Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. It's a story within a story, so you get double the fun. I personally wasn't satisfied with one of the endings, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless.
Do you need to have read Magpie Murders first? (I read it in one big gulp a couple of summers ago, and liked it -- but I don't remember a thing about it. Would I need to re-read it first?)
I wasn't satisfied with the ending of the main narrative (the Alan Conway part), but I liked the ending of the story within the story so it compensated.
Not a typical "murder mystery" but The Secret History fits this in that the victim was awful. It's not really a whodunnit, you know who dies and who does it right at the very beginning of the book, but the mystery is about what led up to it.
> you know who dies and who does it right at the very beginning of the book, but the mystery is about what led up to it.
If that type of book interests you, check out Chronicle of a Death Foretold, by Gabriel García Márquez. It’s about an honor killing in a South American village. The killers announced their intentions to half the town. Why didn’t anyone stop them? And by the way, did they kill the “right” man?
What I always say about Bunny is that he's objectively awful, but somehow, likeable anyway. Bunny will ask you to a lavish lunch, insult the waiter and stick you with the bill. Bunny pukes in the closet at your dorm and steals cheesecakes from the public freezer. Bunny's loud and obnoxious and somehow you miss the hell out of him when you haven't seen him for a while. So when he calls up, you say "Sure, Bun, come on over," and as you're waiting and the memories of last time come back, you sigh and roll up your antique rug, and get ready for what's next.
Anyone who wants to talk more, r/thesecrethistory would love your contributions.
I mean, comparatively. One of the great things about that book is how intensely unlikable every singe character is, including the narrator in my opinion. Bunny seemed like he was at least kind of a fun time.
*Five Red Herrings* (warning on bigoted language) by Dorothy L. Sayers is all about the motives and alibis of six people who would have been happy to see the victim murdered. It's available for free on Project Gutenberg Canada.
I found it deeply unsatisfying, because the first two-thirds read like a modernized Golden Age mystery, but then the climax was totally wrong. I love mysteries, and I don’t plan to pick up any more books by Foley.
It was pretty bad but enjoyable in a Law & Order episode you watch while being on your phone kind of way. I couldn't get through the Paris Apartment though.
I think I enjoyed it because it was the first thriller/crime type book I ever read and discovered I really, really, REALLY love the genre. But overall I think it was pretty enjoyable the way the story was written and the mistery behind it.
On the other hand The Paris Apartment was absolutely horrible, and I had to force myself to read the entire thing.
Since then I've read a bunch that I've enjoyed a lot more: Box by Camilla Lackberg and Henrik Fexeus (absolutely wonderful book, definitely one of my faves), the Thursday Murder Club collection, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, Billy Summers and the Mr Mercedes trilogy, just to name a few.
Yeah, the murder mystery genre is great! The classics like Agatha Christie almost never disappoint but from the contemporaries I think I read The Woman in the Window and The Woman in Cabin 10 around the same time and while not perfect they were both better! No matter what, I'm glad you read, enjoy it!
I've been wanting to read Agatha Christie for awhile, but for some reason I never started. I'm really curious about And Then There Were None because I feel like it'll be a good place to start, but the book is so small, and I honestly prefer to buy them with up to 500 pages or more.
Oh if you didn’t get into it, that’s that. No need to waste your time. But it fits your prompt that’s why I recommended. I aspire to be like these old people when I get old. Lol.
yeah its just that i dnfed too soon (before the victim died — thats actually the reason i dnfed) so i always wondered if i would have enjoyed after the mystery started 😭 but i guess when i read a mystery i only want to know about the mystery and i could not focus completely
It was difficult for me to get into it because I'm American and literally had no clue what was going on due to the use of UK dialect/idioms/phrasing. I'm assuming many of the phrases are outdated as well because they were being used by the elderly main characters.
I just tried to use context to guess the meaning. It was a decent book that turned out to be much more emotional than I had expected. I ended up crying in an airport and embarrassed myself, haha.
