r/mysterybooks

I read Lisa Jewell's "Then she was Gone" and I really didn't care for it at all. It seemed very wordy and the story itself just seemed....odd. I don't want to say more since it would give away the mystery. Are all Lisa Jewell books similar in the wordiness and strange storyline? Or is it possible I would still enjoy some of her other books? I've been avoiding books by her since reading the one I did, but I wouldn't mind trying others from her, if I can get a little bit of assurance that they aren't all similar in those two issues

I really enjoy the writing by Sophie Hannah, if that's any help in reference to what I'm searching for in a book

I hope this is the correct subreddit for this, if not, would someone be willing to point me to where is? Thank you

Hey folks,

I'm curious about your favorite detective, or other mystery solving protagonist. Who is your favorite? Could be from things you've read, although I'm perfectly happy with characters from television and film as well. Hell, I'll even take a radio play.

What I want to know, though, is what you like about them! What do you find so compelling? So intriguing? So fun, or relatable, or whatever else, about them?

One stipulation: don't just say that they're good at solving mysteries! Or that they're very clever! Or perceptive, or that they know a lot, or anything along those lines. Yeah; so do all the others! That's kind of the most basic requirement for a literary character who solves mysteries. I want something more unique about them.

So, what comes to mind?

Inspired by the annual restarting of Dracula Daily, any favorite epistolary mysteries or novels in general to recommend?

I’m curious how other mystery readers handle books with a large cast, aliases, family relationships, alibis, timelines, or small clues that only matter much later. Maybe not a mystery book, but reading something like One Hundred Years of Solitude blows my mind 😂

Do you usually take notes while reading, or do you just trust your memory and flip back when needed?

I’ve tried a few approaches, such as character lists, relationship charts, chapter-by-chapter clue lists and writing down theories before the reveal. But I also find that if I take too many notes, it can start to feel like homework instead of reading.

For people who read a lot of mystery / detective fiction:

- What do you actually track, if anything?

- Characters? Motives? Alibis? Timeline contradictions? Suspicious wording?

- And do you have any system that helps without making the reading experience less fun?

No spoilers please, but examples of book types where note-taking helped would be great.

After decades working in finance and forensic-style review work, one thing I noticed is that most crime fiction treats corruption like a single villain hiding money offshore.
In reality, corruption usually survives because ordinary systems quietly cooperate with it:
approvals,
emergency exceptions,
procurement shortcuts,
documentation nobody reads,
and people convincing themselves they are only signing one harmless form.
That became the foundation for my books set in India. The violence matters, but the real danger is usually institutional momentum.
I’m curious:
what crime novels do you think handled bureaucracy or institutional corruption realistically?

I'm currently reading "You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder." (No spoilers please!). I'm looking for similar books where you get to be the detective. It's kind of like the game "To Hunt a Killer" or "Clue". You go through the story, evidence, witness statements, etc and have to deduct who committed the crime.

I recently got in a conversation about what types of fiction I read and I told these people that I read different types of fiction, but Mysteries are my hands-down favorite. (Right now I'm reading an Agatha Christie Miss Marple novel.) For me it started at the age of 9 or 10 with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Later I branched out to Ellery Queen. A few years later I discovered Raymond Chandler and then Christie, Marsh and Sayers. As a Holmes buff I became a huge Nero Wolfe fan and also the adventures of Solar Pons. I love all kinds of mysteries, Cozies, Hardboiled, police procedurals. You name it. That being said, Doyle and Ellery Queen started me down this road. What about you ?

I’m looking for books similar to the Hardy Boys books for my son. Besides Nancy Drew and Tom Swift. Any ideas?

Hey everyone. I’m 15, and this is my first time ever trying to write a book. I’ve genuinely never written more than a few paragraphs before, so this whole thing is very new to me.

Right now I’m working on a psychological mystery story. I want it to feel tense, unsettling, and emotionally uncomfortable rather than just full of twists for the sake of twists. I’m especially interested in suspense, hidden meanings, unreliable characters, and scenes that slowly make the reader question what’s actually happening.

