“So instead of committing robbery, I made tea.”
Fantasy mystery books offer the ultimate blend of magic, intrigue and suspense, whisking readers on enchanting journeys through worlds brimming with untold secrets and mystical wonders. Whether you’re a fan of spellbinding sorcery or clever sleuthing, fantasy mysteries weave together intricate plots, compelling characters and otherworldly surroundings to keep readers hooked. At What We Reading, we love all things to do with fantasy mystery books and have pulled together some of our favourite picks featuring worlds where every clue discover leads to a deeper mystery and the revelation that nothing is ever as it seems. So, whether it’s hunting down a killer among wizards, deciphering ancient magical riddles or unearthing the secrets of lost realms, join us for the best page-turning adventures in the fantasy mystery genre!
The Tainted Cup (Shadow Of The Leviathan #1) – Robert Jackson Bennett
First up on our list of the best fantasy mystery books is Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup. The story opens in Daretana’s most affluent mansion, where a high Imperial officer has been killed by what appears to be a tree erupting from his body. Ana Dolabra is tasked with heading up the investigation. Her new assistant, Dinios Kol, is joining her. Kol’s job is to observe and report, using his magically-altered impeccable memory to be his superior’s eyes and ears, something that is made even more vital on the back of Ana’s insistence of wearing a blindfold at all times and refusal to leave her house.
Din is initially sceptical of Ana’s quirky methods. But, as the case unfolds and he witnesses her make one startling dedication after another, he begins to realise that she is indeed the greatest detective in the Empire. As the two close in on the culprit and unearth a scheme that threatens the fabric of the Empire itself, Din also realises that he has barely begun to work out the true mystery that is Ana Dolabra.
Murder At Spindle Manor (The Lamplight Murder Mysteries #1) – Morgan Stang
For Huntress Isabeau Agarwal, the countryside inn is the stop in a deadly hunt. Armed with guns and a gaslamp, she tracks an evil monster that wears the skins of its victims, impersonating them impeccably. There are ten guests inside Spindle Manor this evening. And the creature could be any one of them. Locked in by a torrential thunderstorm outside and running low on time, Isabeau has until the morning to discover the liar or none of them will make it out alive.
Someone has been killed, turning the hunt into a murder investigation. In Morgan Stang’s fantasy mystery novel, Murder at Spindle Manor, Isabeau must navigate a night filled with lies, intrigue and deception where the unexpected is lurking around every corner.
Rivers Of London (Rivers Of London #1) – Ben Aaronovitch
Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s famous Metropolitan Police. Unfortunately for him, he has been assigned to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll be facing will be a paper cut. Nevertheless, Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a murder where he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who just so happens to be a ghost.
Peter’s ability to speak to the dead attracts the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the unexplainable. As a wave of brutal and bizarre killings sweeps through the city, Peter soon finds himself pulled into a world where gods mix with mortals and where an ancient evil is on the comeback on the back of a rising tide of magic in Ben Aaronovitch’s fantasy mystery series, Rivers of London.
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Magic For Liars – Sarah Gailey
Ivy Gamble has never wanted to be magic. Perfectly content with her life, she has a solid enough job as a private investigator, an empty apartment she returns to every day and a slight drinking problem she should attempt to address. She doesn’t want to be anything like her magically gifted sister, Tabitha.
But, when Ivy is hired to investigate the grizzly murder of a faculty member at Tabitha’s private academy, the detective begins to lose herself in the case, the life she could have had, and the answers to the mysteries that have always seemed just out of reach. One of the best fantasy mystery books from 2019, Sarah Gailey’s Magic for Liars is a story of dark magic, hidden secrets and two sisters attempting to reclaim one another.
Threads That Bind (Threads That Bind #1) – Kika Hatzopoulou
Descendants of the Fates are always born in threes: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they and to life itself. And the Ora sisters are no exception. Io, the youngest of the three, uses her Fate-born abilities as a private investigator in the half-sunken city of Alante.
Her latest job leads to a horrifying discovery: someone is kidnapping women, maiming their life threads and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. To unmask the culprit responsible, she must work with Edei Rhuna, the loyal deputy of the Mob Queen – and the boy whose fate thread links them as soul mates. Another one of the best urban fantasy mystery books, Io’s investigation takes a complicated turn when her estranged older sister turns up in the city’s darkest reaches alongside the prime suspect.
A Study In Drowning (A Study In Drowning #1) – Ava Reid
Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King ever since she was a child, she’s had little say in the matter. Her tattered copy of Angharad – Emrys Myriddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him – is the only thing keeping her going. Naturally, when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s grand estate, Effy feels like it is fate.
But, the musty and decrepit Hiraeth Manor looks to be an impossible task, and the locals are far from welcoming. Among them is Preston Heloury, a young academic hellbent on exposing Myrddin as a fraudster. In Ava Reid’s YA fantasy mystery novel, A Study in Drowning, two rivals piece together the clues surrounding Myriddin’s legacy as dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire to bring them both down.
Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) – Leigh Bardugo
One of the bestselling fantasy mystery books of all time, Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House introduces readers to Galaxy ‘Alex’ Stern, the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the LA hinterlands by a new-wave mother, Alex dropped out of school early and dived into a world of drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs and much worse. By the age of twenty, she was even the sole survivor of a bloody, still unsolved homicide. Then, on her hospital bed, she’s offered the opportunity to join one of the world’s most elite universities. But, why her?
Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her new benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. From Hollywood hearthrobs to high-ranking politicos, these ‘tombs’ are known to be the haunts of the future rich, famous and powerful. Yet, their occult activities are soon revealed to be far more sinister and even more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination could ever have conjured up.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