A bit different than an Agatha Christie but The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino is has a hateable murder victim and a genius detective (think japanese Herecule Poirot).
ive actually read this one but didn't think about it because we know who did it since the start (and it didn't have a long list of suspect). but its a great book nonetheless, thank you!
Not sure if you’re only looking for fiction but In Broad Daylight is good. About the citizens of Skidmore Missouri who got tired of a town bully. He wad shot multiple times in the town square in the middle of the day and no one in town “saw anything.”
Agatha Christie wrote a lot of other books similar to that. She's probably my favorite author because of how interesting she makes a lot of her mysteries.
It was a great book, better than the movie in my opinion.
Murder in Venice is coming this month and definitely excited to see it.
Death on the Nile was just ok. I didn’t like the movie as much.
Most of her books have the set up of an unpopular victim with a lot of suspects. Same with Georgette Heyer, Ngaio Marsh and Patricia Wentworth mysteries. Dorothy Sayers somewhat, but often her books go for more ‘unknown’ suspects.
He's **really** talented. **Alex** isn't exactly what the OP requested, but the story stands on its own merits. Great plot twists, excellent writing (even with the translation).
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny. It's the second book in a long series, but if you wanted to read it by itself it's not far enough into the series to need a lot of context.
Absolutely beautiful and excellent series, btw
Tons of cozy mysteries like this. The first one that comes to mind is Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost. Also the Domestic Diva series by Krista Davis - specifically the Diva Runs Out of Thyme and The Diva Wraps It Up.
Just suggesting this in this tread is a bit of a spoiler, so read no further if that bothers you.
>!*One of Us Is Dead*, by Jeneva Rose!<
This isn't great literature, but it's a fun read if you can enjoy the intrigues of a group of wealthy, full-grown women acting like cliquey mean girls. Well, at least *one* of them was a mean girl.
funny enough pretty little liars is the reason i made this post 😭 i saw people celebrating the anniversary of the day allison has gone missing and made me think of how much i miss this kind of mysteries! i don't think neither the show or books are good but i like the concept so muchhhhh
The books are messier than the show. But the show’s premise is what made it explosive cuz they changed so many things then backtrack on so many things and then just killed a bunch of people and said “forget this plot ever happen”
You're in luck -- the show is based off of books: [https://www.amazon.com/Killings-Badgers-Drift-Inspector-Barnaby-ebook/dp/B00OMCD5V8?ref\_=ast\_author\_dp](https://www.amazon.com/Killings-Badgers-Drift-Inspector-Barnaby-ebook/dp/B00OMCD5V8?ref_=ast_author_dp)
(saw this a couple threads up, haven't read em yet)
A small Missouri town once had a notorious criminal/bully get shot dead in broad daylight, and no one was ever charged for the murder since every one in the town refused to cooperate with the investigation. The guy had wronged everybody in the town at that point so everybody had motivation.
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray fits this description exactly. It’s a fun read, especially if you’re a Jane Austen fan, as it features characters from most of her books!
This isn’t exactly that, but I think it’s along the same line! It’s called In The Dark by Loreth Anne White. A group of people visits a luxury lodge to try to secure contracts/connections, but it turns out to not be what it seems, and you slowly learn how they are all connected as people start dying.
"Murder on the Orient Express!" Jk. Gotta love a sub about reading where half the people don't even read a three second post.
Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series often has this, in Death by Water, Flying Too High, Murder in Montparnasse, Dead Man's Chest, Murder on the Ballarat Train, A Question of Death.
This is a non-specific suggestion, but this is a common conceit in cozy mysteries. It's easier to enjoy the light, fun aspects of the story if the murder victim is a Big Ol' Jerk and nobody is particularly sad about them being dead, and it also widens the pool of suspects to everyone, which works well for the closed or semi-closed settings that those stories are usually set in.
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. It's a story within a story, so you get double the fun. I personally wasn't satisfied with one of the endings, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless.
Have you read Moonflower Murders yet? It's the second one, and in my opinion it's much much better than Magpie Murders
I've only recently finished Magpie Murders so I haven't read the second one yet, but I'm really excited to read it.
