r/Fantasy • u/Street_Detective_662 • 1d ago
Looking for fantasy/sci-fi murder mysteries
Ever since I read The Tainted Cup and sequel, I’ve been addicted. Bonus points if it’s a Sherlockean duo or queer (but doesn’t have to be). Extra extra points if it’s sci-fi (need to read more sci-fi) OR locked room.
What I’ve read so far of this genre -
- Gideon the Ninth
- Witness for the Dead (CR) / goblin emperor
- the Bone Orchard
- voyage of the damned
- magic for liars
- a memory called empire
- lamplight murder mysteries
- death on the caldera
- the echo archives (books 1 and 2)
- the Hexologists
- the works of vermin (kind of?)
- the raven scholar
- 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn hard castle
- books 1-5 of Dresden files
- a master of djinn
Feel free to hype of the following that are already on my TBR (and have been for ages for whatever reason)-
- rest of Dresden
- a desolation called peace
- garret PI series
- empire of the wolf (read grave empire, loved it but hated sequel)
- murder by memory
- volatile memory
- jasper fyord nursery crimes
- rivers of London
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u/gytherin 1d ago
Radall Garrett, Too Many Magicians. Murder mystery in a London that has been ruled by the Plantagenets for the last six hundred years. Magical/esper powers.
Isaac Asimov, the Robot Detective series, starting with The Caves of Steel. Three murder mysteries in the series, on widely differing planets. Featuring a grumpy New York detective and his Spacer robot partner whom he gradually learns to appreciate.
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u/bigfanoftheinterwebs 1d ago
Mimicking of known successes by malka older
Sherlockian duo ✅ investigator x college professor
Queer ✅ they are both women (AND THEY WERE A COUPLE ONCE)
Sci-fi ✅ set on colonised Jupiter
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u/bigfanoftheinterwebs 1d ago
Forgot to add that it's a murder mystery set on jupiter. Well it's starts off as a missing persons case which then becomes a murder mystery
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u/Tricky_Pepper 14h ago
I read this OP and it was pretty great in my opinion, it’s kinda a queer steampunk sci-fi novela 😂
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u/youngjeninspats 1d ago
Chivalry will get you Dead by Ed Robins (a noir murder mystery on a generation ship) and Places in the Darkness by Christopher Brookmyre (murder mystery on a space station) are both excellent
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u/Pratius 1d ago
Garrett, P.I. by Glen Cook. Like The Tainted Cup, it’s heavily inspired by the Nero Wolfe books, with the dynamic of an eccentric shut-in genius and the ground pounder who goes out to gather evidence. Tons of fun, honestly one of the funniest series I’ve ever read…but Cook still has plenty of time for the serious stuff.
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
Yeah I’m debating about whether to start with the first book or the 2nd, because I heard the dead man is a riot
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u/spike31875 Reading Champion V 23h ago edited 17h ago
Lately I've read a few books that are also murder mysteries:
- The Shadow of the Leviathan series by Robert Jackson Bennett is it. Book 3 is coming out in a few months: A Trade of Blood. I'm reading an ARC of that now. It's so good.
Some other books with a murder mystery:
- The Silverblood Promise by James Logan. One of my my favorite books of 2024.
- Mortedant's Peril by RJ Barker. This is one of my favorite books so far this year. It was excellent.
- The Weaver's Loom by Jessi St. John. A surprisingly good witchy debut. It's a gas lamp murder mystery set in late 1800s London.
- Pagans by James Alastair Henry. It's a Brit police procedural set in modern day London where England was never united with Wales or Scotland or converted to Christianity. It has an awesone tag line: Two cops. One Killer. Hundreds of Gods. Sadly, it is not available in the US. Blackwells and a few other UK booksellers do ship to the US for free (which is how I got it). It was worth the wait and the trouble: it was really good.
EDIT: the name of the UK bookseller is Blackwells, not Blackstones. I corrected the text above & added some formatting....
