Escape into the thrilling world of Christmas mystery books! Immerse yourself in captivating stories full of festive intrigue and suspense. This list ranges from short stories to novels and everything from cozy mysteries to psychological thrillers and paranormal tales. You’re bound to find something to keep you reading late at night on Christmas Eve (the Jolabokaflod tradition). Take this twisted Christmas reading challenge!
List of the Best Christmas Mystery Books for Adults
TOP 3 PICKS
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year: for fans of British cozy mysteries
The Christmas Guest: a perfectly thrilling short story
You Better Watch Out: for twists the likes of an M. Night Shamalan movie
- The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett
- A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Geir
- The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson
- Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger
- Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson
- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
- The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
- The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
- My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon
- You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth
Reviews of My Favorite Holiday Cozy Mysteries and Psychological Thriller Novels
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett
The Christmas Appeal is a one-of-a-kind novella for those looking for something mysterious, yet also quick, light, and cozy this holiday season.
Told through cringeworthy Christmas letters, behind-the-scenes emails, and tell-tale text messages, it’s a story of small-town drama amongst the Fairway Players. During their seasonal production of Jack and the Beanstalk to raise money for a new church roof comes personality conflicts, a potentially asbestos-filled beanstalk, and even a dead body.
Read this one in a night with a cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace.
A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Geir
A Castle in the Clouds is one of the coziest, most mysterious YA Christmas books to take you beyond Christmas Day as a New Year’s Eve book. It’s set at a grand old hotel in the Swiss mountains on New Year’s Eve at their famous ball.
There, hotel intern Sophie is hard at work when she finds herself in the middle of an adventure that threatens her job and her heart.
It’s an atmospheric book that’s great to pick up in the second half of December.
The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson
The Christmas Guest is a modern thriller novella that will keep you up late. An American orphan and student in London heads to the Cotswold home of her friend’s family to celebrate a cozy and charming holiday season.
But this Christmas is anything but that. She learns that a woman died a few months earlier, and her friend’s brother is suspected of foul play. A creepy stranger lurks around as they venture out on Christmas Eve. Just like that, a joyous holiday becomes life-threatening.
This novella played out like other Swanson books I’ve read—it becomes really sinister (almost too sinister) and then ends really satisfyingly. Swanson said he envisioned the reader indulging in it with a warm beverage late on Christmas Eve, and I wholeheartedly agree with this.
Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger
In Christmas Presents, Madeline, the owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop, faces her traumatic past when a true crime podcaster arrives in town just before Christmas. As he investigates the murder of her best friend and the disappearances of two other friends, dark secrets surface, raising doubts about the resulting conviction. Together with her childhood friend, Madeline must confront the truth as a blizzard hits.
This is a true psychological thriller that works for those who like the dark theme of revisiting the past in a suspenseful way.
Everyone This Christmas is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret is a fun little caper for fans of this author. Ernest is back to help his ex-wife solve a murder. This leads him backstage at the show of a famous magician, the victim’s benefactor. There, everyone is a suspect, from the magician to the assistant, hypnotist, and more. They’re all skilled in illusion, and Ernest has only a few clues.
The story unfolds as an advent calendar, so while it’s brief, you can choose to read it in even smaller bits throughout Advent. A Secret Santa exchange also keeps the plot intriguing in a festive way. You don’t “need” to have read this author before, but you will certainly enjoy it most if you have.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is a classic Christmas story in which Agatha Christie’s famed investigator is tasked with investigating a Christmas Eve murder at a family reunion. Everyone seems to have a reason to hate the deceased man.
What’s a holiday without a good old-fashioned murder? It reads exactly as you would expect a classic Christie detective mystery to read.
The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
In the short novella The Mistletoe Mystery, Molly, the maid, celebrates the season with her boyfriend Juan Manuel, but the Hotel’s Secret Santa exchange makes her suspicious of him.
The Mistletoe Mystery is a holiday treat for fans of the Molly the Maid book series. It can be read in about an hour and maintains a festive tone while moving the overarching plot along.
Note that there’s no big Hotel mystery to solve here, but it’s still a delight. Fans of Molly will love the ending!
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
In The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, rival authors Maggie and Ethan find themselves at a Christmas house party hosted by Eleanor Ashley, the famous author known as the “Duchess of Death.”
Eleanor mysteriously disappears from a locked room, and tensions begin to rise. When a snowstorm traps them in her mansion, Maggie and Ethan must cast aside their rivalry to find Eleanor. In their search for the truth, their unexpected alliance grows deeper.
This book is described as Knives Out mixed with a romantic comedy, and I couldn’t agree more! The story unfolds like a game of Clue, and the blend of holiday romance and cozy mystery is just right. It’s Christmas theme is never too cheesy or too dark. It’s not super spicy; there’s also some suspense to keep you turning the pages on a blustery night.
My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon
In My Darling Girl, Alison dislikes Christmas. She faces a dilemma when her estranged mother, Mavis, who has terminal cancer, wants to stay with her family this holiday season.
Despite suffering from years of Mavis’s alcoholism and abuse, Alison hopes for healing at this time in their relationship. However, disturbing and paranormal events occur after Mavis’s arrival, making Alison question her mother’s true nature.
As Alison’s holiday dreams become a nightmare, she must protect her family.
This book took my breath away! It was dark and creepy, and the supernatural aspects worked well in the plot. The suspenseful twists keep you turning the pages, too.
You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth
You Better Watch Out begins days before Christmas when a group of strangers is kidnapped and left in a fake town eerily decked out for the holidays. They soon realize they share criminal pasts. There are traps, and they begin to die one by one. So, as the Christmas song goes, they “better watch out.”
This was such a great holiday murder mystery! The killer and motives offer a major twist you won’t see coming, and the vibes are eerie, spooky, and ominous throughout. This is a “fun” horror story that doesn’t take itself too seriously and carries the aesthetic of fall into the holiday season for fans of slashers.
Recap of the Best Christmas Crime Fiction
TOP 3 PICKS
Get started with the best Christmas mystery books and thrillers:
- The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year: for fans of British cozy mysteries
- The Christmas Guest: a perfectly thrilling short story
- You Better Watch Out: for twists the likes of an M. Night Shamalan movie
Related Christmas Book Posts
- Best Christmas Books for Adults
- Best Christmas Books for Kids
- New Christmas Books to Read
- Famous Christmas Stories
- Christmas Books for Book Clubs
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