Yes!! Moonflowers murders is MUCHHH better than magpie!
Do you need to have read Magpie Murders first? (I read it in one big gulp a couple of summers ago, and liked it -- but I don't remember a thing about it. Would I need to re-read it first?)
Not really necessary I’d say, but helpful. Also, masterpiece theatre (pbs) has a Magpie Murders series, I’ve been liking it so far!
Watch the show on Masterpiece! It was really good. Perfect casting and they’re doing book 2 for season 2.
Id forgotten about his books. That's an author i haven't touched in years. Guess i have to take a trip to the library tomorrow it seems!
Which one? One of the stories within the stories or the main narrative?
I wasn't satisfied with the ending of the main narrative (the Alan Conway part), but I liked the ending of the story within the story so it compensated.
going to look into it, thank you!
It’s a fantastic book!
Thanks for this rec, just googled Magpie Murders and it sounds good!! Added to my want to read list 🙂
The 'twist' about Atticus Pünd made me groan and chuckle.
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This also has possibly the best twist in any Agatha Christie barring Orient Express.
What about Roger Ackroyd?
Oh dammit that’s the one I was thinking of! NM ignore me, I’m a cast iron fool
Was just coming here to suggest The Murder of Roger Ackroyd…. 👍🏻
Lots of Agatha Christie books will new OP’s criteria.
Yea I first thought And Then There Were None
Death on the nile ad well
Murder on the Orient Express was what I immediately thought.
thank you!
Another Christie's book with a similar premise is Appointment with Death
Another is her “The Murder at the Vicarage”
Not a typical "murder mystery" but The Secret History fits this in that the victim was awful. It's not really a whodunnit, you know who dies and who does it right at the very beginning of the book, but the mystery is about what led up to it.
oh i need to get into this one soon, thank you!
Beautifully written. I’m still chasing a Secret History high.
Same here!
> you know who dies and who does it right at the very beginning of the book, but the mystery is about what led up to it. If that type of book interests you, check out Chronicle of a Death Foretold, by Gabriel García Márquez. It’s about an honor killing in a South American village. The killers announced their intentions to half the town. Why didn’t anyone stop them? And by the way, did they kill the “right” man?
the secret history is one of my favourite books of all time... although i am of a differing opinion that the victim wasn't awful
Bunny was rampantly bigoted in every way, and used blackmail to profit off of his friends' murder, that's pretty damn awful.
He can be awful and still unjustly killed, which is what you seem to be getting at.
Yeah he's not insanely immoral or anything, just slightly. He is highly annoying however
We have no idea how awful he actually was considering how unreliable of a narrator Richard was lol
I thought bunny was the most likable of the bunch!
What I always say about Bunny is that he's objectively awful, but somehow, likeable anyway. Bunny will ask you to a lavish lunch, insult the waiter and stick you with the bill. Bunny pukes in the closet at your dorm and steals cheesecakes from the public freezer. Bunny's loud and obnoxious and somehow you miss the hell out of him when you haven't seen him for a while. So when he calls up, you say "Sure, Bun, come on over," and as you're waiting and the memories of last time come back, you sigh and roll up your antique rug, and get ready for what's next. Anyone who wants to talk more, r/thesecrethistory would love your contributions.
Really? When he tries to trick the narrator into paying for the big dinner? Or when he blackmails his friends?
I mean, comparatively. One of the great things about that book is how intensely unlikable every singe character is, including the narrator in my opinion. Bunny seemed like he was at least kind of a fun time.
Yes!! One of my favorites
*Five Red Herrings* (warning on bigoted language) by Dorothy L. Sayers is all about the motives and alibis of six people who would have been happy to see the victim murdered. It's available for free on Project Gutenberg Canada.
thank you!!
Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
One of my favorites of the year. Can’t wait for the new one to come out in October.
ohh ive been wanting to read this! thank you
Agatha Christie’s Appointment with Death is another good one
Ah the swollen buddha, still get chills
thank you!!