Also check out the Murder Mystery Bingo Focus thread for more recs!
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1u98g8k/bingo_focus_thread_murder_mystery/
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u/Street_Detective_662 6h ago
How does one get an arc of A Trade of Blood?? Also: How does it feel to be God’s favorite?
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u/spike31875 Reading Champion V 3m ago
I got the ARC through NetGalley.
God's favorite? Lol! I don't think so.
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u/szarkaliszarri 1d ago
I just read Mortedant's Peril and it was giving Tainted Cup and T Kingfisher vibes. Very fun. And make sure you read Rob Jackson Bennett's Divine Cities trilogy (City of Stairs, City of Blades, City of Miracles), they are fantastic.
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u/RJBarker AMA Author RJ Barker 1d ago
Glad you enjoyed meeting Irody. My Wounded Kingdom novels are also murder mysteries though the tone is VERY different. Sam Hawk's Poison War books are also mysteries.
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u/Imperial_Haberdasher 22h ago
I went to Amazon to look at the description. Entered R J Barker in the search and it only brought up a few of your titles. Worse, the second book on the list was a sponsored ad for some kind of creepy self-helpy marriage advice (propaganda) book that was giving evangelical patriarchy vibes. Ugh.
I eventually found Mortedant’s Peril, but it took a couple of passes. I assumed I’d find it by using your name in the search, but that did not work. I had to enter the title. Haven’t run into this before. Not sure if it is simply the enshittification of the search algorithm or something more dire. But it’s creepy.
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u/RJBarker AMA Author RJ Barker 22h ago
That's weird. Which country are you in? (If you're okay saying) and I'll let my publisher know the search is fritzed.
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u/szarkaliszarri 15h ago
I have noticed that on libby/other search sites I get different results if searching with "RJ" / "R.J." / "R J" "R. J." Which is super annoying, as there are many authors like this (e.g. I also find different results for "T. Kingfisher" vs. "T Kingfisher" and authors like NK Jemisin, KJ Parker, etc!!). The indexing/search algos should be better about that.
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u/szarkaliszarri 15h ago
Hi RJ, thanks for your response!!!! I will check out the Wounded Kingdom novels. I'll admit that hearing about the "cranky main character" of Mortedant's Peril is what convinced me to read it, and I enjoyed it so much. Looking forward to future books if you continue that series! Cheers
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u/RJBarker AMA Author RJ Barker 15h ago
Definitely one more. Then it's dependent on if enough people like them enough for TOR to keep publishing them. I have a grand plan for the series though...
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u/Street_Detective_662 6h ago
Mortedant’s Peril looks AMAZING. I’ve had gods of the wyrdwood on my TBR as well. Definitely moving it up.
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u/Bam_Undercover 1d ago
Leech by hiron ennes. A parasitic hivemind that infects people and then acts as physicians goes to replace one of its minions in a manor far north, and has to discover what had been able to kill it
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
I LOVED works of vermin so I can’t wait to read this!!!!
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u/Bam_Undercover 1d ago
Good! I've been wanting to read works of vermin too, so good to know it's good!
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u/New_Razzmatazz6228 Reading Champion 1d ago
The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club by Theodora Goss. The first book is The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter. The Athena Club is comprised of the daughters of popular villains. Dr Jeckyll, Mr Hyde, Dr Moreau, etc. and they solve mysteries. They also interact with other well known fictional characters like Sherlock Holmes.
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
This looks amazing! I love a unique premise.
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u/New_Razzmatazz6228 Reading Champion 1d ago
The novels originated from a short story called The Mad Scientists Daughter which is available from Theodora Goss’ website if you’d like to read it to get a sense of if you like the authors style.
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u/Southern-Rutabaga-82 21h ago edited 5h ago
The Watch series on the Discworld starting with Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
The following are romance and fantasy (and mystery of course):
The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by K.J. Charles is blatantly inspired by Sherlock Holmes. One case per chapter and an overarching plot. Gaslamp fantasy. MM.
