10 Mystery novels and authors that still keep us guessing

You’ve probably imagined yourself as a detective at least once and wondered if you would trust your instincts or question every clue. Quite possibly one of these world-famous mystery authors should have written a story about you. Today, we will be looking at 10 of the best intrigue masters who keep readers on the edge of their seats with thrilling stories of secrets and riddles that must be solved sooner rather than later.

If you love constant intrigue, then Agatha Christie (1890-1976) is an essential read. She is a world-famous British writer and the undisputed Queen of Mystery, having written 66 novels that keep readers on their toes with ingenious misdirection and shocking plot twists, leaving generations of readers guessing right up to the final page.

And Then There Were None is her must-read novel. Published on November 3, 1939, it is the world’s best-selling mystery novel where 10 strangers are lured to an isolated island off the Devon coast by an intriguing host. While accused of past crimes, they are killed one by one, following a nursery rhyme.

Logic isn’t the only thing that leads to solving mysteries. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) created none other than the world's most famous consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, and proved that. Holmes appeared in four novels and 56 short stories, alongside his loyal friend and narrator, Dr. John Watson, and changed mystery fiction forever.

Published in 1902, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a masterpiece of detective fiction that comes to life through Sherlock's sharp mind; alongside his research of supernatural myths, it became a timeless story of suspense and surprise.

Success can sometimes come at a dangerous price. John Grisham, born February 8, 1955, brought this to light by writing many popular legal thrillers that feel very real. He used his own professional experience as a lawyer in a small-town Mississippi firm to build authentic courtroom scenes, flawed human characters, and high-pressure, controversial moral dilemmas.

The Firm, his novel published in 1991 and made into a film starring Tom Cruise, is deeply mysterious and suspenseful, centering on a young lawyer who joins a secretive law firm that offers massive wealth, only to uncover deep, dark secrets, suspicious deaths, and a Mafia conspiracy.

More often than not, the people closest to you hold secrets you wouldn’t imagine possible. Mary Higgins Clark (1927-2020) was a widely acclaimed American author, known as the "Queen of Suspense," who reflected this in her work. Her thrillers are known for being wholesome, avoiding gory or explicit descriptions, and for having self-reliant female heroines in stories filled with relatable fears such as domestic tensions, memory loss, and threats to family or children.

Following those themes, her first novel, Where Are the Children?, published in 1975, became a breakout hit and helped build a legacy defined by clean, fast-paced, and gripping psychological books.

If you prefer your mysteries dark, gritty, and morally complex, then Raymond Chandler (1888-1959), a British-American author best known for his novels and screenplays, is the answer. He helped define what is known as "hard-boiled" detective fiction through his complex plots, including his private-eye detective, Philip Marlowe, set against the dark side of the American dream, where deceit and corruption lurk beneath the Los Angeles sun.

He spent his early years in England and later wrote classic crime noir novels, such as his 1939 classic, The Big Sleep, where inspector Marlowe is hired by a wealthy general to investigate a blackmail scheme involving his daughter. In doing so, Chandler’s lead detective dives into the shadowy world of murder, deceit, and corruption.

Sometimes it feels like every letter could bring a new secret to light. Sue Grafton (1940—2017) brought this feeling to life in her Alphabet Series, a widely celebrated collection of hard-boiled detective stories featuring a female private investigator and former cop, Kinsey Millhone.

Kicking off with A Is for Alibi in 1982 and concluding with Y Is for Yesterday in 2017, the bestselling series spans 25 books, was inspired in part by Edward Gorey’s alphabet-based book The Gashleycrumb Tinies, and is set in the fictional California town of Santa Teresa (modeled after Santa Barbara).

We don’t often think of a detective as both tough and thoughtful, but Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) was a master of modern American crime fiction, who reshaped the detective genre by combining tough-guy action with sharp wit and a deep moral code.

Spenser, for example, is his leading investigator who cooks, quotes poetry, and loves his partner, Susan Silverman. The Godwulf Manuscript (1973) is the first Spenser book, introducing this character as a wisecracking private investigator searching for a stolen medieval university manuscript.

The best mysteries are those layered with emotion and insight. P.D. James (1920-2019) was such a masterful British crime fiction writer who achieved both and was known by many as the "Queen of Crime". Her books present clever puzzles mixed with a deeper human understanding, making her famous for her thoughtful style amidst dark plots.

Cover Her Face is her 1962 debut crime novel, introducing her famously clever and sensitive Scotland Yard detective Adam Dalgliesh, as he investigates the shocking murder of an ambitious young housemaid in an English country manor.

It’s not often that we see a character solving a crime while answering their own personal questions, but Tana French, born May 10, 1973, is an acclaimed Irish author who explores such scenarios. She is known by many as the "First Lady of Irish Crime," renowned for her psychological mystery style that focuses intensely on human flaws, memory, guilt, and the deep emotional impacts of a crime, rather than just procedural puzzle-solving.

In the Woods, published in 2007, is her debut psychological mystery novel, and the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad series. It follows detective Rob Ryan as he investigates a young girl’s murder, echoing some of his own childhood trauma.

Besides the characters, the landscape can also hold secrets, and sometimes tradition can reveal what evidence cannot. Tony Hillerman (1925 - 2008) was a best-selling writer and journalist, famous for his detective novels set in the American Southwest, who brought these ideas to the table. His stories take place in the Navajo Nation, starring tribal police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. His books intertwine classic crime puzzles with a deep respect for Native American ways and desert landscapes.

