This post is all about 15+ Binge-Worthy Mystery Books, you need to read them as soon as possible!
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Hey Y’all, thanks for stopping by booked and bewitched! This week we are talking about all things Murder Mystery Books related.
For those of you who don’t normally read this genre, a little information. Mystery fiction is a broad range term used to describe a genre of fiction that entails, murders, crimes, whodunit, detectives, paranormal, suspense, thriller, psychology, and or amateur sleuths.
So without further ado, let’s get into these Murder Mystery Books! Oh, and if you’re looking for more fun reads, head on over to 9 Must Have Secret Society Books You Need To Read Today, for more good reads!
Epic Must-Read Mystery Books
1. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
by Holly Jackson (Author)
Everyone in Fairview knows the story.
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.
But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?
Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might prove Sal’s innocent
Booked & Bewitched Babbles: The title alone grabbed my attention, and I can’t wait to dig into this ASAP! This has cozy mystery book vibes but a more typically murder mystery tone.
2. The Butcher and The Wren
Something dark is lurking in the Louisiana bayou: a methodical killer with a penchant for medical experimentation is hard at work completing his most harrowing crime yet, taunting the authorities who desperately try to catch up.
But forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller is the best there is. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of historical crimes, and years of experience working in the Medical Examiner’s office, she’s never encountered a case she couldn’t solve.
Until now. Case after case is piling up on Wren’s examination table, and soon she is sucked into an all-consuming cat-and-mouse chase with a brutal murderer getting more brazen by the day.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles: So I read this one quite a while ago, and this is probably one of the best psychological thriller books I’ve read in quite some time. Full of twists and turns, it’s a wonderful read all around!
3. The Night Watch
by Neil Lancaster (Author)
He’ll watch you.
A lawyer is found dead at sunrise on a lonely clifftop at Dunnet Head on the northernmost tip of Scotland. It was supposed to be his honeymoon, but now his wife will never see him again.
He’ll hunt you.
The case is linked to several mysterious deaths, including the murder of the lawyer’s last client – Scotland’s most notorious criminal… who had just walked free. DS Max Craigie knows this can only mean one thing: they have a vigilante serial killer on their hands.
He’ll leave you to die.
But this time the killer isn’t on the run; he’s on the investigation team. And the rules are different when the murderer is this close to home.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles: Hold the phone! First, this takes place in Scotland, so, yup! Second, the killer is on the investigation team, this crime mystery book will be going to the top of my TBR list.
4. Hercule Poirot Mysteries: Hallowe’en Party : A Hercule Poirot Mystery
When a Halloween Party turns deadly, it falls to Hercule Poirot to unmask a murderer.
In this exclusive authorized edition from the Queen of Mystery, a Halloween Party turns deadly, and it falls to Hercule Poirot to unmask a murderer.
At a Halloween party, Joyce–a hostile thirteen-year-old–boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.
That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the `evil presence’. But first, he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer…
Booked & Bewitched Babbles: I’ve had a soft spot for Agatha Christie since I was a child, then I find this Halloween-themed work of hers in my recommended reading list. Two faves wrapped up in one, I’ll be up all night with this popular mystery books!
5. Magpie Murders
by Anthony Horowitz (Author
When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages.
An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.
Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles: Vintage English Crime Mystery Book meets modern-day publishing world. As someone who once thought of going into the editing world, this one gives me warm fuzzies.
6. The Socialite’s Guide to Murder
by S. K. Golden
It’s 1958 and Evelyn Elizabeth Grace Murphy has not left the Pinnacle Hotel in fourteen months. She suffers from agoraphobia, and what’s more, it’s her father’s hotel, and everything she needs is there.
Evelyn’s always been good at finding things, she discovered her mother dead in a Manhattan alleyway fifteen years earlier. Now she’s finding trouble inside her sanctuary. At a party for artist Billie Bell, his newest work is stolen, and Evelyn’s fake boyfriend (and real best friend), movie star Henry Fox, is accused of the theft. But just as Evelyn sets out to prove Henry’s innocence, she finds Billie Bell dead.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles: So our main character has agoraphobia. Done deal, I’ve always found this aliment fascinating and now she has to solve a murder while not leaving the hotel she calls home? I can’t wait to sink into a comfy chair and dive into this amateur sleuth murder mystery book.
7. The Winter Guest
By: W C Ryan
Winter 1920. Though the war has been over for two years, many are still struggling to pick up their lives again when so much has been lost.
In Ireland too, other terrible troubles are taking hold. Then Tom Harkin, a former officer, arrives at a deserted railway platform in the dead of night. He has been summoned to Kilcolgan House, a grand old estate, to work as a tutor.
As Tom reaches the house it gradually becomes clear that this is not the imposing residence it once was. Half abandoned and filled with ghosts – both real and imagined – the noble family within co-exists only as the balance of their secrets is kept. For there are mysteries at the heart of this family.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles: So, Ireland, Roaring 20’s, ghosts, and murder. I think this stand alone murder mystery book will do just nicely.
