

Last Seen in Lapaz marks the third installment in the Emma Djan Investigation series. After a whirlwind romance leads to the disappearance of a young Nigerian woman and the brutal murder of her boyfriend, Emma Djan embarks on a dangerous undercover mission to uncover what really happened and track down the missing woman.

cover of I have some questions for you

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (February 21)

Now a successful podcaster and film professor, Bodie Kane has worked hard to leave her difficult past behind, including a family tragedy and the murder of a classmate at the New Hampshire school she attended. When the boarding school offers Bodie the chance to teach a two-week course, her memories of that year begin to resurface, and she can’t help but start investigating the details of the murder, realizing she may be more connected to the case than she though.

scorched grace book cover

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy (February 21)

The first novel from Gillian Flynn’s new imprint, Scorched Grace tells the story of Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, who joins a convent in New Orleans. After Sister’s convent becomes the target of an arson spree, she puts her sleuthing skills to work and launches her own investigation to pinpoint the culprit before it’s too late.

cover of the angel maker

The Angel Maker by Alex North (February 28)

Growing up, Katie Shaw seemed to live a charmed life — until the day a violent stranger changed the fate of her family forever. Years later, Katie still struggles to live with  the guilt surrounding what happened to her brother, Chris. Her life is upended once again when she gets a phone call that Chris has gone missing. At the same time, Detective Laurence Page uncovers a connection between the recent murder of a professor and the gruesome attack Chris suffered as a teenager.

cover of the maids diary

The Maid’s Diary by Loreth Anne White (March 1)

Kit Darling is a maid with a habit of snooping. It’s always been a harmless hobby — until Kit sees something dark in the home of her brand-new clients: a secret that could destroy the privileged couple expecting their first child. When homicide cop Mallory Van Alst is called to the scene of a bloody attack at a luxury waterfront home, she knows there is little chance the victim is alive, even though there is no body. With the homeowners gone and their maid missing, Mal sets out to uncover the secret that altered everyone’s lives.

cover of mimicking of known successes

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (March 7)

In this science fiction murder mystery, a man goes missing on a remote outpost of a human colony on Jupiter. When Investigator Mossa follows his trail, it leads her to Valdegeld, the location of the colony’s erudite university, where her former girlfriend, Pleiti, works. Pleiti is an expert on Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems. When Mossa shows and requests her assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them team up to uncover the mystery.

cover of vera Wongs unsolicited advice

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (March 14)

Vera Wong is a lonely elderly lady who lives above her mostly forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. One morning, she comes downstairs to find a curious thing — a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, holding a flash drive in his hand. After calling the cops, Vera decides to keep the flash drive to figure out which of the customers of her shop is the murderer. What she doesn’t expect is to begin form friendships with her customers.

cover of what remains

What Remains by Wendy Walker (June 13)

Cold case detective Elise Sutton prefers to maintain a careful sense of order in both her work life and professional one. But that all changes one day in a department store when Elise is forced to make a decision in which to save one life, she has to take another. Though Elise is hailed as a hero by many, she feels steeped with guilt — until she connects with Wade Austin, the man whose life she saved. But Elise soon realizes Wade is far from who he appears to be.

Looking for more mysteries? Check out 15 of the best mystery thrillers ever and 19 of the best award-winning mysteries.