Here are 58 books that Mystery in White fans have personally recommended if you like
Mystery in White.
Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.
Having grown up in a family of crime-fiction readers, I published my first murder mystery in 2019 and have created two bestselling series. My 1920s-set “Lord Edgington Investigates…” books have been a big hit for me, and I’ve just published my third Christmas book overall. But that’s not the only reason I’m qualified to recommend Christmassy whodunits. I am obsessed with Christmas and, with a little help from my four-year-old daughter, spend far too much time decorating every December. Let’s just say that my Christmas Lego village is already out of control, and someone really needs to stop me from buying any more before it takes over our house.
An eccentric philanthropist calls a group of friends and acquaintances together for Christmas in his ancient mansion. It isn’t long before someone dressed as Father Christmas turns up dead beneath the Christmas tree. Among the crowd of mismatched suspects is Mordecai Tremaine, one-time tobacconist, fan of romantic fiction, and occasional crime-solver. Tremaine is an unusual sleuth with a touch of Sherlock Holmes’s eccentricity but an optimistic spirit that guides him through the case. There’s a truly clever twist in the finale and, of course, plenty of snow! This is another book that feels very much neglected and deserves rediscovery.
The first book in a classic Golden Age mystery series perfect for fans of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot
When Mordecai Tremaine arrives at the country retreat of one Benedict Grame on Christmas Eve, he discovers that the revelries are in full swing in the sleepy village of Sherbroome—but so too are tensions amongst the assortment of guests.
When midnight strikes, the partygoers discover that presents aren't the only things nestled under the tree...there's a dead body too. A dead body that bears a striking resemblance to Father Christmas. With the snow falling and suspicions flying, it's up to Mordecai to…
The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.
On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…
Having grown up in a family of crime-fiction readers, I published my first murder mystery in 2019 and have created two bestselling series. My 1920s-set “Lord Edgington Investigates…” books have been a big hit for me, and I’ve just published my third Christmas book overall. But that’s not the only reason I’m qualified to recommend Christmassy whodunits. I am obsessed with Christmas and, with a little help from my four-year-old daughter, spend far too much time decorating every December. Let’s just say that my Christmas Lego village is already out of control, and someone really needs to stop me from buying any more before it takes over our house.
This one is actually a bit of a cheat as it’s not really set at Christmas, although it is suitably snowy. In fact, it was originally published as “Another Little Murder” but has been renamed by canny publishers. I’ve included it anyway because it is such a fun book and, with its isolated, country-house setting, it certainly feels cosy enough for this time of year.
Published in 1947, it features an exceptionally likable detective called Dilys Hughes. She’s a witty, quirky, and determined protagonist who finds herself at the wonderfully named manor of Wintry Wold, just in time to investigate the death of its elderly owner. With its light touch and plenty of banter, it’s far closer to modern “cozy” whodunits than gritty, hard-boiled fiction. A really fun read to devour before Christmas arrives.
A classic country house mystery republished for the first time in nearly seventy years. Perfect for fans of Murder at the Old Vicarage and Partners in Crime. When Dilys Hughes finds herself snowbound in the middle of a bleak and lonely stretch of Yorkshire, she has no option but to accept help from passing motorist Inigo Brown, who is on his way to visit his uncle. Arriving at his uncle's remote country house, Wintry Wold, the couple encounters a less than warm welcome from Inigo's new young aunt, Theresa. Why is she reluctant to let Inigo see his uncle, and…
Having grown up in a family of crime-fiction readers, I published my first murder mystery in 2019 and have created two bestselling series. My 1920s-set “Lord Edgington Investigates…” books have been a big hit for me, and I’ve just published my third Christmas book overall. But that’s not the only reason I’m qualified to recommend Christmassy whodunits. I am obsessed with Christmas and, with a little help from my four-year-old daughter, spend far too much time decorating every December. Let’s just say that my Christmas Lego village is already out of control, and someone really needs to stop me from buying any more before it takes over our house.