8. Murder in a Cape Cottage
by Maddie Day (Author)
Tis the day after Christmas, following a wicked-busy time of year for Mac’s bike shop. It’s just as well her Cozy Capers Book Group’s new pick is a nerve-soothing coloring book mystery, especially when she has last-minute wedding planning to do.
But all pre-wedding jitters fade into the background when Mac and her fiancé, Tim, begin a cottage renovation project and open up a wall to find a skeleton—sitting on a stool, dressed in an old-fashioned bridal gown . . .
As Mac delves into the decades-old mystery with the help of librarian Flo and her book group, she discovers a story of star-crossed lovers and feuding families worthy of the bard himself. Yet this tale has a modern-day villain still lurking in Mac’s quaint seaside town, ready to make this a murderous New Year’s Eve . . .
Includes Recipes!
Booked & Bewitched Babbles: So we’ve got Christmas vibes, book clubs, decade-old mysteries, and last-minute weddings. I can’t wait to dive into this Holiday Cozy Murder Mystery Book!
9. The Storyteller’s Death
Isla Larsen Sanchez’s life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage.
When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her.
At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez scientists. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can’t solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles: So this just might be one of the best mystery thriller books I’ve ever read! Anything with generational gifts gets me all excited!
10. Seaside Knitters Society: A Dark and Snowy Night
By: Sally Goldenbaum
Winter in Sea Harbor is a feast for the senses–crackling bonfires, the scent of snow in the salty air, and carols ringing out on the village green. This year, the Seaside Knitters have a sackful of obligations in addition to their usual Christmas preparations.
Izzy is so overloaded with knitting classes that she hires an extra salesperson, but the new addition has trouble fitting into the yarn shop’s holiday spirit. Cass, juggling the stresses of running her lobster fishery, has finally found a nanny for her active toddler. Molly Flanigan seems practically perfect in every way–until she suddenly disappears, taking Cass’s beloved rescue mutt with her…
Meanwhile, the holidays are kicking off in style at Mayor Beatrice Scaglia’s holiday party, where a well-dressed crowd admires the mayor’s sumptuous new home and the celebrity chef catering the event. An additional treat for Ben and Nell Endicott at the festive affair is reconnecting with a dear college friend, Oliver Bishop.
But it’s not just reunions and the appetizers that are to die for. Before the party-goers can toast the beginning of Sea Harbor’s festive season, the chef–and young wife of Endicott’s old Harvard friend–is found dead beneath the mistletoe.
Izzy, Birdie, Nell, and Cass must uncover the pattern to these mysteries to remove suspicion from those they love, bring a murderer to justice–and keep Sea Harbor’s holiday magic from vanishing into the chill winter air…
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: So this popular cozy mystery books looks like a goody for a cold winter read. I can’t wait to see what these industrious ladies get into now!
11. Blind Faith
by Alicia Beckman (Author)
For decades, the unsolved murder of Father Michael Leary has haunted Billings, Montana, the community he served. Who summoned the priest late one autumn night, then left his body in a sandstone gully for the ravens and other wild scavengers?
And it’s haunted no one more than Lindsay Keller, who admired and confided in him as a teenager. Compelled by his example to work for justice, she became a prosecutor. But after a devastating case left her shattered, she fled the rough-and-tumble for the safety of a desk, handling real estate deals and historic preservation projects. Good work, but not what she’d dreamed of.
Now Lindsay finds herself in possession of the priest’s wallet, the photo of a young girl tucked inside. She’s sure she knows the girl, and that it’s tied to his death. But how?
Detective Brian Donovan, a hot-shot Boston transplant, would like nothing more than to solve the county’s coldest case. Probing the life and death of Father Leary takes Lindsay and Donovan deep into long-simmering tensions in this seemingly-peaceful place.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: So this has the makings to be one of the best crime mystery books I’ve read this year. Montana, dead Father, and a little cop, attorney tension. Yes Please!
12. Fragments of Fear
Evelyn McTavish’s world came crashing down with the suicide of her fiancé. As she struggles to put her life back together and make a living from her art, she receives a call that her dog is about to be destroyed at the pound. Except she doesn’t own a dog. The shelter is adamant that the microchip embedded in the canine with her name and address makes it hers.
Evelyn recognizes the dog as one owned by archaeologist John Coyote because she was commissioned to draw the two of them. The simple solution is to return the dog to his owner—but she arrives only to discover John’s murdered body.
As Evelyn herself becomes a target, she crosses paths with undercover FBI agent Sawyer Price. The more he gets to know her, the more personally invested he becomes in keeping her safe. Together, they’re desperate to find the links between so many disparate pieces.
Stolen art. A New Mexico archaeological dig. An abandoned dog. And a secret that’s worth killing for. And the clock is ticking.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: So we’ve got artists, undercover FBI agents, ancient location digs, killers, and dogs? Give me a cup of coffee and a cozy chair for this best mystery books.
13. Murder Most Unladylike
By; Stevens, Robin
When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia’s missing tie. Which they don’t.)
Then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She assumes it was a terrible accident – but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared.
Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove one happened in the first place. Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally), Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects, and use all the cunning and intuition they can muster.
But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: So this mystery books for teens might just be one of my favorites of the year!
