You won’t want to miss the best mystery books of 2023 featuring police detectives and private investigators.

There's something undeniably captivating about the world of detective fiction. From the dark and brooding alleys of noir to the cerebral intricacies of the whodunit, detective books have a timeless allure that keeps readers hooked from the very first page. In 2023, the world of detective fiction has seen a resurgence like never before, with authors delving into new depths of creativity and storytelling. If you have a penchant for suspense, a fascination with solving intricate puzzles, or simply an admiration for the brilliant minds behind the badges and trench coats, you're in for a treat.

Let's turn the page and discover the best detective books that 2023 has to offer

Odyssey’s End by Matt Coyle (Oceanview Publishing, November 2023)

Coyle may be one of the best detective fiction mystery writers you’ve never heard of. But you should definitely know him – not to mention his hard-boiled private investigator, Rick Cahill. Coyle has won an armful of awards for his writing on the Rick Cahill PI series, including the prestigious Anthony, Shamus and Lefty Awards, and he was the 2021 San Diego Mystery Author of the Year.

In Odyssey’s End, private detective Rick Cahill sees his CTE, a potentially fatal degenerative brain disease, worsen as he risks everything to get his estranged wife Leah and their daughter Krista back. Rick is desperate to reunite his family and provide for his young daughter’s future, even if he won’t be around to see it. With everything at stake, Rick takes a job with his longtime nemesis who offers him fifty thousand dollars to track down a woman he claims will save his life. But when the simple missing persons case spirals out of control and Rick finds himself in a dark world of cryptocurrency and death, he must battle not only to stay alive, but against his own demons as well.

Matt Coyle’s private eye Rick Cahill is often compared to Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, and Odyssey’s End proves he’s earned that praise and then some.

Taken Girls by Carolyn Arnold (Bookouture, June 2023)

Arnold is a reader favorite whose Goodreads reviews of Taken Girls have garnered an enviable 4.5 average rating on the site usually known for its rough criticism.

Amanda Steele’s niece, Ava, begs her to look for a missing friend from school, and the detective agrees to take the case. 18-year-old Reese disappears after a blowout with her mom, and is discovered days later – brutally murdered and dramatically posed at the prom. Haunted by the brutal scene and devastated she was unable to track down Reese before she was killed, Steele becomes obsessed with the case. When she discovers a potential key witness strangled in her own home, she’s horrified at her niece’s proximity to the violence and the fact that the killer will stop at nothing to silence potential witnesses. Amanda’s worst fears are realized when her beloved niece is taken as she races against the clock to unmask the killer and bring Ava home. This pulse-stopping crime thriller will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the night.

A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun by David Putnam (Level Best, October 2023)

Retired cop turned fan-favorite author David Putnam is well-known for his realistic depiction of police work in his mystery novels, and A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun is no different. This is the second book in Putnam’s Bone Detective series, and if the book feels so real it could be true it’s probably because Putnam drew much from his own experience as a “bone detective” in California.

In A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun, Dave Beckett, a rule-breaking homicide detective is relegated to the lowest job in the division, The Bone Dick. Beckett handles all “bag of bone” cases found in San Bernardino County’s twenty thousand square miles. When a dog brings a bone to the back door, Beckett catches the case – and his investigation reveals he knows the victim. As he bends the rules and tracks the killer, he discovers an unlikely suspect hiding in plain sight.

Putnam’s unputdownable second installment in the Bone Detective series leaves no doubt as to why New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich raved about Putnam’s work, “Riveting, scary, but with plenty of wit and humanity, author David Putnam brings ex-cop Bruno Johnson’s world alive in a way that only another ex-cop could. In Putnam’s capable hands, the characters jump off the page—even the dog.” If you love police procedurals, you’ll want to take a “Code 7” and devour Putnam’s entire catalog.

Deadly Tides by Mary Keliikoa (Level Best, October 2023)

Keliikoa is an award-winning mystery author on the rise. Her Kelly Pruett series put her on the map with readers, and her new Misty Pines mystery series featuring Sheriff Jax Turner is quickly solidifying her status as an up-and-coming master of the genre. Her latest, Deadly Tides, showcases Keliikoa's exceptional talent for crafting intricate plots, multifaceted characters, and a Pacific Northwest setting so vividly rendered that it practically becomes a character in itself.

In Deadly Tides, FBI profiler Abby Kanekoa’s mother is an Alzheimer’s patient who’s gone missing, and turns up later at the beach holding a severed foot. The foot belongs to a local surfing legend, and soon, Abby’s ex-husband Sheriff Jax Turner (who gives us some serious Gerard Butler vibes) and Abby join forces to solve the mystery. It soon becomes evident that Sheriff Jax and Abby are on the hunt for a serial killer that leads to an explosive and surprising ending. While this is the second book in the Misty Pines mystery series following last year’s Hidden Pieces, it holds up well as a standalone. That said, readers may want to start from the beginning to get a better understanding of Jax and Abby’s dynamic. Mary Keliikoa's storytelling prowess, showcased both in her Kelly Pruett series and the captivating Misty Pines series, cements her as a remarkable mystery author to watch.

Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company, November 2023)

The South Florida Sun Sentinel called Michael Connelly, “the most consistently superior living crime fiction author” and we don’t disagree. He is, hands down, the author of some of the best mystery books of all time.
In this tightly plotted page-turner, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch teams up with his half brother, Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller to prove the innocence of a woman in prison convicted of killing her husband – a sheriff’s deputy. While the woman claims she is innocent, the Sheriff’s department protects its own, even after Haller realizes the facts in the case don’t quite add up.

Bosch and Hallerfind themselves in mortal danger and under the gun from a police department that will do anything to keep the case from being reopened. The investigation and courtroom drama will leave mystery fans breathless.