Published in 1970, The Blessing Way was his debut novel, set across Arizona and New Mexico, centering on a baffling murder with no tracks in the sand, while blending local fears of the skinwalker (or "Wolf Witch") with modern Cold War surveillance methods.

OLDER THAN OLDIES

Ancient Melodies: The 10 Oldest Songs Ever Recorded

Image: Denny Müller

Music is one of the most ancient human arts. Like echoes from the past, ancient melodies can still convey the emotions, beliefs, and cultures of our ancestors.

From religious hymns to music of celebration, we gathered some of the 10 oldest songs ever recorded in human history (so far). Join us and listen to the enchanting music of past times!

Image: Dakota Roos

Date composed: 13th Century C.E.

"Sumer Is Icumen In," often translated as "Summer has arrived," is one of the earliest examples of a _round_in Western music (a type of canon for at least three voices). Believed to have originated in the 13th century in England, this lively song celebrates the arrival of summer with its cheerful melody and lyrics. Amusingly, the song also exhibits one of the oldest recorded uses of the word "fart."

Image: John Wiesenfeld

Date composed: 6th Century C.E.

Jieshi Diao Youlan, often translated as "Solitary Orchid," is possibly the oldest surviving piece of written music from East Asia. The ancient Chinese melody dates back to the 6th century C.E., and it was originally composed for the guqin, a traditional seven-string musical instrument. The melody is renowned for its nuances, particularly in the form of microtones - in music terms, intervals that are smaller than a semitone. A curious effect of this technique is that it makes the melody sound almost modern to contemporary listeners.

Image: Denny Müller

Date composed: 4th Century C.E.

The "Te Deum" is a Christian hymn of praise dating back to the 4th century C.E. Traditionally attributed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, it is still sung in churches around the world. The name comes from the phrase "Te Deum laudamus," Latin for "Thee, God, we praise." The ancient hymn is often used during special occasions such as the election of a pope, the consecration of a bishop, or the canonization of a saint.

Image: Timothy L Brock

Date composed: 4th Century C.E.

Another ancient hymn with roots in early Christian Greek liturgy, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" was originally written for the Liturgy of Saint James, and is still used in many orthodox Christian churches around the world. However, the modern version is actually a reconstruction that combines a translation of the original Greek lyrics with a French medieval folk tune named "Picardy."

Image: Mike Labrum

Date composed: 3rd Century C.E.

"Phos Hilaron," also known by its Latin name "Lumen Hilare," is one of the oldest known Christian hymns, dating back to the 3rd century C.E. Sung during vespers, or evening prayers, it is also known as "Lamp-lighting Hymn," because it is associated with the lighting of lamps at night. While its composition is sometimes attributed to St. Basil, who lived between 329 and 379 C.E., some sources claim that St. Basil himself said that the hymn was already old at his time.

Image: Claire Satera

Date composed: 3rd Century C.E.

Discovered in Egypt among the Oxyrhynchus papyri in 1918, the "Oxyrhynchus Hymn" is written in Greek vocal notation and thought to be one of the earliest surviving Christian hymns, dating back to the 3rd century C.E. Despite not drawing from the Bible (at the time yet to be written), and the fact that only fragments of its lyrics are preserved, the hymn does reference important Christian elements such as the Holy Trinity.

Image: Caglar Araz

Date composed: 1st Century C.E.

The Seikilos Epitaph, discovered on a funerary stele in Turkey, is the oldest complete surviving musical composition. Both the lyrics and musical notation of the short song are inscribed in the pillar, and it is thought to have been written by a man named Seikilos to his deceased wife called Euterpe, or alternatively, to the Muse of Music. Since the inscription is clear and the type of notation is known, researchers had no problem in fully reconstructing the ancient melody.

Image: Elimende Inagella

Date composed: 2nd century B.C.E

The Delphic Hymns are a pair of Ancient Greek musical compositions dating back to the 2nd century B.C.E. Composed for the Pythian Games - celebratory competitions similar to the Olympic Games - held at the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, these hymns honor the god Apollo and invoke his blessings on the athletes and participants. While neither of the songs is complete, there are modern reconstructions that attempt to piece together the surviving fragments.

Image: Mick Haupt

Date composed: 1st Millennium B.C.E.

The "Song of Songs," also known as the Song of Solomon, is a collection of ancient Hebrew poems dating back to the 1st millennium B.C.E. Found in the Hebrew Bible, these passionate and poetic songs are unique in the fact that they do not explore explicitly religious teachings but rather celebrate love, desire, and the beauty of human relationships. Although there are no surviving melodies or notations associated with the poem, modern musicians have composed vocal and instrumental accompaniments to the text.

Image: Egor Myznik

Date composed: 1400 B.C.E

Dating back to the Neolithic, the Hurrian Hymn No. 6 is the oldest known song in existence. Discovered on a clay tablet in Ugarit, Syria, this hymn was written in the Hurrian language and is dedicated to the goddess Nikkal. The tablet also includes instructions to have the singer accompanied by an ancient type of harp. Historians and musicians have tried to reconstruct the song as faithfully as possible, and there are dozens of versions online if you are feeling curious.