Over the past year of my life I’ve become obsessed with mystery books. From puzzles to crime scenes, mystery has become my favorite genre. Having read a variety of mystery books I do have a list of favorites and recommendations. Here are my top three mystery books I think everyone should read.

• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart is a psychological mystery and thriller trilogy. The first book, We Were Liars, became very popular on social media at one point. After seeing the reviews I decided to pick it up. I was underwhelmed at first, but I still decided to finish the series. That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The second book, Family of Liars, is the best book in the series in my opinion. It’s detailed, well written, and the plot is gripping. I flew through it. The third book, We Fell Apart, is also excellent and ends the series off perfectly. After finishing the series, I picked up the first book again. It was definitely better the second time around.

• A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson starts off with the main character, Pippa Fitz-Amobi, trying to solve a cold case for her high school capstone project. Things eventually start taking a violent turn as Pippa starts getting closer and closer to solving the mystery. I was in a reading slump before I started reading the first book so I was expecting it would take me a long time to read. I was wrong. I finished it in three days. I physically couldn’t put it down. The plot was gripping and creepy. I had to read it during the day while the sun was shining. The second book was even better in my opinion. The mystery is more interesting as it’s not a cold case. Evidence is popping up everywhere. The third book in the series is very different from the first and second, but it was still excellent. It’s much more emotional than the previous books. This series is genuinely amazing and deserves all of the love it gets.

• The Cousins by Karen McManus

The Cousins by Karen McManus is about three estranged cousins who are invited to their grandmother’s island for the summer. The strange part is that their grandmother cut ties with their parents twenty four years ago. The start was a bit slow for me. Especially the first fifty pages. It took a couple days to get to the one hundred page mark. For a moment I thought this book would have a poor plot. I was very wrong. I ended up reading over two hundred pages of the book in one day. I was addicted. The plot twists were insane. I wouldn’t have been able to guess the ending to save my life. The best part is that this book is a standalone. You don’t have to commit to an entire series to solve the big mystery. Everything is found within the book. I believe this book deserves more credit.

While I love many other mystery books, these books always seem to come out on top. These books have all of the ingredients to make a good mystery book. The stories are thrilling and have unexpected twists throughout the story. Character development is also focused throughout the chapters. Not just the plot, which is hard to find in mystery books. If you or anyone you know loves mystery books, make sure to recommend these stories.