2024 may have come and gone but we are still reeling from the amazing mysteries that caught our eye. And your favorite Dueling Detective duo have returned to list what our favorite mysteries of 2024!
Between both of us, Adena and I closed the year with about 151 books read. So, if reading more mysteries and thrillers is your 2025 New Year’s Resolution, then make these highlighted reads go straight to the top of your reading list. Without further ado, here are the Dueling Detectives duo’s top mysteries of 2024:
Best of 2024 Previously Mentioned
From the previous post, here are the mysteries that were mentioned before but we still consider them to be the best of the year:
- The Last Murder At The End of the World by Stuart Turton
- Wander In The Dark by Jumata Emill
- The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
- Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
- The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry
- A Game of Lies by Clare Mackinstosh
- The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger
- The Gathering by C.J. Tudor
- The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
- The Fury by Alex Michaelides
- Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
- The Kill List by Nadine Matheson
- One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
- Murder Road by Simone St. James
To find out more about these titles, check out the post here.
Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell by Nicholas Meyer
June, 1916. With a world war raging on the continent, exhausted John H. Watson, M.D. is operating on the wounded full-time when his labors are interrupted by a knock on his door, revealing Sherlock Holmes, with a black eye, a missing tooth and a cracked rib. The story he has to tell will set in motion a series of world-changing events in the most consequential case of the detective’s career.
Amid rebellion in Ireland and revolution in Russia, Germany has a secret plan to win the war and Sir William Melville of the British Secret Service dispatches the two aging friends to learn what the scheme is before it can be put into effect. In pursuit of a mysterious coded telegram sent from Berlin to an unknown recipient in Mexico, Holmes and Watson must cross the Atlantic, dodge German U-boats and assassination attempts, and evade the intrigues of young J. Edgar Hoover, while enlisting the help of a beautiful, eccentric Washington socialite as they seek to foil the schemes of Holmes’s nemesis, the escaped German spymaster Von Bork. (Credit: Mysterious Press)
Signed Sealed Dead by Cynthia Murphy
When true-Crime obsessed Paige, along with her family, move across the Atlantic to her father’s eerie hometown, it’s not long before she uncovers the town’s dark history—a string of unsolved murders and disappearances in the 90s.
Soon after, notes start appearing at their home, about the secrets the old house is keeping. The clues lead Paige to a diary concealed in the walls that belonged to one of the missing girls.
Could this be the key to solving a quarter-of-a-century mystery…or will the diary make Paige the next target? (Credit: Delacorte Press)
Darkly by Marisha Pessl
Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the game designer whose obsessive creations and company, Darkly, have gained a cultlike following. Dia is shocked when she’s chosen for a highly-coveted internship, along with six other teenagers from around the world. Why her? Dia has never won anything in her life.
Darkly, once a game-making empire renowned for its ingenious and utterly terrifying toys and games, now lies dormant after Veda’s mysterious death. The remaining games are priced like rare works of art, with some fetching millions of dollars at auction.
As Dia and her fellow interns delve into the heart of Darkly, they discover hidden symbols, buried clues, and a web of intrigue. Who are these other teens, and what secrets do they keep? Why were any of them really chosen? The answers lie within the twisted labyrinth of Darkly—a chilling and addictive read by Marisha Pessl.
This summer will be the most twisted Darkly game of all. (Credit: Delacorte Press)
No/One by Kyle Higgins and Brian Buccellato and illustrated by Geraldo Borges
Last year, the Richard Roe murders shocked the city of Pittsburgh. In the months since, the killings have sparked a dangerous political movement, copycat killers, and a masked vigilante who’s still determined to hold the powerful accountable. Not a symbol. Not a hero. They could be anyone. They’re NO/ONE.
PLUS! The story continues in WHO IS NO/ONE, an included 10-episode audio series starring RACHAEL LEIGH COOK (She’s All That), PATTON OSWALT (Netflix’s The Sandman), TODD STASHWICK (Star Trek: Picard), YURI LOWENTHAL (Insomniac’s Spider-Man), LOREN LESTER (Batman: The Animated Series), ADAM McARTHUR (Jujutsu Kaisen) and more!
Immerse yourself in the groundbreaking true-crime multimedia superhero series ahead of its feature film debut! (Credit: Image Comics)
Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.
While going through their parents’ belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.
Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave. (Credit: Blackstone Publishing)
The Only Way Out by Sarah Daniels
The exciting conclusion to The Stranded duology!
Trust no one.
It’s been six months since the Arcadia set sail. But this wasn’t the freedom the inhabitants were hoping for. Esther did what she had to do, but she left a trail of destruction in her wake. Now the wrecked ship is abandoned, and its inhabitants are in exile, trapped in makeshift shelters.
Esther and Nik, architects of the rebellion, are on the run. Esther is in hiding and Nik seems to have abandoned all hope. But neither of them wants to face up to their true feelings for each other. And there’s a new villain in town: ruthless Admiral Janek who wants to deal with the traitors while outrunning her own shady past.
When the shaky ceasefire negotiated by Nik’s mom, General Lall, falls apart, Nik and Esther find themselves in a world of betrayals and double crossings–a game of power with no one to trust but themselves.(Credit: Sourcebooks Fire)
Like A Mother by Mina Hardy
Sarah and Adam Granatt had the perfect suburban life: a beautiful house, an adorable daughter, a baby on the way, and a once-in-a-lifetime love. They were the couple everyone envied–until Adam died.
In the wake of his death, Adam’s secrets begin to emerge. The first comes out when a woman named Candace introduces herself to Sarah as Adam’s mother. Sarah is rightfully confused: Adam had always said his mother was dead. Adam also lied about making sure Sarah, Ellie, and the new baby would be taken care of, financially. The truth is, there’s no money.
Candace proves she is who she says, but admits the relationship between her and Adam was strained. Her beloved son is gone, but she can offer emotional support and better yet, a place to stay until after the baby is born and Sarah can get back on her feet.
Living in Adam’s childhood home, Sarah begins to understand the life he had before they met–the life he buried along with his relationship with his mother. When Sarah notices Candace’s strange obsession with her, and the house begins to feel less like salvation and more like a cage, she realizes that the secrets go deeper than she ever could’ve imagined. Candace might not be the caring mother-in-law she seems…
And maybe Adam had good reason to pretend that his mother was dead. (Credit: Crooked Lane Books)
This Book Kills by Ravena Guron
I’ll make it clear from the start: I did not kill Hugh Henry Van Boren. I didn’t even help…Well, not intentionally.
All Jess Choudhary wants is to keep her head down, do her work, and make it through high school without any problems. As a scholarship student–and one of only two students of Indian heritage–her future at the elite school depends on her ability to keep a low profile and spotless record. But when one of the most popular and richest kids in the school ends up dead in the exact same way as a character in a short story she wrote, Jess unintentionally finds herself at the center of the investigation.
And then Jess receives an anonymous text thanking her for the inspiration.
As rumors run rampant about who the murderer could be, Jess knows if she doesn’t solve this mystery herself, she’ll finally have something in common with Hugh: she’ll be dead too. (Credit: Sourcebooks Fire)
Imposter Syndrome by Joseph Knox
On the run from his shady past, Lynch has just arrived in London, still looking over his shoulder to make sure he isn’t being followed. His phone is dead, he has no money, no contacts, no one at all. Until he runs into a young woman named Bobbie who mistakes him for her brother, Heydon Pierce, who disappeared five years ago without a trace.
At Bobbie’s suggestion, Lynch goes to the Pierce family home, posing as Heydon to try and con some money out of them. But far from tricking them, his subterfuge is instantly discovered. He strikes the devil’s bargain with them – their silence for his cooperation in finding out what really happened to Heydon.
But Lynch’s investigation goes too deep and uncovers the fact that Heydon Pierce was tangled up with some dangerous and powerful people in London. Everyone has their own motives to keep Heydon well buried in the past. In such a conspiracy of mirrors, there’s only one thing Lynch know for certain: the only person he can trust is himself. (Credit: Sourcebooks Landmark)
The Midnight Game by Cynthia Murphy
Six strangers. One night. But how many survivors?
When a group of six strangers who have only ever spoken on a creepy Deddit thread decide to meet IRL, they have one plan in mind: they are going to play The Midnight Game and summon the Midnight Man.
Rules of the game are simple: Do not turn on the lights. Do not go to sleep. Do not leave the building.
And once you start the game, you must finish it—there’s no other way out…(Credit: Delacorte Press)
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