As much as I love mysteries that are all done and dusted in a weekend, I also enjoy the longer, slower type of whodunit where the plot unfolds over weeks and even months. Murder in the Snow kicks off at Christmastime with a murdered thug, a missing housekeeper, and a possible ghost, but psychoanalyst and amateur detective Mrs. Bradley sticks around to solve the crime.
Bradley is often compared to Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and appeared in sixty-six novels over half a century. In contrast to Agatha Christie’s famous heroine, Mrs. Bradley is a rather witchy and sarcastic character, but I enjoyed the way she works with her nephew and his wife in this book to solve the mystery of a series of disreputable characters’ involvement in a puzzling crime.
This classic crime treat is the perfect Christmas gift for fans of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh.
First published in 1950 as Groaning Spinney.
'A delight... An amateur sleuth to rival Miss Marple' Guardian
Mrs Bradley, sharp-eyed detective and celebrated psychiatrist, has decided to spend Christmas with her nephew at his beautiful house in the Cotswolds.
It isn't long before a mystery unfolds. There are strange events occurring in the nearby wood and local villagers are receiving anonymous threatening letters. Then the snow begins to fall - and a body is discovered.
Jake Sledge, a rugged ex-cop turned private eye, teams up with his colossal partner Bobo to navigate the gritty streets of River City.
A murdered lawyer drags them into a web of political intrigue, neo-Nazi thugs, and bloody showdowns. With sharp wit and hard-hitting action, Jake tackles scumbags the only…
Having grown up in a family of crime-fiction readers, I published my first murder mystery in 2019 and have created two bestselling series. My 1920s-set “Lord Edgington Investigates…” books have been a big hit for me, and I’ve just published my third Christmas book overall. But that’s not the only reason I’m qualified to recommend Christmassy whodunits. I am obsessed with Christmas and, with a little help from my four-year-old daughter, spend far too much time decorating every December. Let’s just say that my Christmas Lego village is already out of control, and someone really needs to stop me from buying any more before it takes over our house.
Another unexpected amateur sleuth is the young stockbroker Malcolm Warren who is invited to a wealthy client’s house for the holiday when an apparent accident is followed by a definite murder. A twisting mystery, secrets galore for our sleuth to uncover, and any number of potential killers help create an atmospheric and pacy puzzle.
Published in 1934, this book is interesting for its complex interplay between the different classes and echelons within the grand house. There is a perfect array of characters from the uber-wealthy patriarch and his spoilt daughter to his patronised employees and servants. Perhaps best of all though, Warren is the kind of gutsy hero that was so common in films and books of the thirties, and he keeps the plot ticking along with plenty of wit and charm.
'There we were, all gathered together for a Christmas party, and plunged suddenly into gloom.'
It's Christmas at Hampstead's Beresford Lodge. A group of relatives and intimate friends gather to celebrate the festive season, but their party is rudely interrupted by a violent death. It isn't long before a second body is discovered. Can the murderer be one of those in the great house? The stockbroker sleuth Malcolm Warren investigates, in this brilliantly witty mystery.
'Kitchin's knowledge of the crevices of human nature lifts his crime fiction out of the category of puzzledom and into the realm of the detective…
I’ve always been fascinated by the darker corners of the human mind, such as what drives people to commit unspeakable acts and how others find the strength to face them. As both a neuropsychologist and a thriller author, I explore those questions on the page, weaving together my background in psychology with my love of twisty, character-driven stories. Books where the crimes are as twisted as the minds behind them have shaped my own writing, including my latest novel, Heavy Are the Stones. I read them not just for the suspense, but for the unsettling and raw truths they reveal about us all as humans.
I enjoy mysteries that tie my brain in knots, and With A Vengeance had more twists than a pretzel.