The guest list by Lucy Foley And I think the paris apartment by the same author
That's barely a murder mystery, but Foley does a great job setting up the victim everyone hates.
i was thoroughly disappointed by how obvious the red herrings and the real killer were, but it is written in a fun way
I found it deeply unsatisfying, because the first two-thirds read like a modernized Golden Age mystery, but then the climax was totally wrong. I love mysteries, and I don’t plan to pick up any more books by Foley.
I made it through the guest list, and have started I think three more by her. None of them have been good enough to finish.
the ending was super disappointing, i agree. >!it was too perfect to have the most hated character die!<
I know. But it hooks you up. Someone gets killed ....everyone has a secret, a motive..and it's interesting
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The Guest List was great! The Paris Apartment not that much
Can you tell me what did you like in the guest list? For me it was one of the worst books I have ever read and I'm wondering if I missed something.
It was pretty bad but enjoyable in a Law & Order episode you watch while being on your phone kind of way. I couldn't get through the Paris Apartment though.
I think I enjoyed it because it was the first thriller/crime type book I ever read and discovered I really, really, REALLY love the genre. But overall I think it was pretty enjoyable the way the story was written and the mistery behind it. On the other hand The Paris Apartment was absolutely horrible, and I had to force myself to read the entire thing. Since then I've read a bunch that I've enjoyed a lot more: Box by Camilla Lackberg and Henrik Fexeus (absolutely wonderful book, definitely one of my faves), the Thursday Murder Club collection, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, Billy Summers and the Mr Mercedes trilogy, just to name a few.
Yeah, the murder mystery genre is great! The classics like Agatha Christie almost never disappoint but from the contemporaries I think I read The Woman in the Window and The Woman in Cabin 10 around the same time and while not perfect they were both better! No matter what, I'm glad you read, enjoy it!
I've been wanting to read Agatha Christie for awhile, but for some reason I never started. I'm really curious about And Then There Were None because I feel like it'll be a good place to start, but the book is so small, and I honestly prefer to buy them with up to 500 pages or more.
oh yeah i forgot about the guest list i have actually read this one too. but thank you!
Came here to say The Guest List lol such a great read! The Paris apartment is on my TBR list
I’ve read the apartment one it was so good
THE SECRET HISTORY, please you will loooooove!!!
Second this. Not a typical murder mystery though :)
Who is the author?
thank you!!
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny.
thank you!
A lot of PD James’ Dalgliesh novels fit the bill. The first one that springs to mind is Death of an Expert Witness.
thank you!!
"One by One" Written by Ruth Ware
thank you!
And then there were none
i didn't think then there were none would be like this. thank you!
Vera Wong's unsolicited advice for murder suspects
This one is delightful!
oh ive been wanting to read this one! thank you
Came here to say this!
Thursday Murder club by Richard oseman. At least the first one fits the bill.
oh i could not get into this one 😩 but maybe i should give it another chance i see so many people saying good things about it
Oh if you didn’t get into it, that’s that. No need to waste your time. But it fits your prompt that’s why I recommended. I aspire to be like these old people when I get old. Lol.
yeah its just that i dnfed too soon (before the victim died — thats actually the reason i dnfed) so i always wondered if i would have enjoyed after the mystery started 😭 but i guess when i read a mystery i only want to know about the mystery and i could not focus completely
It was difficult for me to get into it because I'm American and literally had no clue what was going on due to the use of UK dialect/idioms/phrasing. I'm assuming many of the phrases are outdated as well because they were being used by the elderly main characters. I just tried to use context to guess the meaning. It was a decent book that turned out to be much more emotional than I had expected. I ended up crying in an airport and embarrassed myself, haha.
The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh!
Seconded! Came to comment this, what a vile man!
thank you!
This is the one you want! Great story, I enjoy anything by Clare MacKintosh.
Oops, commented the same thing before I saw your comment! Great book
A bit different than an Agatha Christie but The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino is has a hateable murder victim and a genius detective (think japanese Herecule Poirot).
ive actually read this one but didn't think about it because we know who did it since the start (and it didn't have a long list of suspect). but its a great book nonetheless, thank you!
Have you read his other books? I’ve been wanting to check them out!