Since I’m a complete beginner, I’d really appreciate advice from writers or readers who enjoy psychological mysteries/thrillers. I’m trying to learn early so I don’t build bad habits while writing the story.

Some things I’d especially love help with:

\- Common mistakes beginner mystery writers make

\- How to keep suspense without revealing too much

\- How to foreshadow clues without making them obvious

\- Things that accidentally ruin tension or pacing

\- How to make dialogue feel natural and meaningful

\- Tips for writing disturbing or eerie scenes without overdoing them

\- Ways to keep readers curious enough to continue chapters

One thing I’m struggling with is balancing mystery and confusion. I want readers to feel intrigued, not lost. I also don’t want to “kill” the suspense by explaining things too early or adding twists that feel forced.

I’d honestly appreciate any feedback, warnings, writing tips, or even book recommendations that could help me improve. I know I’m very inexperienced, but I’m taking this seriously and really want to grow as a writer.

Thanks for reading.

Think detective (or not so official sleuth) in a small, foggy town with many many trees, looking for vibes similar to Twilight, Twin Peaks, and Supernatural

Looking for a couple of shorter reads. Most mysteries are novel sized, and I'm trying to learn how the shorter ones are supposed to read like. I've been getting pulled away from the novels in the middle and forgetting clues by the time I get back, so the end is a bit too magic to follow because my memory isn't always up to the task. Any suggestions?

hi, i love reading but i almost only read fantasy. one of my friends asked me for recs (she doesnt read) and chose mystery books.
what mysteries do you recommend that aren't too slow and long? i really want her to start reading so i dont wanna mess this up!! the only mysteries i've read are "the god of the woods" and "the secret history". i loved them but i fear theyre too slow and she'll get bored and stop

Ive started reading Nesbø, Ive had thirst, so Ive read that first, now i have leopard, snowman and the knife, in which order should I read them?

Just as the title says I'm looking for a book series with mystery as the main theme.What I'm not looking for though is self contained books with whodunnits(Sherlock Holmes, Heracles Poirot etc),not that I have a problem with them ofc.So basically sth like TV shows such as Lost,Heroes,Prison Break etc where you they set up mysteries,answer some questions and maybe even open up some more in the process.(also preferably completed ones)

First time a thriller mystery cop book made me actually go reserve the 2nd book in the series just as I finished the first. I’m very impressed. This isn’t RARELY my sub genre.

I haven't met anyone who liked this book as much as me and that i haven't any big complains with the book. I have never reread a book but i have reread this one, idk why. It's like I'm in love with it.

First some answers to the complaints i read on reddit posts : I don't understand when people are complaining about the book not being a fair play puzzle to point out the killer. There are other clues but the one that's in your face is that, the team arrives separately than van to the island so he isn't counted as one of them if anything happens to all of them. Duh

I've also read complains that shimada doesn't do anything meaningful in the end, which is fair but the book starts with the killer as the main character and ends with him. It's not like a poirot novel, Shimada as a detective was not the main. Shimada reaching out to morisu in the end hints to his suspicions but he's got no proof. Van being a master plotter. Also the author has even pointed out that for him in a murder-mystery novel the mystery is more important than anything else. And i loved the murder mystery, even though i thought how can his guy even top "And then there were none" by the great Agatha christie.

Also that ellery is a disappointment ignoring evidence. He's a college kid who's a wannabe detective without real life experience with solving murders. As sherlock holmes said, "facts first theories later". But I think Ellery goes with seiji being the killer line of thought and attached more theories to prove his assumptions which made it really hard to deviate. Considering how compelling it was, it was harder for him to throw suspicion on his friends without proper motive. I think Ellery did a great job, even though he met a sad end.

