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Mystery fiction reading guide

Mystery fiction reading guide

Heroes and villains. Puzzles and tests. Thrillers and killers. Who doesn't love a good mystery?

Mystery is a broad term that covers stories in a lot of different styles, and settings from the grand to the gritty.

From historical whodunnits, to the golden age of crime writing, cosy and quirky amateur sleuths like Poirot and Father Brown, to the war-torn and world-weary Jack Reacher. We’ve got detectives and psychopaths, accidental heroes, unwitting victims, and vigilante justice –  there’s something for everyone in this popular genre, and this page is your doorway into a world of intrigue!

Happy sleuthing…

If you like reading about crimes that actually happened check out our True crime reading guide.

Mystery fiction reading lists

Staff List

Mystery - eBooks & eAudiobooks

Cosy crime, contemporary thriller, historical – whatever your poison, there's something to keep you entertained and guessing 'whodunnit?'.

Mystery fiction sub-genre lists

Staff List

Historical Mystery

From Renaissance Florence to the jazz age in New Orleans - stories of murder and investigation in richly detailed historical settings.
Staff List

Literary Mystery

Expect sharp social commentary, elaborate plotting, delightfully complex characters, and mysteries with thought-provoking narratives.
Staff List

Domestic Suspense

What really goes on behind closed doors? Can you trust the person you share your life with? Are some secrets best left buried?
Staff List

Mystery - Dark Academia

Expect unreliable narrators, secret societies, toxic relationships and plenty of twists and turns in these gripping dark academia novels.
Staff List

Mystery - Locked Room

There's been a crime, the room locked from the inside - who did it? Or maybe it's a snowed-in lodge, a lighthouse, or distant planet...
Staff List

Mystery - Graphic Novels

Captivating mystery stories about crime, the investigation and discovery of who did it with atmospheric artwork to match.
Staff List

Psychological Thrillers

Tense and suspenseful, expect to be held in their sway as the mysteries are untangled, and psychological intricacies revealed.
Staff List

Mystery - Police Procedural and Forensic Thriller

Police procedurals and forensic thrillers follow the protocols and scientific methods used by police forces to try and solve crimes.
Staff List

Mystery - If you like... Lee Child

Jack Reacher is tough and resourceful with a strong sense of justice. This list of readalikes has similarly driven, independent characters.
Staff List

Mystery - Contemporary

Realistic plot-lines, characters, and experiences - these stories are real page-turners full of intrigue and suspense.
Staff List

Mystery - Cosy Crime

Soft, easy-read crime stories that are great to curl up and relax with. No gore and violence, but lighter, sometimes funny mysteries.
Staff List

Mystery - Legal and political thrillers

Stories with intricate plotting, suspense, and with many moving parts. One thing is for sure - don't trust anyone!
Staff List

Mystery - Hardboiled

Mystery fiction that's gritty, depressing, violent, cynical and seedy - in the style pioneered by Dalshiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.
Staff List

Short Stories - Mystery/Thriller/Adventure

Suspense, intrigue, action, adventure, and suspicion - all wrapped up in the short story format, so readable at one sitting.

Mystery by country

Lists of crime novels grouped by country

Staff List

Mystery - UK and Irish Crime

UK and Irish mystery fiction tends to focus on the shadows, with the protagonists flaws as much of the tale as the antagonists’ crimes.
Staff List

Mystery - Korean and Japanese Crime

Korean and Japanese crime fiction blends hard-boiled noir and golden age mystery with twisting plots and cultural contexts and histories.
Staff List

Mystery - Scandinavian Crime Noir

If you loved Stieg Larsson's blockbuster Millennium series, then check out this list of dark, gritty and confronting titles from Scandinavia
Staff List

Mystery - Australian Crime

Titles layered with Australian larrikin culture, dark humour, and some seriously ingenious twists and reveals.
Staff List

New Zealand crime fiction

Blood-soaked, intricately plotted stories, detectives, seedy urban settings, and often dark humour - explore the darker side of Kiwi fiction

Return to reading lists

Kickstart your reading with librarian-created lists of the most readable and enjoyable fiction.

Staff List

Return to Reading: Mystery

Accessible yet captivating, these books offer a thrilling escape - perfect for those rediscovering the excitement of mystery novels.
ChristchurchLib
Staff List

Return to Reading: New Adult Mystery

With gripping plots, intriguing twists, and complex characters, these stories explore suspense, crime, and the thrill of solving puzzles.
ChristchurchLib

Authors of mystery fiction:

Award-winning mystery fiction

Award winning mystery

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Find great reads:

Featured

Te Hāpua Reads January 2025

A round-up of the books that the Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre staff have enjoyed over the past month.

Charity Norman keeps the Home Truths burning

Fee reviews Home Truths, the latest mystery by Charity Norman.

Three Little Lies

by Laura Marshall
Ashleighbriar said:

5/5 Great mystery book. Karina and Ellen are best of friends, their mothers are also friends. Pretty normal life as 15 year olds in till the monktons move…

Read more of this comment about Three Little Lies

You'll Never Find Me

by 1969- Allison Brennan
CDK2023 said:

I've become a real fan of Allison Brennan. This book is the first in a series and was fast paced and easy to read. Three cases to solve, linked together…

Read more of this comment about You'll Never Find Me

Te Hāpua Reads January 2025

A round-up of the books that the Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre staff have enjoyed over the past month.

Charity Norman keeps the Home Truths burning

Fee reviews Home Truths, the latest mystery by Charity Norman.

Three Little Lies

by Laura Marshall
Ashleighbriar said:

5/5 Great mystery book. Karina and Ellen are best of friends, their mothers are also friends. Pretty normal life as 15 year olds in till the monktons move…

Read more of this comment about Three Little Lies

You'll Never Find Me

by 1969- Allison Brennan
CDK2023 said:

I've become a real fan of Allison Brennan. This book is the first in a series and was fast paced and easy to read. Three cases to solve, linked together…

Read more of this comment about You'll Never Find Me

Find Mystery fiction in the catalogue

Mystery eBooks

New mystery fiction

Murder investigation fiction

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Whatever kind of fiction you're into, find lists, new authors to try, and staff picks.

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