10 Unique Murder Mysteries for a Bloody Good Time

You know what The Great British Bake Off needs? Murder. In THE GOLDEN SPOON, six lucky contestants head up to the estate of celebrated baker Betsy Martin each year to prove they are the best of the best on TV. In such a stressful situation, it seems inevitable that someone was going to get the axe, literally. After a body is found bleeding all over a cake, the six bakers turn their suspicions on each other, trying to figure out which one of their colleagues is not as sugar-sweet as they seem. A locked-room mystery in the middle of a TV show, THE GOLDEN SPOON has the kind of mayhem and madness everyone with a fine palate can appreciate (and probably would be a lot of fun to read at a cafe!).

Sometimes, you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, like when Ruby Jones stumbled into a dead body. Now, she’s tied to the dead woman’s case, which really isn’t the kind of attention Ruby is looking for, given that she’s trying to start a new life. Alice Lee, the victim telling her tale as a ghost, isn’t content to just let Ruby go, and urges Ruby to help find the killer before it's too late. But will this homicide ruin Ruby’s chance at a new life, or will figuring out the truth set both Alice and Ruby free? BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME is a twisting, brilliant mystery that will pull you into the bright lights of New York City and lead you on a journey of identity, community, and self-reflection.

With a title like this, you know you’re in for a good time. A BOTANIST’S GUIDE TO PARTIES AND POISONS follows Saffron Everleigh, a young botanist who, in spite of losing her father and being sexually harassed by the head of her department, remains steadfast in her dedication to her work. And that drive is going to serve her well when she has to prove that her boss, Dr. Maxwell, isn’t a murderer. But when there is a mysterious poisoning of one of the professors’ wives at a party, Saffron finds herself embroiled in more than just scandal, partnering up with the mysterious and handsome microbiologist Alexander Ashton. But will Saffron wilt under the pressure or will she finally come into bloom?

Murder mysteries, like any genre, can be an excellent tool to talk about larger societal issues. For A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE, author Malla Nunn tackles the complicated matter of race in South Africa and Mozambique in the 1950s. When Captain Willem Pretorius, a white police officer, is found murdered, suspicions fall on the communities of color. But as Constable Shabalala, a Zulu officer, discovers Pretorius’s dark secrets, he must work quickly to keep tensions from boiling over and prevent more deaths. Beautifully written and full of compelling characters, this is a must-read for those who love a little history mixed in with their homicide.

Sometimes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. And in the case of Pony Jones, that means solving your own murder. That’s right, there’s no rest for this wicked rodeo rider when her body is discovered in the woods. She manages to bring together her grieving father, Titus, and psychically inclined, hard-drinking detective Jo Beth Dawson to crack the case. But nothing is as simple as it seems, and Pony’s rush for justice and the truth ends up revealing a whole lot more than she ever intended. THE TENDER MERCY OF ROSES creeps up on you, seeming like a tried-and-true formula when, in reality, it’s got a lot of hidden depth just below the surface.

Listen, no one likes unsolicited advice, especially from their mom. But, well, Vera Wong’s not going to let that stop her from doling it out to her son, her customers, and the police who come to investigate the dead body she finds one morning. VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS is as funny as it is sweet, following Vera as she tries to figure out who killed a young man in her neighborhood, all while developing a heartwarming story of love, family, and the ties that bind a community. If you’re looking for a more light-hearted murder mystery, take my advice, this is the one for you.

If your idea of a great night involves cracking a beer and an unsolved murder case with a psychic and detective, then you’re in the right place. Join the inconsistently psychic travel agent Leda Foley along with Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt as they try and put Leda’s powers to good use. The twist? Leda’s powers are really great . . . only when she’s in the middle of performing at bar karaoke. She can hold an object belonging to someone else and sing a song connected to that person. As the two utilize these discoveries to help find a murderer, they embark on a wild, song-filled ride like no other!

Witch-hunt narratives are not rare in the mystery genre, but rarely are they as heart-wrenching as BURIAL RITES. The book follows Agnes Magnúsdóttir, an Icelandic servant living in 1828, who is found guilty of the gruesome murder of two men. As she awaits her terrible fate, a beheading which would infamously make her the last woman killed as capital punishment in Iceland, Assistant Reverend Thorvardur is sent to help Agnes repent for her terrible crime. But instead he learns of all that transpired in her poor, wretched life, including her seduction at the hands of a healer that ruined her chances at normalcy. Filled with gorgeous descriptions and soulful dialogue, this may be a mystery the reader doesn’t want solved, just so it doesn’t have to end.

Parties are prime places for murder. Loud noises, a mass of people, all sorts of chaos — a homicide is bound to slip through the cracks. Which is exactly what happens during Nadine Walsh’s intricately planned summer garden party. But nothing ruins a get-together like a corpse in the basement, so Nadine must pull herself together and figure out who has done this, all while dealing with the numerous personal problems and secrets of her friends and family. As much a whodunit as a who died, A DEATH AT THE PARTY is proof-positive that introverts have the right idea when it comes to going out to these kinds of affairs.

On the surface, THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY might sound like a simple locked-room mystery: Four strangers meet at the library, where they hear a scream and later find out a woman has been murdered, and it’s likely one of the four is the murderer. But for those who choose to crack open this tantalizing mystery, you’ll discover an even more disturbing storyline. See, this is a novel-within-a-novel, where the events of the story are a fiction work being written by an author. We discover this through emailed exchanges with another writer, who slowly but surely becomes more unhinged as the narrative goes on and he perceives his suggestions are being ignored. Mystery meta at its finest, this is a must read for someone looking for a fresh, page-turning take.