My question to you :

1. Kawaminami took some responsibility of what happened to chiori, blaming himself too and left the club even though he wasn't even present in the after party, but the members who were present went to live n forget that anything had ever happened.. with no responsibility till the end. While Van, he felt like he had lost everything. Was it fair, what Van did? Killing 6 for 1. Where do you draw the line for justice? Should they have been punished for how much they were involved in the crime individually? Why didn't Van tell Ellery before killing him about why they were being killed?

Two books I liked, both with a similar theme.

Big Little Lies and Lost Man, Jane Harper. Neither being police books is part of it. Not being a crime committed, time to solve for most of it, person arrested at end thing.

Big Little Lies because of Madeline, the humour is what I liked there. But not outright funny books, not at all what I want.

Lost Man because the whole book is not the POV of victim. The fact you don't actually know the why of what happened either.

Note: I have read all the books by both authors and while good, didn't give me quite the same thing I am after. Please do not suggest more of Harpers or Moriartys books.

So books like EITHER of these?

Edit: Someone recommended a Hepworth. It's good, but.....not really into women struggling with babies, or stolen babies or kids.

I just found a NEW Anne Perry book (yes I know she’s dead) at my library. It’s a Daniel Pitt story and is (co-authored ?) by Victoria Zackheim. I haven’t read anything by Ms. Zackheim but I’m eager to learn. Is there anyone on here that has any info about the Anne Perry Estate and the future of her characters?

I’m usually not someone who reads series, but recently thanks to Allison Brennan, I find myself trying to find more to dive into. I’m looking for mystery/thriller/psychological thriller series with strong romance subplots that feel earned and develop naturally over time, so no insta-love or relationships that suddenly happen between books. I really want gritty/interesting cases, emotional character development, and recurring characters I can get attached to.

Some series I’ve loved:
\- Quinn & Costa by Allison Brennan
\- Ellery Hathaway series by Joanna Schaffhausen
\- Laurel Snow series by Rebecca Zanetti

What I loved about them:
\- dark/gritty investigations
\- emotionally complex leads
\- slow burn romance
\- trauma/emotional depth that actually impacts the characters
\- strong chemistry and tension
\- recurring (diverse) cast dynamics
\- cases that stay interesting alongside the romance

Some recommendations I’ve already tried that didn’t fully work for me:
\- Lucy Kincaid (I wanted to love the first book 😭 but the romance felt too fast for me)
\- In Death/Eve Dallas (just wasn’t my vibe)

I’m okay with FBI/profilers/detectives/investigative journalists/etc. Bonus points for:
\- haunted/emotionally guarded leads
\- atmospheric writing
\- male or female MCs
\- audiobook narrators that really bring the characters to life! (I mostly listen to audiobooks, thanks adhd 🙄😆)

I’d especially love series where the romance builds gradually over multiple books while the mystery/thriller aspect stays strong.

Any recommendations?

English is not my first language, but I prefer to read books in their original language so that nothing is lost in translation, specially if the work depends a lot on wordplay (Like Terry Pratchett's books)

When I was young I read lots of Agatha Christie's books in Spanish and I liked most of them, but I had a bad experience with Why Didn't They Ask Evans? because:

1. In Spanish the title is Trayectoria de Búmeran ("The boomerang's trajectory", completely unrelated), and because of that I didn't realize the titular question was that important.
2. Because of the information lost in translation you are unable to foresee the main plot twist. The translator just added a footnote explaining what happened, and it just felt dumb.

There is also one Isaac Asimov's novel that relies on the word "lemonade", and that only makes sense in English.

Recently I read the first book in the Nero Wolfe series, Fer-de-lance, I liked it and I'm interested in reading more, but the autor uses lots of old American slang that I found a bit difficult to understand, so I thought that maybe I should read them in Spanish. But then I remembered that sometimes mystery novels uses wordplay for their clues (like in the examples I mentioned before). So:

TL,DRL: are there mystery novels that must be read in their original language in order to get all the clues? Are there any Nero Wolfe books like that?