
Best Mystery Audiobooks
Cracking the list of top mystery audiobooks wide open.
Love a good whodunit? What about a whoisit? Or wherearethey? Then you’re after the best mystery audiobooks. This is the genre that poses more questions than it’s willing to answer without a solicitor present and keeps you guessing until the very end. It is also incredibly moreish, in a once-you-pop unstoppable sort of way.
Defining what counts as an audiobook of the mysterious kind is in itself almost as puzzling as the works of Agatha Christie. In the traditional sense, it means murder mystery, with a detective and an investigation. But there’s so much more to it. Thrillers are often mysteries as are many works of women’s fiction.
Audiobook producers have some nifty tricks to add twists and turns to the labyrinth of unknowns and red herrings. They might mislead by using the same narrator for different roles. They might switch narrator at the very end for the ultimate reveal. And the narrators themselves can either drop breadcrumbs or misdirect with a deft change of tone.
Best Mystery Audiobooks 2022
Mystery came bursting out of the gate in 2022, with audio books like The Maid, The Birthday Party and Just Another Liar. And there’s a lot more where those came from.
Top Mystery Audiobooks
1
By
Casey Kelleher
Read By
Daphne Kouma
I FOUND YOU. Three simple words that set this sinister story in motion and immediately signpost its utterly creepy tone. Oh and there is so much more. Two little girls, one terrible secret, a place called "the doll house", it's all going on in this fanastic 2022 release.
3
By
Harlan Coben
Read By
Carol Monda , David Chandler
It's absolutely zero surprise that Netflix made this one into a series. Harlan Coben is a master of mystery and this is one of his best. When a body is found in the woods, it reawakens a twenty year old crime. What really happened the night four teen disappeared in the woods? A mix of relatable characters, a gripping story and dramatic twists that keep on coming, this is a must read.
4
By
Jennifer McMahon
Read By
Cassandra Campbell
Cassandra Campbell's vocals alone make this audiobook a worthwile listen, giving it a dreamy, ethereal quality. But if you need further enticement, how about a mystery replete with sibling rivalry, long held secrets and revenge? Oh, and did I mention the paranormal? This is Jennifer McMahon, after all. ,
5
By
Georgina Lees
Read By
Meg Travers
Get ready to question every character judgement you've ever made because The Girl Upstairs is all about the stark disparity between reality and our view of it. You start with some basic assumptions. Seemigly obvious conclusions. And yet, these are slowly but surely torn to shreds. In the end, there is only one question. Would you bet your life on what you think you know?
6
By
Greer Hendricks
Read By
Sarah Pekkanen, Julia Whelan
If you like your mystery audiobooks to mess with your mind, Greer Hendricks has you covered. The Wife Between Us takes deception to another level, weaving in jealousy, betrayal and factual handbrake turns aplenty.I say take the advice in the blurb: Assume Nothing.
7
By
Vera Kurian
Read By
Brittany Pressley
Shady characters are a staple in the mystery audiobooks world. Ditto unreliable narrators. But what happens when everyone involved meets both criteria? How do you guess whodunnit when the cast of characters includes not one, but several psychopaths? Find out in this tale of a college campus study that goes drastically awry.
Lots more mysteries to uncover. Here are the best of the rest.
Rest of the Best Mystery Audiobooks
By
Read By
Noah Hawley
Jeff Harding
Gripping and Suspenseful Meets Thought Provoking and Moving
By
Read By
Heidi Perks
Sally Scott, Nathalie Buscombe
Closets Open, Skeletons Everywhere.
By
Read By
Ronald Malfi
Joe Hempel
A carefully crafted mystery with echoes of (and I don't bandy this about) Gone Girl
By
Read By
Stephanie DeCarolis
Norma Butikofer
I Know What You Did Last Summer Meets Gossip Girl
By
Read By
Lisa Jewell
Donna Banya, Katherine Kelly, Connor Swindells
Lisa Jewell Casts Another Dazzling Spell
By
Read By
Mandy Byatt
Melissa Woodbridge
Elements of John Marrs, Rachel Abbott and Adele Parks.
By
Read By
Sarah Vaughan
Sophie Roberts, Esther Wane, Elliot Fitzpatrick, Sarah Feathers
Predictable but still enjoyable.
By
Read By
Vera Kurian
Brittany Pressley
Aaaaaargh-mazing. Jon Ronson’s The Psychopath Test meets Alice Feeney’s Sometimes I Lie meets Scream (shout out 1996).
By
Read By
Alice Feeney
Stephanie Racine, Richard Armitage
Thrilling and Creepy With A Killer Twist
By
Read By
Lisa Jewell
Tamaryn Payne, Bea Holland, Dominic Thorburn
Story? Good. Narration? Good. Result? Fantastic.
By
Read By
Paula Hawkins
Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey, India Fisher
Entertaining
By
Read By
Rhett McLaughlin
Link Neal, Vikas Adam
A layer cake of secrets, lies and divisive characters, addictive to the last bite.
By
Read By
Rosie Walsh
Imogen Church, Theo Solomon
Mystery + Love Story + Drama + Thriller = Mind Blown
By
Read By
Michelle Richmond
Tom Taylorson
Captivating, Addictive, Flawed But Enjoyable
By
Read By
Jennifer McMahon
Cassandra Campbell
Another gripping masterpiece by McMahon, only enhanced by Cassandra Campbell’s flawless narration.