Right from the start, the premise flips the genre on its head where the main character, Anna Matheson, who wishes everyone she has gathered together was dead, is also the one who must save them. I loved that Riley Sager set the entire locked-room mystery inside a moving train where every passenger is a suspect, yet somehow maybe none of them are guilty.
I spent the whole ride toggling between motives and alibis, sure I’d cracked it, only to be blindsided by another twist. Sager’s color-coded cast felt like walking Clue pieces, vivid enough that I swore I would find Mr. Plum in the Conservatory with the candlestick. But I certainly didn’t make the correct guess, and there’s nothing I love in a book more than a surprise ending!
One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.
'A locked room thriller at its best! Nonstop suspense with twists and turns that will leave your head spinning' FREIDA MCFADDEN
'Sager wields a deft hand in bringing all the elements together into a rip-roaring, tension-filled tale of greed, murder and revenge' DAVID BALDACCI
In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson's family. Twelve years later, she's ready for retribution.
Under false pretenses, Anna has lured those responsible for her family's downfall onto a luxury train from Philadelphia to Chicago, an overnight journey of fourteen hours. Her goal? Confront the…
I’m a multi-award-winning film and television producer; before that, I was a theatre director. I’ve spent my life telling stories, whether through theatre plays or television dramas. It doesn’t matter if you’re watching a TV drama or reading a book; the same rules apply to creating a great story. It needs compelling characters, an intriguing plot, and a strong sense of place. I love the murder/mystery genre, and nearly all the books I read fall into this category, so it’s no surprise that the first book I’ve written is a cosy crime.
I laughed out loud at some of the lines in this book. If you’re looking for something to brighten up your day, then this is the book for you. It’s masterfully clever and intricately woven in a rich tapestry of humour and fun.
Think Murder On The Orient Express but set in Australia with a train whose passengers are all crime writers, including Ernest Cunningham, a “lowly debut author” with writer’s block, who Stevenson uses as the narrator. Ernest hilariously explains the rules of writing a murder mystery novel while at the same time guiding us through the plot, unravelling a complex set of clues that eventually lead to the unveiling of the killer.
From the bestselling author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, a fiendishly fun locked room (train) murder mystery that "offers a tip of the hat to the great Agatha Christie novel while at the same time being a modern reinvention of it" (Nita Prose) -- perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz
When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each…
Caroline Herschel has always lived in the shadows. Beholden to her wildly popular older brother, William, who rescued her from servitude, she's worked hard to build a life for herself – one where she can go unnoticed and repay the debt she believes she owes him. But when her brother…
When I started writing mysteries, beginning with St. Martin’s Malice Award-winning Southern Fried,I wanted to get the medical, investigative, and courtroom details right. What better resource than good first-hand accounts from professionals who do those things every day? I must admit that, over several decades now, I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. Real life is full of stories that, if told as fiction, would leave readers rolling their eyes in disbelief. The gruesome and cruel don’t interest me. I’m drawn to the storytellers who can capture the worst moments and turn them into finely written, compelling, accurate stories, showing us the complexity of life.
Roughead wrote leisurely, almost Dickensian accounts of UK criminal trials in the 1920s and 1930s. He brought a sharp lawyer’s eye, a flair for the unusual, and a witty, knowledgeable voice to the trials and to the people involved. Madeleine Smith, Constance Kent, and Donald Merritt are among the 12 cases in this sampling from his many collections. Roughead set the bar for literate crime writers who followed.
Dorothy Sayers called William Roughead "the best showman who ever stood before the door of the chamber of horrors," and his true crime stories, written in the early 1900s, are among the glories of the genre. Displaying a meticulous command of evidence and unerring dramatic flair, Roughead brings to life some of the most notorious crimes and extraordinary trials of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century England and Scotland. Utterly engrossing, these accounts of pre-meditated mayhem and miscarried justice also cast a powerful light on the evil that human beings, and human institutions, find both tempting to contemplate and all too easy to…
As an ex-police officer, I have experienced many of the things that I write about, albeit in the modern age: I’ve investigated scenes of sudden and violent death, attended post-mortems, and chased the odd suspected criminal through the streets. After a few years on the beat, I left the force and went to university as a mature student, where I received a PhD for my research into early modern law and literature. I now combine my love of all things true crime with my passion for early modern legal history in the books I write about historical crime, murder, and violent death.
