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For a long time, I was just an occasional mystery and thriller reader. During the rare times that the mood struck me, I’d pick up a John Grisham legal thriller or, as a kid, a Boxcar Children novel. But about a decade ago, I started working in bookish online spaces and realized that there was a whole world of mysteries and thrillers out there just waiting for me to discover it.
It’s been a long time since my early days of discovering mysteries. Now I co-host Book Riot’s Read or Dead podcast with Katie McLain Horner, and we have new episodes that come out every other week. I’ve discovered so many new-to-me books working for the show. And the WOMEN! So many incredible women authors have mastered the mystery and thrillers genres, often with women in the leading roles of their stories. These novels can be set all over the world — Japan, India, the UK, the Southern U.S. — and are filled with women from all walks of life.
I gathered together eight mysteries and thrillers by women from a diverse range of backgrounds, all featuring women protagonists. Whether you love your mysteries touched by the supernatural or your thriller with a healthy dose of revenge, there is sure to be something on this list for you.
Shutter by Ramona Emerson
Rita Todacheene can see dead people. This gives her an edge in her work for Albuquerque’s police force as a forensic photographer. She goes to crime scenes and can talk to the dead. But in one case, a dead woman won’t leave her alone. To escape, Rita goes back to the Navajo reservation where she grew up. There she’s forced to confront the past she’s been running from for so many years.
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
Perveen Mistry is a lawyer in 1920s Bombay. Though she’s not allowed to practice law legally, her father hires her to work for him. When a Muslim man dies, leaving behind his three widows, Perveen notices that his will leaves all of his funds to charity. With three wives and their children to support, she finds this suspicious. So Perveen sets out to investigate, and as a woman, she’s the only person at her father’s practice who can visit these widows during their time of mourning.
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The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson
Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is called in when someone discovers a dismembered body in a back alley. It looks like the work of the famous Jigsaw Killer. The only problem is the Jigsaw Killer has been in prison for years. Now, Detective Angelica must discover who the copycat is before they find their next victim.
Out: A Thriller by Natsuo Kirino, Translated by Stephen Snyder
When a woman accidentally kills her husband in self-defense, she goes about her day as usual and heads to work at the box food factory. There she breaks down to her co-workers, telling them what happened. Together they become determined to remove all evidence and save their friend from being imprisoned for trying to save herself and her children.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Vera Wong runs a tea shop in San Francisco. She spends her days creating tea blends and chatting with customers. But when she finds a dead man in her shop, her quiet existence is turned upside down. To Vera, the police don’t seem to know what they’re doing. So she decides to solve the murder herself.
Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki, Translated by Polly Barton
The serial killer Manako Kajii lured unsuspecting men into her dining room with her incredible cooking. There she ended their lives, one by one. Now, journalist Rika Machida has landed the biggest break for her career she ever had: an interview with the famous killer. Rika finds herself obsessed with Manako Kajii and can’t help but wonder if this is the same way the killer charmed her victims.
Whatever your favorite subgenre, there’s a mystery or thriller here for you. Be sure to check out the Read or Dead podcast, and if you’re not subscribed already, you can sign up for Unusual Suspects, Book Riot’s mystery, thriller, and true crime newsletter, here.