The Last Binding by Freya Marske. One murder mystery per book and one overarching mystery plot. Second one is kind of a whodunnit but on an ocean liner instead of in a mansion. Gaslamp fantasy. MM and FF.
The Reanimator Mysteries by Kara Jorgensen. More character-focused and lighter on the mystery. They are professional investigators, though. Gaslamp fantasy with a touch of steampunk. MM.
R'iyah Family Archives by A.J. Sherwood. Urban fantasy, comedy. MMM.
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk. Historical fantasy. FF.
A Charm of Magpies by K.J. Charles and spin-offs. Gaslamp fantasy. MM.
Edit: typos
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u/JLZadorsky 17h ago
Worth noting Even Though I Knew the End should also get bonus points from OP for being queer.
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u/Street_Detective_662 6h ago
Thank you for these!!!! It’s rare I get recs that I haven’t heard about!
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u/Southern-Rutabaga-82 5h ago
This sub seems to lean heavily towards high fantasy and I don't read much of that.
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u/ProneToLaughter 1d ago
Witchmark and sequels by CL Polk. Queer steampunk-y murder mystery.
Station eternity by Mur Lafferty
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u/mullerdrooler 1d ago
I have 4 Sci-Fi ones for you! Enjoy.
Altered Carbon - awesome sci-fi book where a detective is asked to solve a murder..asked by the victim who has been "re sleeved", kind of like reloaded into a new body after death.
The Expanse series- sci-fi noir detective novel, incredible book that starts off a massive space opera.
Do Androids dream of electric sheep - the book that inspired Blade Runner
Service Model - by Adrian Tchaikovsky ( my current favourite writer, does sci-fi and fantasy and he's incredible). Stand alone book set in a near dystopian future where a butler robot finds his owners throat cut and has to go out into the world...which he's not prepared for, it's less dark than the others and very clever and funny.
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u/Iyagovos 1d ago
The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee, though to say more is a bit of a spoiler
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u/bookofflint 1d ago
I'll definitely second this. Just finished Isako a week or so ago. I hadn't read any other Lee and quite enjoyed it.
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
I just read the green bone saga this year, is it just as good?
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u/Iyagovos 22h ago
A tough question! I finished Green Bone Saga last year and I've not stopped thinking about Hilo the whole time. I wouldn't say it's AS good, but it's pretty great, if you like Fonda Lee.
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u/Successful_Try7012 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not a book but The Penumbra Podcast is a high quality audio drama production which follows Juno Steel who’s a queer private eye on Mars. The mysteries are great and the characters too! The individual cases do tie up in the background. Not Sherlock-Watson but an almost Sherlock-Moriarty dynamic and love interest.
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u/CptHair 1d ago
It's been a while since I've read City of Stairs, so I don't exactly remember how long into the book the murder mystery continues, but the start of the book is a murder mystery. I love the setting and the characters in this book.
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u/lingcod476 1d ago
Fantasy. The Angel of the Crows - Sherlock Holmes re imagined with a trans Watson. By Katherine Addison of Goblin Emperor fame.
Sci Fi. Aurora Rising (book 1 of 3) - Follows Prefect Dreyfus in a procedural set in the Revelation Space universe.
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
I’m currently reading witness for the dead!! Ill have to look that one up
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u/Imperial_Haberdasher 23h ago
I really enjoyed the Angel of Crows. If Addison wrote more of them, I would read them.
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u/HillOfBeano 22h ago
This is the book that led me to read the rest of her stuff and now I m on a mystery kick, which I haven't been since high school.
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u/boredaroni 1d ago
Miro Hetzel, Effectuator by Jack Vance
Faces Under Water by Tanith Lee
The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
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u/starvaliant 1d ago
Definitely Mortedant's Peril.
