Top 100 best murder mystery books
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FAQ
What is the best murder mystery ever written?
The title of the best novel in the genre will vary from one person to the other, so giving a definitive answer to this question is impossible. Yet, Murder on the Orient Express, A Study in Scarlet, and The Big Sleep may be the strongest contenders for the number one spot.
What is the best-selling murder mystery of all time?
And Then There Were None is the best-selling murder mystery novel of all time, with more than 100 million copies sold.
Who are some famous authors in the murder mystery genre?
Some of the most beloved and celebrated murder mystery authors include Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, James Patterson, P. D. James, and Thomas Harris.
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And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
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The Maltese Falcon
- By: Dashiell Hammett
- Narrator: William Dufris
- Length: 7 hours 7 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2004
- Language: English
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3.89(84630 ratings)
3.89(84630 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0021.95 USDThe Maltese Falcon is the definitive masterpiece of the hard-boiled detective genre. It introduces legendary PI Sam Spade, a loner who follows his own code and the rules of the street as he zeros in on his partner’s killer and the famousThe Maltese Falcon is the definitive masterpiece of the hard-boiled detective genre. It introduces legendary PI Sam Spade, a loner who follows his own code and the rules of the street as he zeros in on his partner’s killer and the famous jewel-encrusted bird. Humphrey Bogart immortalized the tough-guy detective in the classic 1941 film.
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The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
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Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
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Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
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Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe
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The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
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The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carré
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The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
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A Taste for Death by PD James
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The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
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A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
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The Day of the Jackal
- By: Frederick Forsyth
- Narrator: Simon Prebble
- Length: 13 hours 22 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2009
- Language: English
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4.27(120658 ratings)
4.27(120658 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDOne of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal is the electrifying story of an anonymous Englishman who, in the spring of 1963, was hired to assassinate General Charles de Gaulle. France was infuriated by Charles deOne of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal is the electrifying story of an anonymous Englishman who, in the spring of 1963, was hired to assassinate General Charles de Gaulle.
France was infuriated by Charles de Gaulle’s withdrawal from Algeria, and there were six known attempts to assassinate the general that failed. This novel dramatizes the seventh, mostly deadly attempt, involving a professional killer for hire who would be unknown to the French Police. His code name was Jackal, his price half a million dollars, and his demand total secrecy, even from his employers.
Step by painstaking step, we follow the Jackal in his meticulous planning, from the fashioning of a specially made rifle to the devising of his approach to the time and the place where the general is to meet the Jackal’s bullet. The only obstacle in his path is a small, diffident, rumpled policeman, who happens to be considered by his boss the best detective in France: Deputy Commissaire Claude Lebel.
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The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
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The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
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The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
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The Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr
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Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin
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The Mask of Dimitrios by Eric Ambler
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Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
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Brighton Rock
- By: Graham Greene
- Narrator: Richard Brown
- Length: 9 hours 45 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2011
- Language: English
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3.7(24792 ratings)
3.7(24792 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDOriginally published in 1938, Graham Greene’s chilling exposé of violence and gang warfare is a masterpiece of psychological realism and often considered Graham Greene’s best novel. It is a fascinating study of evil, sin, and theOriginally published in 1938, Graham Greene’s chilling exposé of violence and gang warfare is a masterpiece of psychological realism and often considered Graham Greene’s best novel. It is a fascinating study of evil, sin, and the “appalling strangeness of the mercy of God,” a classic of its kind.
Set in Brighton, England, among the criminal rabble, the book depicts the tragic career of a seventeen-year-old boy named Pinkie whose primary ambition is to lead a gang to rival that of the wealthy and established Colleoni. Pinkie is devoid of compassion or human feeling, despising weakness of the spirit or of the flesh. Responsible for the razor slashes that killed Kite and also for the death of Hale, he is the embodiment of calculated evil. As a Catholic, however, he is convinced that his retribution does not lie in human hands.
He is therefore not prepared for Ida Arnold, Hale’s avenging angel. Ida, whose allegiance is with life, the here and now, has her own ideas about the circumstances surrounding Hale’s death. For the sheer joy of it she takes up the challenge of bringing the infernal Pinkie to an earthly kind of justice.
When finished, the listener is sure to ponder some lofty moral issues to which Greene, a Catholic writer, withholds easy judgments.
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From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming
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The Ipcress File by Len Deighton
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The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
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The Dreadful Lemon Sky by John D. MacDonald
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Beast in View by Margaret Millar
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Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert
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The False Inspector Dew by Peter Lovesey
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Red Harvest
- By: Dashiell Hammett
- Narrator: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 6 hours 27 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2011
- Language: English
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4.31(126 ratings)
4.31(126 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDDetective-story master Dashiell Hammett gives us yet another unforgettable read in Red Harvest. When the last honest citizen of Poisonville was murdered, the Continental Op stayed on to punish the guilty–even if that meant taking on an entireDetective-story master Dashiell Hammett gives us yet another unforgettable read in Red Harvest.
When the last honest citizen of Poisonville was murdered, the Continental Op stayed on to punish the guilty–even if that meant taking on an entire town.
Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of corruption and violence in the American grain.
