Reading Recommendations

If You Like Mysteries

09/25/25 If You Like, Mysteries

If you like mysteries, browse these tips and tricks for finding your next mysterious read. There is a huge amount of variation within the genre from true crime to the supernatural, thriller, or romance. A mystery fits any reading taste!

1. Read an award winner.

The Agatha Awards celebrate traditional mysteries, a genre defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore, or gratuitous violence. To place convenient requests in our catalog, browse all of the Agatha Award winners in our collection browse all of the Agatha Award winners in our collection.

The Anthony Awards for mystery writers are announced at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. To place convenient requests in our catalog, browse all of the Anthony Award winners in our collection browse all of the Anthony Award winners in our collection.

2. Borrow e-books or downloadable audiobooks.

Use mystery lists from OverDrive to find e-books and downloadable audiobooks. If you have never borrowed from OverDrive before, both OverDrive/Libby app directions and OverDrive browser directions are available as well as an OverDrive video tutorial and Overdrive Support.

Need more help? Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. Additionally, the Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.

3. Get reading recommendations from Library staff.

Click on a featured book list to get mystery reading recommendations. Browse all our staff mystery lists or see our If You Like Cozy Mysteries recommendations.

Mysteries for Adults:

Mysteries for Teens:

Mysteries for Kids:

Our staff suggests these sites for mystery readers:

Novelsuspects.com is great for fans of mysteries, thrillers, and true crime. There you’ll find book lists, essays, reviews, and more.
On Mysteryfile.com read daily reviews of both books and media.
On Stopyourekillingme.com browse reviews or thousands of authors sorted by series or explore by setting or the sleuth’s occupation.
Crimereads.com really lets you drill down to your mystery flavor of choice: noir, suspense, legal thriller, etc.

Staff Picks 2024- Best of Suspense

In the mood to freak yourself out? Check out our staff’s favorite horror, mystery, and thriller novels from 2024.

We’ve got stories of missing children that span decades (The God of the Woods and The Middle of the Night, All the Colors of the Dark), lots of haunted houses (Incidents Around the House, We Use to Live Here, and Model Home), and indigenous suspense (The Angel of Indian Lake and Where They Last Saw Her).

4. Make a selection from this list of mystery authors.

5. Use your Library card to login to Novelist Plus.

On Novelist Plus you’ll find reading recommendations, read-alikes, series lists, reviews, and lists of award-winning books. There are several mystery categories to choose from including:

7. Subscribe to the mystery newsletter from NextReads.

Receive mystery reading recommendation in your inbox monthly. Book suggestions are linked to our catalog for easy requesting. It’s FREE! See a sample issue and Subscribe to NextReads!

8. Find a book discussion near you!

You are invited to join in one of our many in-person or online book discussions that take place several times each month. In our book discussion groups we read and talk about both fiction and non-fiction books. We express our opinions (both likes and dislikes!) with other avid readers in the city.

Event: Adult Book Discussion at West Indianapolis
Date & Time: Monday, November 10, 5:00pm
Location: West Indianapolis Branch
Description: We will be discussing “Supercommunicators” by Charles Duhigg. Copies of this month’s book can be picked up from the West Indianapolis Branch. Adults are invited to this free monthly book discussion program. We meet on the second Monday of the month.
No Registration Required.

Event: Adult Book Discussion at Martindale-Brightwood
Date & Time: Monday, November 10, 5:30pm
Location: Martindale-Brightwood Branch
Description: The book to be discussed is “Hench” by Natalie Walschots. Pick up a copy of the book at Martindale-Brightwood. Never attended? We would love to have you!
No Registration Required.

Event: Adult Book Discussion at Wayne – First Monday Book Club
Date & Time: Monday, November 10, 6:30pm
Location: Wayne Branch
Description: The book to be discussed is “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson. Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program, which is free and open to everyone!
No Registration Required.

Tags If You Like, Mysteries