While some of us like to get lost in romantic storybooks, others are into more exotic genres like horror, thriller, and action. Personally, however, we doubt if anything comes close to a great mystery novel. With their enticing storylines, mysterious characters, suspenseful delivery, and plot twists, mystery novels are some of the most exciting books to read.

When it comes to choosing our favorite mystery thriller, we are spoiled for choice thanks to iconic writers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Tana French, Dan Brown, and James Patterson. In this compilation, we do a rundown of some of our favorite books in this genre. From murder and mayhem to ghosts and demons, these mystery novels and their hair-raising storylines are sure to keep you up at night.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

There’s something about public transport like trains and airplanes that really make for the perfect setting for a classic mystery novel. In this Agatha Christie masterpiece, the Orient Express train stops dead in its tracks at midnight before a rich traveler is found stabbed to death in his compartment. Even more mysterious and sinister is the fact that his compartment was locked from the inside, which means the killer must be one of the passengers in the compartment. Stranded in a snowstorm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer before he takes the lives of any of the remaining passengers on the train.

THE TRESPASSER BY TANA FRENCH

After she published “The Trespasser,” The Washington Post hailed its writer Tana French as one of the best crime novelists of the past decade—and for good reason too. The story follows Detective Antoinette Conway from the Dublin Murder Squad as she stumbles upon an especially tough criminal case that would either make or break her career.

JUSTICE: CRIMES, TRIALS AND PUNISHMENTS BY DOMINICK DUNNE

From the infamous O.J. Simpson case and the murder of Martha Moxley to the mysterious death of billionaire Edmond Safra to Claus von Bülow’s trials, Dominick Dunne has covered some of the most significant crime stories of our generation. In Justice, he is back in his element, looking at some of the greatest criminal cases from his own unique perspective.

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS BY THOMAS HARRIS

Film fanatics among us might be all-too-familiar with the Hollywood adaptation of “The Silence of the Lambs” but the novel itself is equally terrifying. Published as a sequel to “Red Dragon” (1981), “The Silence of the Lambs” was released in 1988 and brings back the character of serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter as he goes on a cat-and-mouse chase with FBI Agent Clarice Starling.