10 Christmas Mysteries and Thrillers for Every Mood
Find a festive whodunit for your mood, from cosy puzzles and snowed-in rivals to dark family comedy and Christmas Eve thrillers.
Books in this guide ↓Some nights call for a Secret Santa puzzle and a mug of cocoa. Others call for a locked gift shop, a family with too many secrets, or a murder backstage at a magic show. Here’s what to read depending on how much trouble you want under the tree.
Cosy puzzles and clever whodunits
Molly the Maid · 2024
The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
A Secret Santa exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel leaves Molly the Maid wondering who she can trust. Pick this warm novella for a festive puzzle that feels personal, with enough time left to watch a Christmas film.
The Appeal · 2023
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett
A local theatre group is staging Jack and the Beanstalk, and the backstage drama soon includes a murder. Pick this if you like sifting through messages and spotting clues people leave behind while arguing about something else.
Ernest Cunningham · 2024
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson
When a magician’s benefactor is murdered, Ernest Cunningham finds himself backstage at a Christmas show where spotting the trick is part of solving the crime. Pick this if you like playing detective alongside the narrator.
Romantic Christmas whodunits
Standalone · 2024
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Two rival mystery writers are invited to a Christmas house party at an English country estate. Then their host vanishes from a locked room. Pick this for a snowbound puzzle, sharp banter and two sleuths who can barely agree to work together.
Standalone · 2026
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder by Ally Carter
Liam Montgomery disappears after a Christmas party, and Ella Chambers needs to prove he’s alive to clear her name. Liam has his own reason to stay missing: someone wants him dead. Pick this for a small-town chase, a snowstorm and two childhood enemies with unfinished business.
Dark comedy and disastrous Christmases
Standalone · 2024
Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton
A dead body in the kitchen is the last thing you want when you’re hosting Christmas. Pick this for the absurdity of trying to solve a murder while keeping the holiday on track.
Standalone · 2025
12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas by Natasha Bache
Christmas at the Weiss family manor in North Wales is an annual tradition. This year, the relatives start dying. Pick this if your favourite kind of festive gathering is one where everyone has reason to suspect everyone else.
Festive reads with a darker edge
Standalone · 2024
Murder at the Christmas Emporium by Andreina Cordani
A handful of last-minute shoppers find themselves locked inside a London gift shop with someone who knows their secrets. Pick this for a full-length thriller that makes even Santa’s grotto feel sinister.
Standalone · 2026
Do You See What I See? by Peter Swanson
A young writer heads to a Cape Cod mansion to help a famous novelist finish a manuscript. Then two bodies turn up. Pick this short mystery for the uneasy feeling that the story someone is telling you might be hiding the one that matters.
Standalone · 2022
The Gift by Freida McFadden
McFadden gives O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi a sinister turn. Pick this short story for a dose of holiday suspense you can finish in one sitting.