Fall Reading List – Top 10 Books For Mystery Lovers

The top 10 books on my fall reading list and for my fall reading challenge ideas. Clean mysteries, historical mysteries and crime thrillers to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Many of these books are from my TBR bookshelf since it’s my primary goal this year to create and curate my Bookshelves of Joy. With over 200 unread books on my TBR bookshelf at the start of 2022, my primary reading goal this year is to read those books and only keep the ones that are my favorites so that when I look at my bookshelves I’m filled with joy (and not guilt). I’m calling it my Bookshelves of Joy goal for a lack of a better name (tell me, if you can think of one!)

1. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

I like clean mystery authors and historical mystery books. I hear that the Veronica Speedwell series is a fun historical mystery series set in London in the 1800’s so it qualifies for my Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge too. Veronica Speedwell is about to leave for an adventure when she is nearly kidnapped. Someone she knows is then murdered and she must figure out who is out to get her and who murdered her acquaintance. I’m sure many of you know the story better than I do but that’s what I gather from the synopsis and I look forward to reading it.

2. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Again, I love clean mystery authors so I read Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and loved it but I need to reread so I can finish the series. I have a bad habit of starting the first book in a series and then hop away before finishing it!

If you don’t know the story, young Flavia de Luce has a passion for chemistry (and poison) and is determined to uncover the mysterious dead bird with a postage stamp poked through its beak came to be on her doorstep. Then she witnesses a man die and wants to solve the murder.

From what I remember, she’s a charming and eccentric young detective and I remember being entertained by her antics and the way she solved the case. So anyway I’ll read it again cause I found an autographed copy at the library sale, knowing I enjoyed it and then see if it grabs me to finish the series!

3. Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen

Last to Die is the mystery book that has been on my TBR the longest. I love crime thrillers too and I’m pleasantly surprised that even though this deals with murders of entire families leaving one surviving child, the crime scenes weren’t overly graphic and gory to give me nightmares. What’s left is the true focus of solving the crime and helping these children put the pieces of their lives back together with compassionate and smart lead female characters.

Though this book is #10 of 13 in the Rizzoli and Isles series, I think it will be a series I’ll want to read more of and I’m not too lost starting late. 🙂

4. The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Shadow of the Wind is my favorite book of all time, it’s a book I have read twice and I have yet to finish the series. Wow, this really is looking like a series to finish post but they all deal with mysteries and thrillers which is my favorite genre! Shadow of the Wind is described as a gothic book, dark, mysterious and suspenseful, perfect for my fall reading list.

Anyway, I’d like to read the Angel’s Game, the second book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, but I know I’m going to want to read Shadow of the Wind again. I don’t think the second book relates much to the first installment, so I should be able to read it without rereading Shadow of the Wind. Check out my Shadow of the Wind book club discussion questions here.

5. House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Another of my favorite books of all time is The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton so I bought as many of her books as I could find at a library sale a few (more like 10) years ago. Her books are suspenseful and set in creepy English gardens, cottages and mansions. They are fantastic historical mystery books.

I’m excited to read House at Riverton about a mysterious death at an elite party in the 1920’s and how keeping secrets for all these years comes to haunt the one who knows the truth.

6. Three Days Missing by Kimberly Belle

Kimberly Belle is another of my favorite authors and I started Three Days Missing about a young single mother whose young son with medical needs goes missing. As the mom of 3 boys, it pulled at my heart so much that I had to put it down. I was so worried about the boy, it was stressing me out. Lol, a sign of excellent writing but I do want to finish it!

7. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

Sherlock Holmes is my favorite literary character and I love crime mysteries. Horowitz I’d been told write Sherlock Holmes inspired fiction and this one piqued my curiosity. The main character is a wealthy woman and she goes to a funeral parlor to plan her funeral service and winds up dead later that day by strangulation.

That’s where Hawthorne and Horowitz (modern day Sherlock and Holmes in this story) enter the scene to solve the case. The Word is Murder the first in a series as well….uh oh….

8. The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer

Brad Meltzer is an author my whole family loves. We met Brad Meltzer in 2015 at a book signing for his children’s book series, Ordinary People Change the World. It was a lot of fun and my then 6 year old drew a picture of him that he tweeted out and a funny response from Brad’s talented illustrator, Chris Eliopoulus.

Brad is a jack of all trades, he writes the kids books my sons enjoyed, the graphic novels for Batman and Superman my husband enjoys and the crime thrillers I enjoy. We gave him a big stack to sign that day because we all had books by him.

Anyway, Inner Circle is the first in the Culper Ring series and is a historical mystery. An archivist uncovers a 200 year old dictionary that belonged to George Washington. Somehow that innocent finding turns into murder, conspiracy and a thrilling ride. I’m looking forward to it, each book in this series deals with a presidential conspiracy and intrigue.

9. Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green

I won Truth or Dare in a giveaway 10ish years ago so it’s another one that has long been on my shelf. Truth or Dare sounds like Pretty Little Liars but this time, a group of high school girls receives mysterious dares that they either have to go along with or risk their truths being exposed. It sounds like a fun mysterious one for my fall reading list.

10. Moriarity by Anthony Horowitz

I totally may have bought Moriarity for the stunning silvery and black cover. But it also dealt with my favorite literary character, Sherlock Holmes. As I said in #7 above, I’d heard Horowitz is a great writer. As it turns out, this is the second book in a series and I haven’t read the first, House of Silk. So this one is on my fall reading list because it’s on my TBR bookshelf but I will probably read House of Silk first.

Reading Challenge Printable and Weekly Bookish Newsletter

Want to Travel the World in Books or create your own reading challenge to motivate yourself to read more? I have a free reading challenges tracker printable you can download from my Exclusive Subscribers Library of printables when you subscribe to my weekly bookish newsletter. You can use it for this year and years to come! Then I update you weekly with what I’m reading and more bookish news and discussions, it’s like a no pressure book club chat between you and me.

More Fall Reading Resources You’ll Love

• The 20 Best Book Club Suggestions to Get Your Book Club Talking
• Baby, It’s Cold Outside! Get Cozy with the Books on Our Ultimate Winter Reading List
• 50 Bookish Things to Do Before I Die: a book bucket list + FREE Book Bucket List Printable
• Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge
• Book Review Index by Rating

Well that’s what’s on my fall reading list. Mysteries and thrillers to keep me on the edge of my seat, up reading way past my bed time I’m sure! What’s on your fall reading list? What kind of books do you like to read in fall? Leave me a comment, I love to talk books!