Books
New locked room mysteries that keep you guessing
If you’re a crime fiction fan, there are few things more satisfying than trying to figure out the solution to a locked room mystery. Whether it’s a murder that takes place behind a literal closed door or more of a metaphorical locked room (like an island cut off from the mainland), they all have the same thing in common: a seemingly impossible crime has been committed. As well as puzzling whodunit, the fun is also in working out howdunit.
The best locked room mysteries are based in reality. A supernatural solution or something outlandish like an orangutan climbing in through a fourth-floor window to commit the crime (this really is the plot of The Murders in the Rue Morgue!) isn’t satisfying; solving the case should rely on smart thinking from both the detective and the reader.
If you’re looking for a fiendish puzzle that will keep you (second-)guessing right until the very last page, we recommend the following seemingly impossible-to-solve locked room mysteries.
10 best locked room mysteries for 2025
Death in the Arctic by Tom Hindle
Death In The Artic by Tom Hindle
This smart and stylish mystery is set in a unique location: onboard an airship! When aspiring travel writer Chloé Campbell is invited on a luxury trip to the North Pole, she thinks she’s finally made it – but within hours, a fellow passenger is found dead in their cabin and everyone on board is a suspect. Clever plotting and a satisfying ending make this a must-read.
The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha
The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha
The wealthy Agarwals are gathered for a family reunion on a luxury private island off the west coast of Scotland. Once gathered, family patriarch Raj plans to choose how to split his petrochemicals empire between his three children – but with a family this dysfunctional, bitter secrets, betrayals and back-stabbing come bubbling to the surface and the weekend ends in murder. The TV rights have recently been bought for this book, and we can’t wait to see it on the screen.
The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery
The Murder At World’s End by Ross Montgomery
Award-winning children’s author Ross Montgomery has created pure entertainment with his first book for adults. The Viscount of Tithe Hall is convinced the end of the world is coming and instructs staff to seal him into his study overnight. When he’s found dead the next morning with the door still locked, a couple of unlikely sleuths race to solve the case: under-butler Steven and his employer, the potty-mouth octogenarian Lady Decima.
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jonasson
When bestselling crime author Elín S. Jónsdóttir disappears one icy evening in a small town in Iceland, it’s up to young police officer Helgi to track her down. Cleverley told through multiple timelines, it’s up to the reader to piece together clues as to what happened to the famous writer. Fans of Golden Age detective novels will love that Helgi consults his library of crime fiction to help him solve the mystery.
You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
This fresh spin on the locked-room murder mystery sees six thriller authors lured to a private island for an exclusive writing retreat. Yet, when they arrive, their mysterious host J R Alastor is nowhere to be seen, and it’s not long before the first body is found. With multiple perspectives and clues carefully revealed on every page, this is one that will give the little grey cells a good workout.
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Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
This clever take on the book-within-a-book idea has Agatha Christie vibes (including an homage to the classic locked room mystery And Then There Were None). Grant McAllister, an author of crime fiction and professor of mathematics, writes a book stating that all murder mysteries follow a set of rules, then promptly retires to an isolated island. Thirty years later, a young editor tracks him down so she can republish his stories but, as she goes through them, she realises they hold clues to a real murder….
This Is Not a Game by Kelly Mullen
This Is Not A Game by Kelly Mullen
The unlikely sleuths in this witty murder mystery are 77-year-old Mimi and her grand-daughter Addie. When the hostess is killed at a fancy cocktail party they are attending, the pair race to find the killer before another murder is committed. The sudden snowstorm trapping everyone in the house adds to the claustrophobic (yet surprisingly cosy) atmosphere. Fans of classic Golden Age crime novels will love this, especially the unmasking of the killer – a bit of detective work even Poirot would be proud of.
I Did Warn Her by Sian Gilbert
I Did Warn Her by Sian Gilbert
Sasha gets a dream job on luxury yacht ‘The Ophelia’ and jumps at the chance to escape from her past. But when she turns up for work, she finds her co-workers all look like her – in fact, they are her exact replicas. That’s just the beginning of Sasha’s nightmare, as one by one the stewardesses are murdered… In this propulsive thriller, every character has a secret and is a suspect.
The Escape Room by L D Smithson
The Escape Room by LD Smithson
Fans of The Traitors and other reality shows that pit contestants against each other will love this ingenious thriller set on a remote sea fort off the coast of England. After her sister breaks her leg, Bonnie steps in to take her place on The Fortress TV programme where those taking part must solve a series of puzzles to stay in the show – but the game soon becomes deadly. This is a twisty, addictive thriller – and the clever, escape room-style puzzles that form part of the plot are particularly fun to solve.
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