While there are plenty of cozy mystery novels that can be read in one sitting, there are other mystery novels that are long and in-depth, with interwoven plots and mysteries that need solving. If you’re looking for a long and complicated mystery novel, we attempted to collect the best mystery books for adults coming out (or already available) this year.
Although you might find yourself a bit exhausted from the flood of new releases that pump out every year, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of running into a good mystery novel. Even more fun than seeing the genius detective solve the mystery is reading about the book sleuth’s adventures for yourself. Here are the top 8 of the most promising adult mystery novels of the year:
Steal, by James Patterson (2022)
Crime Mystery
Instagram is a good thing, but what if you realize that somebody plans to end his life in 24 hours. The novel has also psychological attributes to make this mystery more complicated.
A brilliant crime solving professor’s next challenge. Steal is a novel that brings you inside Carter von Oehson’s mind as he attempts to kill himself. Follow along, get to know Carter and his friends, his family, and his many secrets as they unfold before your eyes.
Mathias von Oehson, the father is the only one who is convinced that his son is still alive. Dylan is now wrapped up in multi-million-dollar secrets and danger, and it’s going to take every bit of his wit, and the brilliant and headstrong NYPD Detective, Elizabeth Needham, to stay ahead of both his enemies.
The Maid, by Nita Prose (2022)
Whodunit Mystery
The Maid is an episodic narrative game, following Molly Gray. She’s not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her Gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
In the absence of her late grandmother, Molly (25) has become an individual in her own right and is unafraid to pursue her ambitions even if they don’t conform to convention. At home she lives simply but loves ornamentation. She gets up every morning at 5 am to make sure she starts her maid work in time.
The Maid is a satirical comedy about class, race and the nitty-gritty of living paycheck to paycheck. In turn hilarious and sobering, it’s an absurd portrait of one young woman’s struggle to get by—even as she strives to be a good employee in the midst of personal crisis.
Survivor’s Guilt, by Robyn Gigl (2022)
Legal Thriller Mystery
A billionaire commits suicide and his trans adoptive daughter takes the blame. But Erin McCabe, a transgender attorney, sees that Ann is innocent. She and her partner, Swisher, can’t prove Ann isn’t to blame for the crime so they must dig deeper, but that means cutting through the lies of a powerful family and their complicit employees to find the truth about who’s actually on trial for murder.
But it becomes clear that someone else might be involved in the deadly crime as Erin pours over reams of evidence hoping to find a clue before it’s too late.
Erin McCabe seems like a very complex and intriguing character in crime fiction today. Just like the first book, this story was also able to weave believable, and sympathetic characters with an incredible story that was hard to put down. Definitely a strong candidate among the top mystery books For adults in 2022.
The Last House on the Street, by Diane Chamberlain (2022)
Hystorical Mystery
This is a book that must be on your list this year.
Kayla Carter’s husband dies in an accident while building their dream house in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in Round Hill, North Carolina. Now, an older woman is warning Kayla not to move into the neighborhood. And could the house at the end of the street hold the key to what happened to her husband and the neighbors’ cryptic secrets?
The story start in 1965 and continues in 2010. Two women. Each seeking the truth. Not knowing what they will find when they find it. They are on a collision course with reality, no matter what that reality may bring to light, or who it puts in their path. This is definitely one the best mystery books for adults in 2022.
The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley (2022)
Women’s Historical Mystery
A socialite, a nice guy, an girl on the verge, a concierge, an alcoholic, the neighbors and they are all could be the murderers. A mystery with a large cast of potential suspects. Check out Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment.
When Jess arrives in Paris to stay with her half-brother Ben, she is surprised to discover he was living in a better place than she’d imagined he could afford. And even more surprising was the fact that he wasn’t home!
Much like any other person who suddenly finds themselves abandoned in a foreign land, Jess begins investigating the situation surrounding her half-brother’s disappearance and realizes there is much more to his story than meets the eye.
The Paradox Hotel, by Rob Hart
Sci-fi Mystery
In this mystery novel, readers are introduced to the Paradox Hotel where rich guests stay while they wait for their ‘flights’ to the past.
The hotel is close to a time port and January Cole is the head of security for this hotel. But now a blizzard has hit, meaning no one is making it to their trips to the past any time soon, and everyone is stuck in the hotel. And January treats this as an opportunity – not only does he treat it as his job to make sure that no one steals from anyone else, but also an opportunity to try putting himself together after taking his own trip into the past.
As January Cole tries piecing together who might be behind the murder of his former boss and mentor, he realizes there are many people with motive including another deceased staff member who had been warned off finding some kind of treasure at all costs… January’s journey through this time travel mystery takes unexpected turns as he not only looks for clues but finds love along the way!
Mystery Books For Adults Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of mystery books for adult readers in 2022. If you’re watching for new mystery books in the future, we recommend check back later. If you’d like to suggest other mystery books that you’re looking forward to in 2022, we’d love to hear from you. Just tell us on Twitter.
If you are looking for more mysteries check Joanne Fluke’s mystery books.