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.

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).

Title - Incidents Around the HouseTitle - We Used to Live HereTitle - The God of the WoodsTitle - My Favorite Thing Is MonstersTitle - All the Colors of the DarkTitle - Bad Dreams in the NightTitle - ThirstTitle - The Angel of Indian Lake

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: Adult Book Discussion at Wayne
  • Date & Time: Monday, January 06, 6:30pm
  • Location: Wayne Branch
  • Description: The book to be discussed is “Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame” by Olivia Ford. Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program, which is free and open to everyone!
  • No Registration Required.
  • Event: Franklin Road Book Discussion
  • Date & Time: Monday, January 06, 6:30pm
  • Location: Franklin Road Branch
  • Description: Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program. The title for January is “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas” by Agatha Christie.
  • No Registration Required.

Cozy mysteries, often referred to as “cozies,” are a gentle subgenre of crime fiction or more hardened mysteries. The stories are often set in small communities and feature unlikely amateur detectives like letter carriers, inn keepers, teachers or librarians. Explicit sexuality and graphic violence take place offstage and any profanity is mild. If you like cozy mysteries you can browse a wide variety of titles in our catalog, or take a look at these tips and tricks to make your next selection!

1. Borrow e-books or downloadable audiobooks.

Use a mystery list from OverDrive to find e-books and downloadable audiobooks. If you have never borrowed from OverDrive before, both app directions and browser directions are available as well as a 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. 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.

2. Get reading recommendations from IndyPL staff.

Click on a featured booklist to get cozy mystery reading recommendations. See also our If You Like Mysteries recommendations. You might also try Cozymystery.com for a one stop shop for all matters cozy. It provides recommendations, booklists, and announcements of upcoming entries in all your favorite series.

    3. Use your IndyPL Library card to login to Novelist Plus to find more cozy mysteries.

    On Novelist Plus you’ll find cozy mystery reading recommendations, read-alikes, series lists, and reviews. Once you login, choose the “Mystery” category from the list on the left and then choose “Getting Cozy.” Click on a book to read a brief description, see a star rating, or click “Check Availability” to see if the book is available to borrow from IndyPL.

    4. Subscribe to the cozy mystery newsletter from NextReads.

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

    5. Make a Selection from these cozy mystery authors.

    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 Wayne
    • Date & Time: Monday, January 06, 6:30pm
    • Location: Wayne Branch
    • Description: The book to be discussed is “Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame” by Olivia Ford. Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program, which is free and open to everyone!
    • No Registration Required.
    • Event: Franklin Road Book Discussion
    • Date & Time: Monday, January 06, 6:30pm
    • Location: Franklin Road Branch
    • Description: Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program. The title for January is “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas” by Agatha Christie.
    • No Registration Required.