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The Chill by Ross Macdonald
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Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart
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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
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The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
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The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
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The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers
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The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
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Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household
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Trent's Last Case by E. C. Bentley
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The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
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Anatomy of a Murder
- By: Robert Traver
- Narrator: Jason Culp
- Length: 19 hours 18 minutes
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
- Publish date: June 16, 2020
- Language: English
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4.04(1926 ratings)
4.04(1926 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0032.99 USDFirst published by St. Martin’s in 1958, Robert Traver’s Anatomy of a Murder immediately became the number-one bestseller in America, and was subsequently turned into the now classic Otto Preminger film of the same name, starring JimmyFirst published by St. Martin’s in 1958, Robert Traver’s Anatomy of a Murder immediately became the number-one bestseller in America, and was subsequently turned into the now classic Otto Preminger film of the same name, starring Jimmy Stewart and Duke Ellington.
It’s not only the most popular courtroom drama in American fiction, but one of the most popular novels of our time.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.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Griffin
“The characters are as fresh as when they were first created, the tension high, and the cross- examinations and legal chicanery full of suspense. The novel is simply what it says on the cover. A classic.” – Tangled Web
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The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey
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Garnethill by Denise Mina
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The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers
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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
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The Godfather by Mario Puzo
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Last Seen Wearing... by Hillary Waugh
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Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
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The Four Just Men by Edgar Wallace
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
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The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
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Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles
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The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
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The Thinking Machine by Jacques Futrelle
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1st To Die
- By: James Patterson
- Narrator: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hours 56 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: November 01, 2005
- Language: English
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4.09(303382 ratings)
4.09(303382 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.98 USDImagine a killer who thinks, “What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?”–and then goes far beyond it. Now imagine four women –a police detective, an assistant DA, a reporter, and a medical examiner –who join forcesImagine a killer who thinks, “What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?”–and then goes far beyond it. Now imagine four women –a police detective, an assistant DA, a reporter, and a medical examiner –who join forces as they sidestep their bosses to track down criminals. Known as the Women’s Murder Club, they are pursuing a murderer whose twisted imagination has stunned an entire city. Their chief suspect is a socially prominent writer, but the men in charge won’t touch him. On the trail of the most terrifying and unexpected killer ever, they discover a shocking surprise that turns everything about the case upside down.... Read more -
Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
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Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
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The Dry by Jane Harper
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The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
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The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
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Rumpole of the Bailey by John Mortimer
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The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham
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The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
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Uncle Abner by Melville Davisson Post
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The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson and Reg Keeland
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Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
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A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine
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Triptych by Karin Slaughter
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Ashenden (aka The British Agent) by W. Somerset Maugham
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Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
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Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald
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61 Hours by Lee Child
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Little Caesar by W.R. Burnett
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The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
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The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
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Cop Hater by Ed McBain
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The Poet by Michael Connelly
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The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers
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The Silkworm
- By: Robert Galbraith
- Narrator: Robert Glenister
- Length: 17 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: June 19, 2014
- Language: English
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4.05(196245 ratings)
4.05(196245 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0029.98 USDPrivate investigator Cormoran Strike must track down a missing writer — and a sinister killer bent on destruction — in this “wonderfully entertaining” mystery (Harlan Coben, New York Times Book Review) that inspired thePrivate investigator Cormoran Strike must track down a missing writer — and a sinister killer bent on destruction — in this “wonderfully entertaining” mystery (Harlan Coben, New York Times Book Review) that inspired the acclaimed HBO Max series C.B. Strike.
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days — as he has done before — and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.But as Strike investigates, he discovers that Quine’s disappearance is no coincidence. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published, it would ruin lives — meaning that almost everyone in his life would have motives to silence him.When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, Strike must race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any he has encountered before . . .A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in J. K. Rowling’s highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant, Robin Ellacott.... Read more -
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
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The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter
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Run Away by Harlan Coben
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Before the Fact by Francis Iles
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In the Woods by Tana Frenc
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Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith
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The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley
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The Whisper Man by Alex North
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Death of a Ghost by Margery Allingham
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One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManu
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Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
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A Morbid Taste for Bones
- By: Ellis Peters
- Narrator: Ellis Peters
- Length: 8 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: December 11, 2009
- Language: English
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3.97(33245 ratings)
3.97(33245 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.99 USDMurder in the twelfth century is no different from murder today. There is still a dead body, though this time with an arrow through the heart instead of a bullet. There is still a need to bury the dead, to comfort the living – and to catch theMurder in the twelfth century is no different from murder today. There is still a dead body, though this time with an arrow through the heart instead of a bullet. There is still a need to bury the dead, to comfort the living – and to catch the murderer. When Brother Cadfael comes to a village in the Welsh hills, he finds himself doing all three of those things. And there is nothing simple about this death. The murdered man’s daughter needs Cadfael’s help in more ways than one. There are questions about the arrow. And the burial is the strangest thing of all.
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Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
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They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? by Horace McCoy
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Along Came a Spider by James Patterson
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Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
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A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin
Have you ever caught yourself pondering how Sherlock Holmes would fare against the serial killer Hannibal Lecter? If you have, chances are you’re a fan of crime fiction, and that’s no wonder. The murder mystery genre has been widely popular ever since the days of the first crime writers.
Today, the genre features numerous New York Times bestsellers, titles that sell internationally via retailers like Amazon, and even several organizations like Mystery Writers of America. Let’s look at a list of the best mystery novels with a murder twist.
Cliff Weitzman
Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.
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