--- description: Find out why 'The Other Americans' by Laila Lalami made the list. title: The Other Americans: The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte99feff5bc0547ac/698a4073457a524617d67f44/TheOtherAmericans.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 03, 2023 # The Other Americans by Laila Lalami by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  At the heart of[ Pulitzer Prize finalist Laila Lalami’s](https://time.com/5766184/american-citizenship-meaning-laila-lalami-essay/ "undefined") [_The Other Americans_](https://time.com/5551314/the-other-americans-book-review/ "undefined"), published in 2019, is a death that reveals the true cost of difference and shakes a small town to its core. When Driss, a business owner and Moroccan immigrant, is unexpectedly killed by a speeding car in the Mojave desert, his death brings together an unlikely crew who search for answers in the wake of tragedy. From Driss’ musician daughter, Nora, to his grieving widow, Maryam, to Efrain, an undocumented individual and witness to the killing, each character has secrets of their own to confront as they grapple with the aftermath of his mysterious death. The novel, which was a 2019 National Book Award finalist, is more than just a suspenseful tale or a testament to Lalami’s dextrous, intricate storytelling, but a razor-sharp critique of an unjust social system. —_Cady Lang_ --- ### More from TIME --- **Buy Now:** _The Other Americans_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780525436034 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/44oLzJX "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309247/the-other-americans-laila-lalami/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309247/the-other-americans-laila-lalami/"},"headline":"The Other Americans","datePublished":"2023-10-03T11:52:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:20:36.546Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309247/the-other-americans-laila-lalami/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte99feff5bc0547ac/698a4073457a524617d67f44/TheOtherAmericans.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte99feff5bc0547ac/698a4073457a524617d67f44/TheOtherAmericans.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309247/the-other-americans-laila-lalami/","name":"The Other Americans"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How We Chose the 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time","description":"Here's how TIME created its 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books list. There are books from 15 different countries, and no author appears on the list more than once.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/bNzuDcsg/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-10-02T16:54:39.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bNzuDcsg.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309247/the-other-americans-laila-lalami/","duration":"PT1M35S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309247/the-other-americans-laila-lalami/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```