14. Murder Is Bad Manners
by Robin Stevens (Author)
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are best friends at Deepdean School for Girls, and they both have a penchant for solving mysteries. Outspoken Daisy is a self-described Sherlock Holmes, and she appoints wallflower Hazel as her own personal Watson when they form their own (secret!) detective agency. The only problem? They have nothing to investigate.
But that changes once Hazel discovers the body of their science teacher, Miss Bell—and the body subsequently disappears. She and Daisy are certain a murder must have taken place, and they can think of more than one person with a motive.
Determined to get to the bottom of the crime—and to prove that it happened—before the killer strikes again, Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects, and use all the cunning, scheming, and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: So this mystery books for middle schoolers, is a goody you have to read ASAP!
15. The Dark Lake
by Sarah Bailey
The lead homicide investigator in a rural town, Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is deeply unnerved when a high school classmate is found strangled, her body floating in a lake. And not just any classmate, but Rosalind Ryan, whose beauty and inscrutability exerted a magnetic pull on Smithson High School, first during Rosalind’s student years and then again when she returned to teach drama.
As much as Rosalind’s life was a mystery to Gemma when they were students together, her death presents even more of a puzzle. What made Rosalind quit her teaching job in Sydney and return to her hometown? Why did she live in a small, run-down apartment when her father was one of the town’s richest men? And despite her many admirers, did anyone in the town truly know her?
Rosalind’s enigmas frustrate and obsess Gemma, who has her dangerous secrets—an affair with her colleague and past tragedies that may not stay in the past. Brilliantly rendered, The Dark Lake has characters as compelling and mysteries as layered as the best thrillers from Gillian Flynn and Sophie Hannah.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles; So I haven’t gotten to read this murder mystery book series yet, but I can’t wait to dig into it!
16. The Haunting of Elmwood Manor
Pekin Dewlap hasn’t seen a ghost since she was 12 and wants them back. Starting a ghostbuster business with her two best friends seems like the perfect answer. However, convincing them to get on board takes some persuading. Once committed, they investigate the disappearance of 14-year-old Miranda to help her spirit go into the light.
Their first customer owns a mansion built a hundred years ago, and she hires the three teens to remove a ghost from the premises. No one has lived in the old house for decades because the ghost scares them away.
The kids can entice the ghost of Miranda Talbert to show herself by creatively appealing to her loneliness, and in no time the three teens and the ghost are friends. Until the kids confess they want to release her from the dilapidated old house.
But they need Miranda to tell them what happened to her a century ago. Miranda insists she can’t tell them and cowers in fear of another entity who shares the house with her. An evil entity.
To help Miranda go into the light, Pekin, Amber, and Scout must solve the mystery of her disappearance and save her from whatever is haunting her. Before that entity can add Pekin to the ghosts who haunt Elmwood Manor.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: So, I can’t wait to read this YA murder mystery book to my young ones. It’s the type of story that they just love!
17. Winter’s Mourn
by Mary Stone (Author)
A killer is watching…
Thirteen years ago, Winter Black came home early from a sleepover to find her parents brutally murdered and her little brother gone—taken by a serial killer called The Preacher.
Now a rookie FBI agent assigned to her first murder case, Winter has returned to the small Virginia town where she grew up. But when bones found by a hunter lead to the discovery of a secret burial ground containing the remains of children, the investigation suddenly hits close to home as the past and future collide with each new shocking discovery.
Will they find her brother’s bones in the makeshift graveyard next? Only The Preacher knows, and he’ll do anything to keep the past—and its secrets—buried until he’s ready to make his final move.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: So I can’t wait to read this new murder mystery books. It will be going to the top of my TBR list most definitely.
18. The Thursday Murder Club
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club.
When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case.
As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: So this murder mystery books best sellers is a huge hit among my book nerd friends! It will be going on the pile tbr asap!
19. Cream Caramel and Murder
After being forced to close my charming café in this quaint little village, I’m thrilled to get a job in the Audley Castle kitchens, making divine treats for visitors and serving the Audley family who lives in the castle.
The joy fades when I take my beloved dog for his daily walk, and he leads us to the body of a family friend, Kendal Jakes. Seemingly caught in the act of tampering with evidence by the castle’s security team, I become the number one murder suspect in their investigation. It’ll take more than my skills with a piping bag to solve this crisis.
As fingers get pointed at me, I have no choice but to take matters into my flour-covered hands and clear my name. As I snoop around, I discover old rivalry, jealousy, and long-standing grudges. But who killed Kendal?
If I’m charged with this crime, my friendship with Princess Alice will be over, and my blossoming crush on the handsome Lord Rupert will be a distant memory. And he has such a lovely smile. Being a kitchen assistant and a lord is an impossible dream, but every woman deserves a little indulgence.
Having mastered the art of creating a perfectly fluffy souffle, I’m known for my determination to get things right, and I won’t rest until I uncover the truth about this murder. Even if doing so puts me in the killer’s line of sight…
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: So I’m about halfway through this best murder cozy mystery books series and I have to say it’s great! Add this to your TBR list if cozy mysteries are your vibe!
This post was all about 19 murder mystery books you need to read right now! Seriously, what are you doing, go? Read something!
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