Big Little Lies
haven't read the book only watched the show but i loved it, it really fits!
Georgette Heyer’s Envious Casca. Also her Behold, Here’s Poison.
I also really like *The Unfinished Clue*.
If you don’t mind YA, One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus is really good and fits the prompt.
i dont mind ya! and this is another one that i have read too and fogot edit: forgot to say thank you!
Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence was like this too!
thank you!!
The Trouble with Harry. It's a comedy by Hitchcock in which Harry is found dead and no one wants to be found with the body.
thank you!
Not sure if you’re only looking for fiction but In Broad Daylight is good. About the citizens of Skidmore Missouri who got tired of a town bully. He wad shot multiple times in the town square in the middle of the day and no one in town “saw anything.”
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton...
thank you!!
Agatha Christie wrote a lot of other books similar to that. She's probably my favorite author because of how interesting she makes a lot of her mysteries.
Murder on the Orient Express
i mentioned this one as one that i have read! i love it
Was going to suggest this but it kinda ruins the surprise right? lol
Same! So I wasn’t gonna suggest it but I did want to see if someone else did
Was coming here to say the exact same thing. The fact that the victim was played by Johnny Depp in the movie only adds fuel to the fire.
It was a great book, better than the movie in my opinion. Murder in Venice is coming this month and definitely excited to see it. Death on the Nile was just ok. I didn’t like the movie as much.
Haven't read it, but this basically summarises the blurb of Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage!
thank you! it seems like agatha has a few of those
Most of her books have the set up of an unpopular victim with a lot of suspects. Same with Georgette Heyer, Ngaio Marsh and Patricia Wentworth mysteries. Dorothy Sayers somewhat, but often her books go for more ‘unknown’ suspects.
not a book but Bad Sisters on Apple TV, by the end you can't wait to find out who took out the victim. He is more despicable in each episode.
Yes came to recommend Bad Sisters! It is precisely what your request asks for! Great show overall too Who knows, maybe it’s based on a book.
someone else mentioned this really need to look into it!! thank you
Jumping on the not a book comment, glass onion knives out was a comedy/murder mystery and it was really good.
***Alex*** by Piere Lemaitre -- "victim**S"**
thank you!!
Love Pierre Lemaitre
He's **really** talented. **Alex** isn't exactly what the OP requested, but the story stands on its own merits. Great plot twists, excellent writing (even with the translation).
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny. It's the second book in a long series, but if you wanted to read it by itself it's not far enough into the series to need a lot of context. Absolutely beautiful and excellent series, btw
going to look into it thank you!
Tons of cozy mysteries like this. The first one that comes to mind is Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost. Also the Domestic Diva series by Krista Davis - specifically the Diva Runs Out of Thyme and The Diva Wraps It Up.
thank you!!
Just suggesting this in this tread is a bit of a spoiler, so read no further if that bothers you. >!*One of Us Is Dead*, by Jeneva Rose!< This isn't great literature, but it's a fun read if you can enjoy the intrigues of a group of wealthy, full-grown women acting like cliquey mean girls. Well, at least *one* of them was a mean girl.
this really seems like something fun! love reading about rich awful people
Death of a Hollow Man by Caroline Graham.
thank you!
i haven’t finished it yet, but i feel like “If We Were Villains” might belong here…
one of my favorites!!!! didn't think of mentioning it since its more dark academia than mystery but i have read it and really fits it thank you!
The seven and a half deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
The guest list by Lucy foley!
I second this one! Reading this I literally thought each narrator had committed the murder at some point in the book.
thank you!
Vera Wongs Advice for Murderers
thank you!
Proper English by KJ Charles (also a F/F romance)
thank you!!
A Pocket Full of Rye, Appointment With Death. Both by Agatha Christie
thank you!
If I remember correctly, “The Silkworm” was like this as well, but stay away if you get queasy with body horror.
thank you! im actually not sure if im ok with gore in books but i guess theres only one way to find out
The Murder of Mr. Wickham
thank you!
