Booklist Reader

Published by Booklist, an imprint of the American Library Association. Booklist Reader features diverse book and audiobook recommendations, for readers and listeners of all ages. Filled with high-interest, themed lists that showcase books for your family or book discussion group.

From the Publisher

Booklist Reader

Debut Mysteries & Thrillers • These ten stellar debuts introduce antiheroes to root for, lament societal failings, explore haunted locales and psyches, and spotlight ten crime fiction writers to watch.

Jane Austen-Inspired Mysteries

Anthony Horowitz

Spanish Sure Bets for Adult Readers • The nonfiction and fiction titles below, which include Spanish editions and Spanish-language originals, are sure to thrill, challenge, and entertain Spanish readers. All were published in the first half of 2025 or earlier.

Adult • Get your hands on these hotly anticipated books, all out this month.

September 2025 • The Top Ten Adult Fiction and Nonfiction Chosen Monthly by America’s Library Staff

HALL OF FAME TITLES • The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly list since 2013.

True-Crime Spree • These true-crime chronicles portray courageous crime-fighters and illuminate crimes that vary from murder to art-world scandals, stoking our endless curiosity, horror, schadenfreude, and compassion.

Mysteries & Thrillers • The most skilled, suspenseful, and overall memorable mysteries and thrillers confront dangers ranging from matters of the heart to global conflict, all with addictive suspense and superlative writing.

Mysteries & Thrillers on Audio • Tense thrillers continue to reign in this year’s audio Top 10, but we see cozy mysteries reemerging as a softer complement, resulting in a satisfying range of narrations.

Vikas Adam • It’s always big news when a new narrator takes over a beloved audio series. Listeners of Tarquin Hall’s Vish Puri mysteries have quite a treat in store with Vikas Adam now narrating for India’s “most private detective” in The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck. Adam spoke with Booklist about this new project.

PBS BOOK READERS CLUB

Mysteries & Thrillers for Youth • These top 10 MG and YA mysteries are marked by representation that is diverse in age, race, culture, and ability.

Detective Manga • In Japan, the detective novel, or suiri shōsetsu (推理小説), is incredibly popular, with a history of fan-favorite characters and authors. The popularity of the genre means that it has a powerful influence on other media and formats such as film, television, video games, and—naturally—manga. Whether they are twists on the stories of familiar gumshoes, tales of deductive reasoning in fantastical settings, kid investigators, or simply set in a variety of historical settings, detectives and the tropes of the genre are all over manga. Here are just a few great titles featuring detective work.

Kid Detectives • In 2013, former Booklist editor Ilene Cooper pulled together a “Nancy Drew Redux” list, and in 2019 I rounded up a cadre of girl detectives. While I still stand by the recommendations, it’s 2025, by gum, and it’s time for an update—and one that’s not limited to just ladies. In this mix of stand-alone whodunits and mystery series for middle-graders, you’ll meet solo sleuths, detective duos, and gangs of gumshoes.

Children & Teens • Get your hands on these hotly anticipated books, all out this month.

ND Stevenson’s Scarlet Morning • Stevenson breaks away from his usual graphicnovel format and traverses into the world of illustrated middle-grade prose in Scarlet Morning, a fantastical, high-seas adventure he’s been cooking since childhood. Thanks to some digital browsing during lockdown, Stevenson decided to...