If you enjoy twists and turns, and heart-racing scenarios of fear and excitement, then murder mystery novels might be up your alley. Is your curiosity of the unknown stronger than your fear of death? Are you courageous enough to unveil the truth, even if it costs you your life?
If so, grab your detective gear and jump into the mysteries that these five novels have to offer.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Written by the crowned “Queen of Suspense” — a title that almost every mystery reader would agree to — this novel follows ten strangers who are summoned onto a private island off the coast of Devon by an unknown, nowhere-to-be-found eccentric millionaire to be his weekend guests. All of the guests have something in common: a wicked past that they’re reluctant to reveal…and a tragic fate in which they’ll be killed. In each room of the mansion is the same nursery rhyme, one that describes how they die. On this island, they fall one by one. As terror mounts, questions do too: Who orchestrated this scheme and who will survive?
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
In the midst of a nightly ball at Blackheath, a murder has occurred: Evelyn Hardcastle has been killed. This party, which began as an event full of joy and celebration has ended in a confusing tragedy. But Evelyn does not die only once — but rather every day in a cycle — until Aiden, one of the guests, solves her murder. As the day repeats itself, he wakes up in the body of a different guest, hoping to find the killer. At the same time, someone else is determined to keep him trapped in the cycle.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
It’s been over forty years since Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, disappeared. Yet her aged uncle is determined to seek the truth, even after all these years. Together with a hired journalist who is aided by a tattooed punk prodigy, they look further into what really happened…uncovering deeply-run corruption in the process.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
In the summer of 1950, the 11-year-old aspiring chemist, Flavia de Luce, becomes witness to a series of bizarre events: a dead bird with a postage stamp attached to its beak, lying on the doorstep of the Buckshaw mansion she inhabits, and a man dying in a cucumber path. Rather than being afraid, she is delighted at such a mystery and jumps at the opportunity to solve it.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Considered the best murder mystery novel in history and the greatest novel Agatha Christie has written, this novel begins in an English village where retired detective Hercule Poirot lives. All is peaceful until a widow who planned to marry Roger Ackroyd, a friend of Poirot’s, dies from a drug overdose. Soon after that, Roger is murdered — stabbed through the neck — in his study. But why? Roger wasn’t an ordinary man; he knew too much. He knew that his lover poisoned her first husband and that she was being blackmailed. He almost knew who the mystery blackmailer was, but died before he could confirm their identity. Now, it’s up to Poirot to solve the case.
Mystery, the unknown yet to be discovered, has always been a genre that I’ve loved. It engages your mind like no other, pulling you into the story to experience the same danger, suspense, and fear that the characters feel. If any of these novels piqued your interest, I hope you will join me as a student by day and detective at night — satisfying your curiosity and putting evidence together until a case is solved.