32 Mystery Books With Female Protagonists

If you’re a mystery reader, it’s understandable if you occasionally get tired of reading about men – hard-drinking, hard-boiled police detectives, usually – trying to save the day (not to mention the damsel in distress). Here are 32 mystery books with female protagonists, to help balance out your shelves.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Blurb: “In Sharp Objects, fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.” Read my full review of Sharp Objects here.

The Turn Of The Key by Ruth Ware

Blurb: “When Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious ‘smart’ home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family. What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder. Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.” Read my full review of The Turn Of The Key here.

The Likeness by Tana French

Blurb: “Cassie Maddox has transferred out of the Dublin Murder Squad—until an urgent telephone call brings her back to an eerie crime scene. The victim looks exactly like Cassie and carries ID identifying herself as Alexandra Madison, an alias Cassie once used as an undercover cop. Suddenly, Cassie is back undercover, to find out not only who killed this young woman, but, more importantly, who she was. The Likeness is a supremely suspenseful story exploring the nature of identity and belonging.” Read my full review of The Likeness here.

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

Blurb: “Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. But a letter is about to change everything—and not just for her. There are other women who barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they, too, are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of The Husband’s Secret.” Read my full review of The Husband’s Secret here.

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson

Blurb: “Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town. But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer? In A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final school project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent.” Read my full review of A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder here.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto

Blurb: “In Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers, a woman of a certain age lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. One morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. After calling the cops like any good citizen would, she swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands.”

Whisper Network by Chandler Baker

Blurb: “Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita have worked at Truviv, Inc. for years. The sudden death of Truviv’s CEO means their boss, Ames, will likely take over the entire company. Each of the women has a different relationship with Ames, who has always been surrounded by whispers about how he treats women. Those whispers have been ignored, swept under the rug, hidden away by those in charge. ‘If only you had listened to us,’ they tell us on page one of Chandler Baker’s Whisper Network, ‘none of this would have happened,’.”

Death In Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh

Blurb: “While on her daily walk with her dog in a secluded woods, a woman comes across a note, handwritten and carefully pinned to the ground by stones. ‘Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is her dead body.’ But there is no dead body. Our narrator is deeply shaken; she has no idea what to make of this. She is new to this area, alone after the death of her husband, and she knows no one. A triumphant blend of horror, suspense, and pitch-black comedy, Death In Her Hands asks us to consider how the stories we tell ourselves both reflect the truth and keep us blind to it.” Read my full review of Death In Her Hands here.

The Maid by Nita Prose

Blurb: “Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.” Read my full review of The Maid here.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Blurb: “Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love–all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story. In Before I Go To Sleep, the more Christine pieces together the shards of her broken life, the closer she gets to the truth… and the more terrifying and deadly it is.” Read my full review of Before I Go To Sleep here.

Did You See Melody? by Sophie Hannah

Blurb: “In Did You See Melody?, Cara Burrows abandons her home and family and escapes to a five-star spa resort she can’t afford. Late at night, exhausted and desperate, she lets herself into her hotel room and is shocked to find it already occupied – by a man and a teenage girl. A simple mistake on the part of the hotel receptionist – but Cara’s fear intensifies when she works out that the girl she saw alive and well in the hotel room is someone she can’t possibly have seen: the most famous murder victim in the country, Melody Chapa, whose parents are serving life sentences for her murder. Cara doesn’t know what to trust: everything she’s read and heard about the case, or the evidence of her own eyes.” Read my full review of Did You See Melody? here.

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Blurb: “A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. Timely, hypnotic, and populated with a cast of unforgettable characters, I Have Some Questions for You is at once a compulsive page-turner and a literary triumph.” Read my full review of I Have Some Questions For You here.

The Lake House by Kate Morton

Blurb: “Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old Edevane estate—now crumbling and covered with vines. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that will reveal shocking truths about a past long gone…yet more present than ever. A lush, atmospheric tale of intertwined destinies from a masterful storyteller, The Lake House is an enthralling, thoroughly satisfying read.” Read my full review of The Lake House here.