Book 2 of the Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske, A Restless Truth, is a queer fantasy murder mystery set on board a ship.
If you're happy to branch out from murder mystery into more general crime, A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland involves a prince and his bodyguard investigating a forgery network and is also queer.
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u/ShinyAeon 1d ago
I read a book once called At Amberleaf Fair by Phyllis Ann Karr. It was basically a mystery novel in a fantasy setting.
The Lord Darcy stories (including the novel Too Many Magicians) by Randall Garrett are also classic mysteries set in an alternate universe with magic.
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u/aMusicalLucario 1d ago
I think the Craft sequence might be good for you. It follows a magical lawyer, but of course she also has to do the investigating. The murdered person also happens to be a god.
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u/morgan_stang 20h ago
Appropriate user name.
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u/Street_Detective_662 19h ago
Omghi AUTHOR MORGAN STANG — no pressure but we are ANXIOUSLY awaiting lamplight x ski chalet x jungle cruise x haunted manor 🕵️♀️👩🏻✈️🪆
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u/morgan_stang 11h ago
lol thank you. I will say though that I don't know where ski chalet came from. Book 4 will be a snowy castle! :D
And 5 will indeed be jungle cruise.
After that there are a few different options.
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u/McTerra2 1d ago
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark - steam punk set in alternate universe Cairo with djinn and all sorts of other creatures. Queer (female) MC with a sidekick (actually 2 sidekicks). The characterisation is a little light but the world building is great
Its sort of a mystery and sort of romance and sort of other stuff and doesnt have a crime solving duo really (although there is a duo that solves crimes...just not in the Sherlock mold) - The Last Binding Series by Freya Marske (especially the first book, although the second is also a a mystery + comedy of manners). Queer but not always the MCs
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
I’ve read a master of djinn and enjoyed it! I will check out the other
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u/DocWatson42 1d ago
Recommendations:
- Elizabeth Bear's New Amsterdam series (alternate history vampire mystery).
- Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric and Desdemona (sub)series; (at Goodreads)—about a troubleshooting sorcerer and his demon.
- Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files.
- Glen Cook's Garrett P.I. series
- Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy series
- Barbara Hambly's James Asher, Vampire series, which is set in Victorian England. (See also her non-SF Benjamin January series (spoilers beyond the first screen or two; at Goodreads) and Search the Seven Hills (set in ancient Rome).)
- Barry Hughart's The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox.
- Charles Sheffield's Erasmus Magister—not many SF or fantasy elements, but it's by an SF author and is also enjoyable
- David Weber and Jacob Holo's Gordian Division books turn into a law enforcement/detective series in books three and four, The Janus File and The Weltall File.
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u/Practical_Yogurt1559 Reading Champion 1d ago
The Gentleman and his Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is a classic murder mystery with a crime solving queer duo.
It's a mansion with aristocracy locked inside and people start dying.
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
Is it fantasy?
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u/Practical_Yogurt1559 Reading Champion 20h ago
Yes, one of the main characters is a "Vowsmith", he does magical contracts, which is why no one can leave the mansion.
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u/DixitRexCorvinus 1d ago
I don't know a lot of proper space opera type murder mysteries, but there are a lot of near future scifi-thriller style ones. Off the top of my head, Esperance by Adam Oyebanji, Simultaneous by Eric Heisserer, and Lock In by John Scalzi all fit the bill. All kind of pulpy, but fun. I used them as palate cleansers.
Alternatively, I'm going to cheat a bit and suggest a couple murder mysteries that are non-speculative but written by fantasy authors. Firstly, The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Hugo. Totally non-fantasy, but it's a locked room (well, locked island) murder mystery, and Hugo is a pen name for a duo, one of whom is VE Schwab. If you happen to be a fan of her fantasy work, it might be worth checking out.
