9 Genre-defying Mystery Books

The Gothic horror and mystery genres have often crossed over, but Mexican Gothic puts a new and interesting spin on these old literary companions. Glamorous socialite Noemí Taboada travels to the rural Mexican countryside after becoming worried about the safety of her newly married cousin. When she arrives at the old, crumbling mansion High Place, Noemí realises that there is something mysterious and dangerous going on under the surface of her cousin’s new family. But as she digs deeper, she discovers more sinister goings-on than she could ever have imagined.

If you like Lovecraftian cosmic horror with none of the racism and a healthy dash of noir aesthetics, Hammers on Bone is the mystery novel for you. This short, creepy story follows John Persons, a gumshoe who also happens to be a monster — but this is fortunate for his current job, as he has been employed by a young boy who wants him to take down his abusive stepfather, who may also have some supernatural traits of his own. Khaw’s mystery is tense and compelling and puts a unique spin on the genre.

A fantasy rather than horror twist on the noir genre, Magic for Liars is a mystery with a magical edge. Ivy Gamble has turned her back on her magical heritage in favour of solving mysteries but is forced back into contact with her estranged sister Tabitha, a professor at a highly-regarded magical academy. A member of Tabitha’s teaching staff has been murdered, and Ivy is the only one Tabitha trusts to solve the crime.

A Sherlock Holmes-inspired story set on Jupiter, The Mimicking of Known Successes combines the sci-fi and mystery genres in a unique, compelling tale. Investigator Mossa travels to our solar system’s largest planet to find a missing man, and when the trail leads her to Jupiter’s acclaimed university, she finds herself back in touch with her old girlfriend, who may be key to unravelling the mystery.

The sci-fi equivalent of a locked-room mystery, Deep Sky is the story of the inhabitants of The Phoenix, a generation ship containing 80 elite crew members. As their mission into deep space begins, three of the crew are murdered by a bomb, which also causes damage that sends the ship off-course. Asuka is the only survivor of the attack, but unfortunately, this makes her the prime suspect — she must clear her name, stop the crew from falling apart, and try to find the real culprit before another bomb can be detonated.

The Family Chao is a murder mystery story that’s also a generational tale, set in a small-town Chinese restaurant run by the titular Chao family. The family has been part of the town of Haven for years, but the townsfolk become suspicious of the Chaos after the death — and possible murder — of family head Leo Chao. The surviving sons have to work out who killed him before their neighbours lose all trust in them.

Twelve years ago, Jessica Ramirez’s sister Ruthy went missing, shattering her family. When Jessica sees a woman on a reality TV show who she is convinced is Ruthy, she, her younger sister, and their mother decide to go on a road trip to the show’s location to determine once and for all whether Ruthy is still alive.

Jasper Fforde is best known for his metafictional Thursday Next series, but if you love potboiler noirs with a comic twist, his Nursery Crime books are well worth a read. The Big Over Easy is the first in the series featuring Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his second-in-command, Mary Mary, who must solve the case of who killed Humpty Dumpty.