All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien

Blurb: “Denny—optimistic, guileless, brilliant Denny—is brutally murdered inside a busy restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, a refugee enclave facing violent crime, an indifferent police force, and the worst heroin epidemic in Australian history. Returning home for the funeral, his sister Ky learns that the police are stumped by Denny’s case: a dozen people were at Lucky 8 restaurant when Denny died, but each of the bystanders claim to have seen nothing. Desperately hoping that understanding what happened might ease her suffocating guilt, Ky sets aside her grief and determines to track down the witnesses herself. Combining evocative family drama and gripping suspense, All That’s Left Unsaid is a profound and moving page turner.” Read my full review of All That’s Left Unsaid here.

The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins

Blurb: “Ruth Dawson has taken a break from big city law to fill in for a few months at a mate’s small-town legal practice in Myddle. When she hears the front door of her office open she’s expecting a weird demand, or a question she doesn’t know the answer to. But it’s Bea Baulderstone’s mum, worried that she hasn’t seen her seventeen-year-old daughter for five days, and Constable Gazza Parker is refusing to report the girl missing. An unputdownable thriller of deception and greed, The Bluff reveals an enmeshed web of family and community loyalties, set in the lush rural hinterland of east coast Australia.” Read my full review of The Bluff here.

Big Lies In A Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Blurb: “What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in a decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies? Big Lies In A Small Town is a novel of chilling intrigue, a decades-old disappearance, and one woman’s quest to find the truth.” Read my full review of Big Lies In A Small Town here.

The Busy Body by Kemper Donovan

Blurb: “The best ghostwriters are adept at asking questions and spinning stories… two talents, it turns out, that also come in handy for sleuths. Dorothy’s political career, meanwhile, has made her an expert at recognizing lies and double-dealing. Working together in The Busy Body, two women are soon untangling motives and whittling down suspects, to the exasperation of local police. But this investigation—much like the election—may not unfold the way anyone expects.” Read my full review of The Busy Body here.

Cold Truth by Ashley Kalagian Blunt

Blurb: “Harlow Close has made a career as an influencer uncovering the secrets of Winnipeg, dubbed ‘North America’s strangest city’. Yet, it’s not just the frigid winters and geographic seclusion that render Winnipeg peculiar. When Harlow’s father mysteriously disappears amid a brutal cold snap, suspicions of foul play arise. Unhappy with the pace of the police investigation, Harlow launches her own search, enlisting her sister Blaise’s reluctant help. In Cold Truth, as Harlow struggles to uncover what happened to her father, she’s forced to question everything and everyone around her – including herself.” Read my full review of Cold Truth here.

The Creeper by Margaret Hickey

Blurb: “For the last decade, the small mountain town of Edenville in Victoria’s high country has been haunted by the horrific murders of five hikers up on Jagged Ridge. But as the ten-year anniversary of the massacre draws near, Detective Constable Sally White – the only officer at Edenville’s modest police station – finds herself drawn into the dark world of the notorious Durant family. In The Creeper, it becomes all too clear that each murdered hiker had skeletons in their closet – and possible enemies in their past.” Read my full review of The Creeper here.

The Hiding Place by Jenny Quintana

Blurb: “Abandoned as a baby in the hallway of a shared house in London, Marina has never known her parents, and the circumstances of her birth still remain a mystery. Now an adult, Marina has returned to the house where it all started, determined to find out who she really is. But the walls of this house hold more than memories, and Marina’s reappearance hasn’t gone unnoticed by the other tenants. The Hiding Place is a story about identity, love, long-buried secrets and lies.” Read my full review of The Hiding Place here.

Like Mother by Cassandra Austin

Blurb: “It’s 1969 and mankind has leapt up to the moon, but a young mother in small-town Australia can’t get past the kitchen door. Louise Ashland ­is exhausted – her husband, Steven, is away on the road and her mother, Gladys, won’t leave her alone. At least her baby, Dolores, has finally stopped screaming and is sweetly sleeping in her cot. Right where Louise left her. Or is she? Like Mother explores what is handed down from generation to generation, and asks us whether a woman’s home is her castle or her cage.” Read my full review of Like Mother here.

Lowbridge by Lucy Campbell

Blurb: “Lowbridge is a heart-wrenching mystery about the girls who are lost, the ones who are mourned and those who are forgotten. Katherine Ashworth, shattered by the death of her daughter, moves to her husband’s hometown. Searching for a way to pick up the pieces of her life, she joins the local historical society and becomes obsessed with the three-decades-old mystery. As Katherine digs into that summer of 1987, she stumbles upon the trail of a second girl who vanished when no one cared enough to see what was happening in plain sight.” Read my full review of Lowbridge here.