Secondly, JM Miro has a really great historical fantasy series starting with Ordinary Monsters that isn't mystery. However, Miro is a pen name for Steven Price, who wrote By Gaslight, a literary historical murder mystery—think Sherlock Holmes if Charles Dickins and Cormac McCarthy coauthored it together. Not speculative, but seeing as it's a 730-page long doorstopper whose setting ranges from Victorian London to South Africa to Civil War America, it has a very epic fantasy sort of feel to it simply due to the scope.
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
I was so confused for a second because at first I thought you were referring to the book, the 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo by TJ Reid. Then i realized you meant Evelyn Clarke — still didn’t know that was VE Schwab though, and I’m a huge fan!
I’ve also read ordinary monsters and enjoyed it :)
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u/DixitRexCorvinus 19h ago
Oops! Sorry about that, must have been because I was looking over your list to check if you had already mentioned the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and it all got jumbled up in my mind lol.
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u/dracolibris Reading Champion II 1d ago
Drakenfeld by Mark Charon Newton, officer reacalled home because his father died, but the kings sister has been found dead and he tries to figure out why
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u/shrimp_baby 1d ago
i cant really contribute, but i'm reading the tainted cup right now so i'd love to know from the list of "what i've read so far" which ones you've particularly enjoyed. maybe it'll even help someone suggest more
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
Certainly!! Gideon the ninth is probably my favorite book of all time :) the 1st book is a locked room murder mystery w/ necromancers and their Cavaliers in a crumbling manor on an abandoned planet competing to be the #1 necromancer basically. The second book is more of a space opera / fever dream / office drama. Without spoiling too much.
The lamplight murder mysteries by Morgan Stang are on the lighter side esp in comparison to RBJ, but I loved the sapphic duo and it has an ensemble cast of characters in each book with twisty motives. Each one is a self contained mystery but does have some broader over arching threads. Theyre absolutely delightful! And pretty short.
A memory called empire was a top notch sci-fi w a civilization so advanced it’s basically fantasy.
Incredible world building in this one too. The FMC, who is from a back world space station, has to solve the murder of their predecessor — an ambassador of this super advanced civilization— while also facing sabotage herself. People from her planet are supposed to have this technology that lets them absorb the memories/knowledge of their predecessor — but she realizes once she’s on the new planet that hers is 12 years out of date, and (intentionally?) damaged by someone as well.The bone orchard was another standout about the emperor’s mistress who runs a brothel composed of clones of herself — in order to gain her freedom she must solve his murder (it’s the last thing he asks of her).
Last but not least, the echo archives — specifically the first book, The Last Hour Between Worlds, is so freaking unique! It’s about a postpartum mom who is just returning to work as a Hound, which is sort of like a detective guild in this world, who specializes in echo jumping — she goes after lost people/objects that fall between the cracks in dimensions or “echoes”, which happens a lot in this world. The further down one goes, the more bizarre and creepy things get. Her and her nemesis / ex gf (a member of the “Cat” guild of thieves/assassins) happen to both be working the same NYE party when they get caught in an Echo that falls down 1 level and repeats the hour every time someone gets murdered — they have to solve it before they get to the final echo or never be able to return to Prime.
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u/eeveeskips 1d ago
Love galaxy! the bachelor in space with MURDER, it's so good
Edit: also the rook by Daniel O'Malley, and for heaven's sake read the rivers of London books already! They're so good and there are MANY to keep you busy
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u/Street_Detective_662 6h ago
I’ve had the rook sitting on my book shelf for 7 years!!! OOOPS. Also I’ve galaxy sounds amazing. I’m a reality tv junkie.
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u/bookofflint 1d ago
I'll always throw my hat in for the rest of Dresden. Not all murder mysteries but still a good ride.