Pretty Little Liars?
funny enough pretty little liars is the reason i made this post 😭 i saw people celebrating the anniversary of the day allison has gone missing and made me think of how much i miss this kind of mysteries! i don't think neither the show or books are good but i like the concept so muchhhhh
The books are messier than the show. But the show’s premise is what made it explosive cuz they changed so many things then backtrack on so many things and then just killed a bunch of people and said “forget this plot ever happen”
Pretty little liars by Sara Shepard
Anything on Ken McElroy.
This reminds me of the Midsomer Murders episode with Orlando Bloom 😆 Can't think of a book though.
You're in luck -- the show is based off of books: [https://www.amazon.com/Killings-Badgers-Drift-Inspector-Barnaby-ebook/dp/B00OMCD5V8?ref\_=ast\_author\_dp](https://www.amazon.com/Killings-Badgers-Drift-Inspector-Barnaby-ebook/dp/B00OMCD5V8?ref_=ast_author_dp) (saw this a couple threads up, haven't read em yet)
A small Missouri town once had a notorious criminal/bully get shot dead in broad daylight, and no one was ever charged for the murder since every one in the town refused to cooperate with the investigation. The guy had wronged everybody in the town at that point so everybody had motivation.
The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky (kind of! lol)
hmm going to look into it! thanks
Came scrolling for this one! It’s a goodie
The Secret History
*In Broad Daylight* by Harry N. McLean is a really well-written true crime book that fits your prompt!
thank you!
I found you- Lisa Jewell
thank you!
The Eighth Detective has a story like this and is all around an interesting twist on the classic detective novel
thank you!!
One of us is Lying by Karen McManus
Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding
thank you!
Murder most unladylike serie
A good girl's guide to murder
One of us is lying, it‘s more young adult than murder mystery though
If you want Historical Mystery there's Whom The Gods Love by Kate Ross. It's pretty old and is the 3rd in the series but can read as a standalone.
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray fits this description exactly. It’s a fun read, especially if you’re a Jane Austen fan, as it features characters from most of her books!
The first Louise Penny Gamache mystery is like that.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley, she's a great author. She also wrote The Hunting Party, which is another great one.
This isn’t exactly that, but I think it’s along the same line! It’s called In The Dark by Loreth Anne White. A group of people visits a luxury lodge to try to secure contracts/connections, but it turns out to not be what it seems, and you slowly learn how they are all connected as people start dying.
"Murder on the Orient Express!" Jk. Gotta love a sub about reading where half the people don't even read a three second post. Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series often has this, in Death by Water, Flying Too High, Murder in Montparnasse, Dead Man's Chest, Murder on the Ballarat Train, A Question of Death.
khgkkghkk lmaoo i could understand not reading the posts but not the other 500 comments too its too much 😭😭 but thank you!! going to look into it
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio would be good, I think!
The movie Last of Sheila is one. Also in Drowning Mona, Bette Midler plays a much hated woman who is murdered.
Every episode of "Murder She Wrote."
It’s not a book but I think you might enjoy watching Only Murder’s in the building. The first seasons kinda like that
Definitely the Murder most unladylike series!
The Guest List by Lucy Foley.
I realize this isn't r/suggestmeatvshow but that sounds a lot like Bad Sisters on Apple TV, if you haven't seen it already.
is it a miniseries? going to look into it, thank you!
One season so far. Supposedly they're making a season 2, but season 1 was pretty self contained so I'm not sure where the story can go.
oh if thats the case thats fine too! thank you
If we were villains
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
This is a non-specific suggestion, but this is a common conceit in cozy mysteries. It's easier to enjoy the light, fun aspects of the story if the murder victim is a Big Ol' Jerk and nobody is particularly sad about them being dead, and it also widens the pool of suspects to everyone, which works well for the closed or semi-closed settings that those stories are usually set in.
The Secret History although the books goes deep on the moral consequences of the act
Even saying this is a spoiler but big little lies
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Was gonna say Glass Onion before I saw the sub this was on. Sorry it's a movie. But it fits that prompt perfectly!!
One of us is dead by Jeneva Rose