Although the trials in this book may be fictional, they are based on true cases from the author’s decades of experience as a high court judge.
I could not help but be immersed in the drama of these murder trials and the gory details one tends to shy away from. Indeed, these stories were so gripping I found each case flew by!
Along the way, I learned a lot about English law, the courts, and the humanity of those embroiled in the criminal justice system.
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION 2023
'Lifts the lid on what it's like to dispense justice ... a gripping insight ... beautifully crafted ... grim tales lifted by humour and honesty.' The Times
Wendy Joseph's gripping account of the law at work reads like a cliffhanger.' Sunday Times
'Absolutely superb. 5 stars for sheer readability alone. Her Honour entertains as she educates us about murder, about the law and about how we human beings are shaped as we create the culture we live with.' PHILIPPA PERRY, author of THE BOOK YOU WISH…
I am a British writer/producer with a 30-year interest in Richard III (1452-1485). A visit to Bosworth Field, the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses changed my life irrevocably. This haunting place captured my imagination and with it the story of the last Plantagenet monarch who died fighting in this small corner of Leicestershire for crown and country.
The murder of the ‘Princes in the Tower’ is the most famous cold case in British history. Matthew Lewis delves into the context of the disappearance and the characters of the suspects and asks a crucial but often overlooked question: what if there was no murder? Lewis provides a rounded and complete assessment of this most fascinating historical mystery.
The murder of the Princes in the Tower is the most famous cold case in British history. Traditionally considered victims of a ruthless uncle, there are other suspects too often and too easily discounted. There may be no definitive answer, but by delving into the context of their disappearance and the characters of the suspects Matthew Lewis examines the motives and opportunities afresh as well as asking a crucial but often overlooked question: what if there was no murder? What if Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York survived their uncle's reign and even that of their brother-in-law…
Rodney Bradford comes into Lindsay's restaurant, offers to buy her small house for double its value, eats her brownies, and drops dead on the sidewalk in front. Next, her almost-ex-husband offers to sign the divorce papers, but only if she'll give him her small,…
Many years ago, when I’d read my first medieval mystery, I decided I wanted to write my own. But mine would be as realistic as I could manage; I wanted the reader to smell medieval London and to be there with me. A lot had been written about Kings and Queens but not much about ordinary life so that became the center of my academic study leading eventually to my Master's Degree in medieval medicine. As well as my novels I now write popular factual books and I’m pleased to say people have taken the time to say how much they enjoy the fine details I share.
Mel Starr is an American author who deserves to be better known for his Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton set in late fourteenth-century England.
Hugh is a surgeon as well as bailiff of Brampton. In this eleventh tale, Hugh is escorted to Kensington Palace, his expertise required to treat the ailing Black Prince. But I knew things had to get more serious than that and, sure enough, murder is committed.
Mel Starr’s research is impeccable and I found myself in the heart of medieval England, encountering royalty, rogues, and worse villains. But Hugh’s medical knowledge means he can tell an accident from a deliberate killing and there’s no deceiving him when he’s on a murderer’s trail.
'Another delightful and absorbing mystery from Mel Starr, keeping the reader guessing as the corpses pile up in Prince Edward's palace. Hugh de Singleton, of the dry wit and engaging humility, is one of my favourite sleuths.' Penelope Wilcock, British author and blogger
Master Hugh won the Black Prince's favour when he helped to ease the Prince's illness.
Now, in the autumn of 1372, the prince is suffering a relapse and sends to Bampton for Master Hugh to attend him. While at dinner in Kennington Palace, Sir Giles, the knight who escorted Hugh to London, is stricken and dies. Poison!…
