Reading Recommendations

If You Like Mysteries

07/01/24 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 IndyPL 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 Teens:

Mysteries for Kids:

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 IndyPL Library card to login to Novelist Plus.

Find mystery reading recommendations, read-alikes, series lists, reviews, and lists of award-winning mystery books on Novelist Plus. First, login, then choose the “Mystery” category from the list on the left. Choose from categories like like “Standalone Mysteries,” “Police Procedurals,” “Historical Mysteries,” and more! Read a brief description, see a star rating, and select “Check Availability” to see if the book is available to borrow from IndyPL.

6. Look online for more reading suggestions.

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.

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: WitLITS Book Discussion Group
Date & Time: Friday, April 18, 10:30am
Location: Spades Park Branch
Description: A read aloud group exploring classic literature in a group reading. Do you like classic American Literature? Do you enjoy listening to literature read out loud? Then consider WitLITS where our bookclub requires one thing – show up. No reading at home, no worries about not being caught up.
No Registration Required.

Event: Soulful Pages Book Club
Date & Time: Monday, April 21, 6:00pm
Location: Central Library
Description: Are you ready to dive into the powerful stories that shape our world? Join us at the Center for Black Literature & Culture for our Soulful Pages Book Club
Register Here

Event: Adult Book Discussion at Irvington
Date & Time: Monday, April 21, 6:30pm
Location: Irvington Branch
Description: The book to be discussed is “Silas Marner” by George Eliot. Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program that is free and open to everyone!
No Registration Required.

Tags If You Like, Mysteries