I’ve got a really diverse taste in mystery, but I’m also really picky and don’t end up loving a lot. It’s hard to say exactly what I’m looking so maybe a list of some books I liked and didn’t like and why will help.
Loved:
- And Then There Were None – maybe my favourite mystery, loved the island setting and ingenious plotting
- Picnic at Hanging Rock – loved the atmosphere
- House of Leaves – didn’t like this book at first, but ended up loving it by the end
- We Were Liars – surprisingly good and a rare recent read that i didn’t guess the ending beforehand
- Wool – i’m not huge on sci-fi but this is an amazing single short story with superb ending, just too bad the follow-ups weren’t as good
- Memento – i’m putting some movies too since there’s so few books i loved, and the complexity and uniqueness of this one was fantastic
- The Usual Suspects – didn’t like the movie until the end, and then i loved it because it got me but was so perfect
- The Sixth Sense – great atmosphere and great reveal that got me
- Se7en – a little gruesome but that ending reveal wow
Liked:
- The Historian – i loved the atmosphere and travel in this one even though the ending was a little meh
- Murder on the Orient Express – the revelation is a little overwrought but i love how ingenious it is
- The Likeness – a silly premise and i figured out the end too soon, but i liked the house and housemates angle and i like books in school and academia
- Pines – i really liked the setting and atmosphere and the reveal was crazy but good
- 14 – i really didn’t care for the outlandish reveal, but the apartment’s atmosphere, weirdness, and mysteriousness were really good
Meh:
- The Secret History – i had some problems with this book but i absolutely loved the academia setting and atmosphere
- My Heart is a Chainsaw – really liked the setting but the revelation was stupid
- The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – really cool conceit but convoluted and overbearing
- The Shadow of the Wind – really great atmosphere but just sort of boring
Didn’t Care For:
- In the Woods – liked the setting and atmosphere but figured out whodunit almost right away
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – figured out whodunit really early and ruined the entire thing for me
- The Guest List – good setting and atmosphere but i figured out whodunit too early and the whole thing was kind of unlikeable
- A Study in Scarlet – sherlock holmes is kind of insufferable
- The Death of Mrs. Westaway – starts out good and a good setting, but becomes boring
- Foucault’s Pendulum – overly complex and pretentious
by Artistic-Aerie-8553