Murder Most Fancy by Kellie McCourt

Blurb: “Home for just 48 hours, billion-heiress Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bombberg has already committed two (completely understandable) felonies, reignited a childhood feud, been (possibly) humiliated (again) by her first love, and fallen over a nameless homeless dead man. She’s not responsible for the corpse this time. Okay, maybe just a little bit. Our favourite socialite and felon are back in Murder Most Fancy, a madcap new sleuthing adventure.” Read my full review of Murder Most Fancy here.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

Blurb: “The Mystery Writer is a literary thriller about an aspiring writer who meets and falls in love with her literary idol―only to find him murdered the day after she gave him her manuscript to read. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself.” Read my full review of The Mystery Writer here.

The Neighbours by Emma Babbington

Blurb: “Richard Wellington is one of the country’s most recognised doctors. A morning TV regular, surgeon to the elite, and scandal-proof despite a malpractice case that should have ruined him. But when his body is found sprawled in a harborside park on a sweltering Sydney morning, the facade shatters. For Liv Elliot, none of that matters – except for one detail: her daughter, Gracie, was at the park that morning. In The Neighbours, as the investigation heats up and dark secrets about Richard begin to surface, Liv takes steps to shield her daughter from the storm – steps that could destroy them both if the truth comes out.” Read my full review of The Neighbours here.

The Note by Alafair Burke

Blurb: “May Hanover was a good girl, always. Raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations, May didn’t have room to slip up, let alone fail. But even good girls have secrets. And regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she’s had her fair share of both. In The Note, the three friends have reunited for the first time in years for a few days of sun and fun in the Hamptons. But a chance encounter with a pair of strangers leads to a drunken prank that goes horribly awry.” Read my full review of The Note here.

The Ones We Love by Anna Snoekstra

Blurb: “Since the weekend of the party—the one twenty-two-year-old Liv can’t remember—she’s been locked out of her bedroom by a padlock. Her parents are behaving oddly and her best friend won’t respond to her texts. Meanwhile Liv’s father, Janus, is not sure he can do what is necessary to keep this secret hidden. He brought his family from Australia to Los Angeles to chase his dream of seeing his novel on the big screen, and he can’t let them down. Not again. In The Ones We Love, this family might not survive what’s behind the padlocked door.” Read my full review of The Ones We Love here.

One Of Those Mothers by Megan Nicol Reed

Blurb: “In One Of Those Mothers, when a local father is convicted of the possession and distribution of child pornography, a tight-knit, middle-class community is quick to unravel. He is granted permanent name suppression, and soon friend turns on friend, neighbor delivers up neighbor, and hysteria rapidly engulfs them all. Who among them was capable of such moral trespass?” Read my full review of One Of Those Mothers here.

Remember Me by Charity Norman

Blurb: “In Remember Me, a close-knit community is ripped apart by disturbing revelations that cast new light on a young woman’s disappearance twenty-five years ago. After years of living overseas, Emily Kirkland returns to New Zealand to care for her father, Felix, who suffers from dementia. As his memory fades and his guard slips, she begins to understand him for the first time – and to glimpse shattering truths about his past. Truths she’d rather were kept buried.” Read my full review of Remember Me here.

The Safe Place by Anna Downes

Blurb: “Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn’t play along, the consequences could be deadly. Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, The Safe Place, is the perfect summer suspense.” Read my full review of The Safe Place here.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

Blurb: “In The Sanatorium, an imposing, isolated getaway spot high up in the Swiss Alps is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But Elin’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when her estranged brother, Isaac, and his fiancée, Laure, invite her to celebrate their engagement at the hotel, Elin really has no reason not to accept. And when they wake the following morning to discover Laure is missing, Elin must trust her instincts if they hope to find her.” Read my full review of The Sanatorium here.

To The River by Vikki Wakefield

Blurb: “What happens to a town when terrible secrets are forced into the light? To The River is a compulsively readable, character-driven psychological thriller about two determined women who, over the course of three weeks in 2019, take the law into their own hands in an attempt to reveal the truth about a crime that took place thirteen years ago.” Read my full review of To The River here.