We're in the mood for murder
Kuch toh gadbad hai Daya, kuch toh gadbad hai…
Spotting a white Maruti Omni on the streets always managed to induce a tiny panic attack in 8-year-old me, thanks to being the kidnappers’ vehicle of choice in CID. Nevertheless, I spent hours binge-watching the team solve case after case, Daya breaking down doors and ACP Pradyuman musing “Kuch toh gadbad hai, Daya. Kuch toh gadbad hai“. When I outgrew my CID phase, I organically gravitated towards Rizzoli & Isles, Bones and The Mentalist, all while devouring Sherlock Holmes and murder mystery novels from Sidney Sheldon.
Naturally, I was delighted when Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club became the Tweak Book Club’s September pick (get your copy here). You’re telling me I get to read murder mystery novels and call it work. Talk about the perks of the job. In the book, Osman introduces us to the world’s spunkiest retirees who spend their days gardening, knitting, baking cookies and cracking grisly murders before the cops can count to three. This crew of dadas and dadis lean heavily on the skills they acquired through their long careers, and are not above shameless manipulation to get what they want. Consider this a light-hearted reminder never to underestimate the elderly.
Once you’ve devoured every last page of The Thursday Muder Club, turn to our curation of murder mystery novels with more twists and spirals than a road trip through the Western ghats.
9 murder mystery novels to fuel your inner detective
The Sky Is Falling by Sidney Sheldon
Let’s start with a classic. Any list of murder mystery novels has to feature a Sidney Sheldon title. The late author was a master at cooking up mysterious stories with sinister plots and revelations more dramatic than a Kardashian’s life. The book follows news anchor Dana Evans who gets involved in solving the murder of a rich American heir Gary Winthrop, the latest member of the Winthrop family to be killed. Five members before him have died in mysterious incidents. As Dana travels from the US to Russia to uncover the Winthrop family murders, she discovers secrets that land her in hot water with a mastermind who will stop at nothing to silence her. Will she be able to protect herself and her son from a web of deceit and murder?
Murder on the Orient Express by Agathe Cristie
Hercule Poirot is on vacation. Except, he is not because the train he is travelling on, the Orient Express, becomes a crime scene after an American tycoon is found stabbed several times in his compartment… though the door was locked from the inside. To add to the fear of a murderer on the loose, the train halts in its tracks due to a snowdrift. It’s up to Poirot to connect the clues and find the killer among the victim’s several enemies before they decide it’s time for strike 2. As the mystery begins to unravel, Poirot finds twisted connections with an old case and realises there may be more than what meets the eye.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Baskerville family is cursed — a demonic hound haunting Dartmoor has caused the premature death of several Baskerville heirs, the latest being Sir Charles Baskerville who was found dead on his family estate with an expression of horror twisting his featured. Holmes and Watson travel to Dartmoor to uncover the mystery around the supernatural beast and to protect the next heir, Sir Henry Baskerville. The duo begin their investigation and soon find that the secrets of the moor all seem to lead back to the Baskerville family.
Doyle successfully creates an eerie atmosphere with highly detailed descriptions and murky plot twists as the reader follows Holmes, Watson and the numerous characters in this wonderfully crafted masterpiece of mystery meets paranormal.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Five years ago, a schoolgirl Andie Bell was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh who then seems to have died by suicide. Everyone is convinced this is true. Everyone except 17-year-old Pip who thinks the killer is still at loose. Written in the format of a college report, the book follows Pip as she joins hands with Sal’s younger brother Ravi to find the truth and clear his name. With every step, they inch closer to the real killer and towards serious danger as the town’s secrets unravel like a pearl necklace. Will Pip and Ravi expose the real culprit or will the killer get to the duo first? This thrilling murder mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end, that’s for sure.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
As if murder mysteries aren’t already gripping enough, the added layer of psych thriller almost always means you’re in for a disturbing ride. Silent Patient takes you into the lives of Alicia, a famous painter and her husband Gabriel, a popular fashion photographer. Their life seems to be perfect until Alicia shoots Gabriel in the face one day and then goes radio silent. Her refusal to offer any explanation catapults this domestic crime into a grand mystery popularising Alicia and her work. As she is hidden away at a secure forensic facility, criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is brought in on her case who wants to help her and thinks can get her to break her maun vrat and reveal the reasons for her actions. The book follows Theo’s obsession with Alicia’s case as he races to solve the mystery, coming face to face with his own motivations in the process.
Another must-add author to our list of murder mystery novels is Harlan Coben. And this book was our pick for the August book of the month. It starts out simple — Maya is grieving the death of her husband, Joe, who was murdered right in front of her eyes. She’s trying to hold it all together for the sake of her 2-year-old daughter. On a perfectly routine day, she sits down to check the nanny cam footage and is shocked to see footage of her husband playing with their daughter in their house. As Maya struggles to find out if her eyes are fooling her, she unearths a dark web of mysteries that get thicker as you near the end of the novel.
A Murder On Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
Set in Bombay in 1921, Sujata Massey’s murder mystery takes you into the life of Perveen Mistry who joins her father’s company to become one of the first female lawyers of India. Perveen has to execute the will of a wealthy mill owner, Omar Farid. While analysing the paperwork, she finds that all three of his widows have signed over their inheritance to charity. Suspicious about how the widows will survive, Perveen decides to look into the matter to ensure no women or children are left vulnerable. But when things spiral out of control and escalate to murder, Perveen finds herself up against a dangerous criminal with her own life in mortal danger.
Who said corporates only make for a background for startup success stories? RV Raman’s Fraudster turns the financial sector into a setting for a gripping murder mystery. Bank employees are found murdered one after the other every time they come close to unravelling a major financial fraud. The central premise of the book isn’t a particular killer or victim, but a dubious loan scam facilitated by corrupt bank practices. A definite page-turner, this book will have you hanging onto each word till the climax.
Murder In Old Bombay by Nev March
Another book that’ll take you to the lanes of old Bombay, this one follows Captain Jim Agnihotri who is recovering in the Poona military hospital and spending his time reading stories of Sherlock Holmes. That’s when a curious case catches his attention — two women seem to have fallen to their deaths from the clocktower of the university in broad daylight. When the widower of one of the victims tells Jim that there’s no way they could’ve died by suicide, Jim approaches the family and gets hired as the investigator. Little does he know that the ominous plots and twists surrounding the family will soon wrap him in the fold of dangerous entanglements.