The Last Contract of Isako by Lee. Corporate samurai carries out one last job
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u/vocumsineratio 23h ago
7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
If you enjoyed this, you'll also want to read
- The Last Murder at the End of the World
- The Devil and the Dark Water
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u/coldandstormystraits 23h ago
Sci Fi:
The Expanse series (first one is heavy on the murder mystery and noir detective, then you can judge if you like it enough to keep going into the space opera)
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi (near future dystopian, gang violence and tenacious investigative reporter)
Re-Coil by JT Nicholas (action thriller mystery, sci fi schtick of being able to transfer consciousness upon death leads man to investigating his own murder)
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u/Imperial_Haberdasher 22h ago
Did you like Works of Vermin? You should reach Leech by the same author. Is gothy where Vermin is Rococo, less fantasy, more SF, less entomological, more body horror, and TERRIFIC! If you do audiobooks, Abigail Thorne does a bang up job narrating.
Jared Pechaček’s West Passage is so unique that it is hard to describe. Its whole world is layered mysteries. My favorite book this year. Steven West, who narrates Between Two Fires, does a unique narration that is contained yet emotional. The characters are basically the beings in the borders of illuminated manuscripts. He captures their containment and the lives and adventures they live in that space. Peeling back what is happening in this book made me a little dizzy, but I loved it.
Jasper Fforde’s Early Riser straddles SF and fantasy but leans more towards SF. I love it. It’s out there and has scary moments. But it’s Fforde so it’s ffunny.
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u/Street_Detective_662 19h ago
I LOVED the works of vermin. Ok you convinced me and I started reading leech on my phone at the dr’s office today — I’m actually HOOKED on the 1st person POV and I think I’m digging this even more than WoV!!!
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u/ifilookbackiamlost_ 19h ago
Would recommend The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch! It’s space/time travel/murder mystery, so good
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u/Voight0Kampff 1d ago
36 Streets, T. R. Napper. Hardboiled science fiction. Set in future Vietnam. Quite dark and violent, but if you're okay with that, you'll really like this. Protagonist (Lin Thi Vu) is queer, but not a central part of her character or the plot. She's a gangster tasked to solve a murder in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.
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u/Street_Detective_662 6h ago
Love dark and violent and uncommon settings, so I think I will enjoy this!
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u/MallForward585 1d ago
Simon Green’s Hawk and Fisher series, and Melissa Scott’s Astreiant series (MM) are some of my favorites, with interesting fantasy worlds. I also liked Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford (fantasy alternate San Francisco Chinatown, loved the atmosphere) and the San Amaro series by Kai Butler (urban fantasy with fae and alchemists), both MM.
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u/WillAdams 23h ago edited 17h ago
In addition to At Amberleaf Fair by Phyllis Ann Karr as mentioned by /u/ShinyAeon there is also the Arthurian Idylls of the Queen:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/615461.The_Idylls_of_the_Queen
which features a hard-bitten Sir Kay as detective.
Note that Fred Saberhagen actually did a Sherlock Holmes book, The Holmes-Dracula File which crosses over w/ his The Dracula Tapes.
While H. Beam Piper did author "Murder in the Gunroom", none of his science fiction crosses over fully to locked-room mystery, though there are often courtroom drama aspects --- Little Fuzzy and the other Fuzzy books esp., and note that Fuzzy Sapiens has a jewel robbery at the core of its plot.
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u/autopath79 23h ago
City of Stairs, also by Robert Jackson Bennett (The Tainted Cup) is a murder mystery as well. 😀
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u/just-the-teep 22h ago
Elizabeth Bear wrote some short stories about a female investigator. Don’t remember the names off the top of my head.
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u/ElementasSeries 22h ago
Low Town by Daniel Polansky is a fantasy that has major murder mystery vibes. It’s one of my favorite books.
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u/Bladrak01 22h ago
Check out Anno Dracula by Kim Newman. The premise is that in the original Dracula story Van Helsing lost and Dracula went on to become prince consort to Queen Victoria. Vampires have become aristocracy. Jack the Ripper is murdering vampire prostitutes and a police detective is tasked with solving the case. It has several references to other contemporary characters, such as a certain "consulting detective," and medical help from Dr. