The forensic investigation of a crime in reel-life is a treat to watch the strategies, approaches, and techniques used by the investigators to link every minute of evidence with the suspect and victim. There are a lot of criminal mystery books available in the market nowadays with some best stories.
Forget about TV series, movies on crime thrillers, a book can have a significant effect on the mindset of the people. Along with the several benefits of reading books, it will also enhance your imagination, creativity, and attentiveness. There are fantastic characters in the books and the excitement to reach the end of the story, page-by-page is a treat to read. Virtual investigations are not as exciting as these.
Some of the best mystery books for forensic students are:
- The Hound of the Baskervilles
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
- The Killer of Little Shepherds: A true crime story & birth of Forensic science
- Killer in the Shadows: Monstrous crimes of Robert Napper
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- White Bones
- The Woman in White
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night Time
- The Firm
These mystery books have a thriller story to shake you from the inside and create an intense environment around you while reading. All these mystery books are highly rated and a must-read for everyone.
9 Best Mystery Books You Must Read
1. The Hound of the Baskervilles
One of the classic books to have ever been written with the lead character of Sherlock Holmes. As a forensic student, everyone must have heard about Sherlock Holmes, an intelligent and unpredictable detective, a character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This book is one of the 4 books written by him with crime, mystery, and even a hint of supernatural powers.
This is one of those books which can never bore you, no matter how many times you read it. The story of this book revolves around the Baskerville family, which is supposed to be cursed due to the events which take place on the melancholy moor of Devonshire.
And with this little hint of superstition, the story becomes as much more exciting. If you are a lover of crime, thriller, and, mystery books, this book is definitely for you and is also recommended for children as well.
2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
One of the brilliant mystery books with a brilliant twist and ploy after the Sherlock Holmes series. The author Agatha Christie took her imagination and creativity to a whole different level. Even though, I knew the story before reading, the secrets, twists, and turns all came as a surprise. This novel changed the whole mystery writing which was agreed by most of the writers rating it one of the best.
The story revolves around the murder of Roger Ackroyd who had too much information about his lover who poisoned her first husband and then died due to an overdose. As time passed, he came in the possession of more information which ultimately led to his untimely death. As the detective Hercule Poirot solves the murder, it becomes a wild ride for the readers.
3. The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story & Birth of Forensic Science
This book is written by Douglas Starr and includes the true crime story of a serial murderer Joseph Vacher who terrorized the French countryside at the end of the nineteenth century. This book was highly recommended by Jim Fraser, a veteran of Forensic investigations.
The story revolves around the horror that struck France by Joseph who killed twice the number of people Jack the Ripper did and eluded the authorities for years and the story of prosecutor Emile Fourquet and Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne one of the most renowned criminologists who stopped Joseph.
In this book, the author shows how Alexander and his colleagues were building Forensic science, and capturing Joseph Vacher was the foundation during that time.
4. Killer in the Shadows: Monstrous Crimes of Robert Napper
This book was written by Laurence Alison and Marie Eyre and consists of the story of modern Jack the Ripper who committed the monstrous crime of murdering Rachel Nickel in 1992 in Old Bailey. The killer had stabbed the woman 47 times even after she was dead.
The book depicts how the police screwed up the investigation and linked an innocent man with the murders. The case was closed soon when the court was appalled by it and thrashed the case out.
This remained one of the biggest investigative failings of the Metropolitan police. When the case was reopened in 2006, soon it was found that another woman was murdered with a similar modus operandi and soon the crimes were linked with Robert Napper.
The crimes were so horrific that at least one of the persons working at the crime scene never worked again.
5. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
This book was written by Robert Louis Stevenson who wrote a thrilling masterpiece and one of the best mystery books for everyone. It is one of the best short books with classic horror stories starting slowly at the beginning with a normal setup and ending with some strange events.
The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a mysterious one with a strange connection between them keeping the readers at bay who are eager to find the truth about Mr. Hyde. It is a perfect example that, we should never judge a book by its cover because we never know the true nature of a person.
6. White Bones
Written by Graham Masterton, it is an ancient Irish mystery book about a modern-day killer who is ritualistic. One day on Meagher’s farm dismembered bones of 11 women were found whose bodies date back to 1915 and according to the reports they were all skinned alive.
But then a horrific incident shocked the police department when a young woman was abducted and her bones were found in the same manner, arranged in a pattern. Since the past crimes are reflected and the criminal might snap another victim, Detective Katie Maguire must solve the case sooner.
7. The Woman in White
“In one moment, every drop of blood in my body was brought to a stop… There, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth, stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white.”
The book was written by Wilkie Collins. The book starts with the encounter of Walter Hartright who meets a woman dressed all in white from top to bottom on a moonlit road in London. Secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms, locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain made this mystery book one of the biggest successes of the nineteenth century.
Wilkie Collins’s other mystery book “The moonstone” was the finest of the detective stories ever written but this book was the foundation of other successes of the author as the world came to know about the imagination of Collins.
8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night Time
It is an outstanding mystery book written by Mark Haddon. The story revolves around a 15-year-old boy Christopher who had Asperger’s syndrome and had a great knowledge of Maths but very little about humans. He loved very few things and hated small things like being touched and colors like green and yellow.
He had never been on his own even to the other side of the road but soon sets towards a horrifying and unimaginable journey when he finds the dog of a neighbor was murdered. This book shows how this journey will turn his world upside down.
9. Anatomy of a Murder
Published in 1958, this book soon became the number one bestselling mystery book in America written by Robert Traver. It is one of the most popular novels of that time along with the popular courtroom drama in American fiction.
A gripping tale of deceit, murder, and a sensational trial, Anatomy of a Murder is unmatched in the authenticity of its settings, events, and characters. This new edition should delight both loyal fans of the past and an entirely new generation of readers.
Conclusion
Mystery books are one of a kind that keeps you engaged until the last moment also testing your patience as the story comes to a conclusion. The twist, plot, and secrets are the ones to look out for in these books.
As a student of Forensic science, you must read these to get in touch with the actual work of Forensic investigators because the feeling to be in that position and judge a criminal can only be felt from books.
As a reader of these books, I suggest you all read these at least once. If you have read any of them, do write your views in the comment section.
Also Have a Look at:
0 Comments