Its impossible to list out the best mystery novels to exist without immediately thinking of the legendary Agatha Christie. Amongst all of her works, none has a story quite as impeccably crafted as And Then There Were None, which explains why it is one of the best-selling mystery books of all time.

The story is about ten people who are brought together, for various reasons, to an empty mansion on an island. Despite the absence of the mysterious hosts, two of the ten are tasked with housekeeping and cooking. As the days unfold in accordance with the eerie rhythm of a nursery rhyme, each invitee is forced to face the music (literally) and bear the consequences of their troubling pasts, as death will come for them one by one.

Packed with interesting codenames and stressful covert missions, this novel follows an ex-spy, George Smiley (codename Beggarman), who is pulled out of retirement, to his relief, to weed out a Soviet mole in the British Intelligence Service. If you’ve heard the motto “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,” this book takes it to a whole new level as Smiley attempts to distinguish the double-agent amidst old partners.

From deceit to elaborate tricks, le Carré’s espionage masterpiece will not only keep you on your toes because of the constant suspicion, it also sheds some light on the incredible social tension that existed in the 1970s at the height of the Cold War.

Imagine you’re one of four people in a quiet library. When all of a sudden, a woman’s scream shatters the tranquil atmosphere, prompting security to lock you in a reading room for investigation. As you pass the time in uneasy conversation, the realisation dawns that one among you is the murderer. 

This mystery within a mystery is a tense, twisty journey with plenty of literary elements that will make word lovers and mystery lovers rejoice. By the end of the book, you’ll never look at your local library the same way again. 

Inspector Singh is in a bad mood when he’s sent from his home in Singapore to Kuala Lumpur to solve a murder that has him stumped. Chelsea Liew – the famous Singaporean model – is on death row for the murder of her ex-husband.  

Although she swears she didn’t do it, and he firmly believes her innocence, his investigation persistently circles back to square one. With Chelsea’s husband fatally shot at point-blank range and her possessing the strongest motive imaginable (she was losing custody of her children), this novel is a gripping exploration of tangled motives, elusive truths, and the relentless pursuit of justice. 

On her 18th birthday, aristocrat Rachel Verinder receives a beautiful gem, the Moonstone, from her uncle, a soldier returning from India. She decides to wear it to the big party celebrating her adulthood, after which the jewel disappears from her room. Distraught, Rachel and her family seek the help of Sergeant Cuff to find the thief and recover the missing gemstone. The case is more complicated than it seems, especially since the Moonstone has a mysterious history Rachel is yet to find out.  

Widely regarded as the first mystery novel ever published, Wilkie Collins paved the way for subsequent books in this genre by introducing hallmark elements such as a multitude of suspects, an incompetent constabulary force and an exceptionally brilliant detective.