Do you love immersive world building? Clever twists? Page-turning whodunits? Then you are in the right place.
The best fantasy mystery books offer the perfect blend of spellbinding worlds, unforgettable characters and suspenseful investigations – stories that keep you guessing until the last page.
Our fantasy mystery reading list shares some of the best stories in the genre, from epic fantasy with a murder mystery at its heart, stories inspired by Holmes and Watson and locked-room mysteries. Are you ready to get on the case?
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
If you’re looking for genre-blending, fantasy fiction with a burning murder mystery at its heart – make your stake for a monastery in Antonia Hodgson’s The Eternal Path trilogy!
Win the throne or destroy an empire. Either way, it begins with murder.
After twenty-four years, the Emperor of Orrun's reign is at an end. In the dizzying heat of mid-summer, seven exceptional warriors, trained at rival monasteries, will compete to replace him.
Then one of them is murdered.
It falls to the brilliant but idiosyncratic scholar Neema Kraa to investigate. But as she hunts for a killer, darker forces are gathering . . .
If you love rivalry, glory, or ruthless ambition – there’s a good chance this is perfect read for you. Don't miss out on our signed hardback edition.
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The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Do you want mystery of epic proportions, with only one brilliant detective to solve it? Consider Ana Din’s clever, twisty and enrapturing fantasy series!
In an opulent mansion at the borders of the Empire, an Imperial officer lies dead – killed when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even here, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it's a death at once terrifying and impossible.
Called in to solve the crime is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricity. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory.
Soon, the mystery leads to a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself. For Ana, all this makes for a deliciously thorny puzzle – at last, something to truly hold her attention. And Din? He'll just have to hold on for the ride.
If the thought of tearing down corruption, money and deception calls to you – join Ana and Din as they begin their descent into the Empire’s latest scandals.
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Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
The worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in this thrillingly original historical fantasy – in Belle Époque Paris, a monster is murdering powerful men. Stopping it may be a woman's job.
When the Gendarmes ask the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena for help, they don't expect them to send Samantha Harker.
She's a researcher, more used to papercuts than knife fights. Sam is also the daughter of Dracula's killer and can see into the minds of monsters. It's a perilous power, one that could help her crack this case – or have her thrown into an asylum.
Dr Helena Moriarty is Sam's reluctant partner, the Society's finest agent who has forged a formidable path in her notorious father's shadow. Professor Moriarty is in hiding, but he still makes his presence known: Hel's partners have a way of dying in mysterious circumstances.
From Paris's glittering opera house to its darkest catacombs, the investigation pits Sam and Hel against magic, monsters and men. And beneath their tenuous partnership, something else is growing . . .
But is trusting Hel the key to solving the murders? Or is Sam just another pawn in a Moriarty game?
Strange Beasts is a twisty puzzle box of a historical fantasy ─ perfect for fans of Genevieve Cogman, Freya Marske and Gail Carriger.
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Circle of Shadows by Marisa Linton
Enter into a suspenseful, gothic historical fantasy from Marisa Linton, following a young woman hell-bent on investigating her father's death.
It's 1904, and being a detective – let alone an occult detective – is no profession for a woman. But that won't stop Evie Winstanley.
When her father, a collector of occult books, dies in strange circumstances, Evie is determined to investigate. Her only lead: a cryptic mention of the 'Circle of Shadows.' From a chilling séance on the lonely Yorkshire moors to the sinister, hedonistic halls of Oxford's elite, Evie hunts for answers, stalked by whispers of an ancient monster and an ever-shifting, ominous symbol.
But when a young woman's body surfaces in the Cherwell, bearing that same mark, Evie uncovers a truth far more terrifying than a single murder. Now, Evie isn't just seeking justice; she's fighting to save her sister, in a dark and twisted adventure where gilded boys unleash hell and defiant women must pick up the pieces. Nothing will stop her investigation, not outraging Edwardian notions of female propriety, and certainly not offers of romance.
Blending historical fantasy with Golden Age classic crime, Circle of Shadows is a dark and twisty adventure through an occult Edwardian England where wealthy boys toy with powers they don't understand, and a lone woman takes a stand against them. Perfect for fans of perilous magic and the occult and readers of Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Leigh Bardugo.
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Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
Loved watching The Grand Budapest Hotel? Dreaming of life in space? Indulge in Grace Curtis’s cosy science fiction masterpiece!
Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. Year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury – and a magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as:
Why are there love poems in the lobby intray?
How many Imperial spies are currently on board?
What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver's conference?
And perhaps most pertinently – who is driving the ship?
At the centre of these mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It's the love of his life and the only place he's ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl's comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?
If you love stories of hopeful misfits, found family, and rebellious attitudes – this one’s for you! Perfect for fans of Becky Chambers, Martha Wells and Aliette de Bodard.
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The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers
If you want a book about books – a book about secret societies, rival booksellers and unlikely partnerships, delve into Georgia Summers’s sweeping fantasy escape, The Bookshop Below.
If you want a story that will change your life, Chiron's bookshop is where you go. For those lucky enough to grace its doors, it's a glimpse into a world of deadly bargains and powerful, magical books.
For Cassandra Fairfax, it's a reminder of everything she lost, when Chiron kicked her out and all but shuttered the shop. Since then, she's used her skills in less . . . ethical ways, trading stolen books and magical readings to wealthy playboys looking for power money can't buy.
Then Chiron dies. And if Cassandra knows anything, it's this: the bookshop must always have an owner.
To restore the shop, she'll need the help of Lowell Sharpe, a rival bookseller who is everything Cassandra is not – and knows it, too. But as she is plunged into a world of unscrupulous collectors, deadly ink magic and shady societies, a dark force threatens to unravel the bookshops entirely . . .
Meet the dark underworld of unscrupulous collectors and deadly ink magic, and unrivalled ambition from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The City of Stardust. Don't miss out on our signed edition hardback.
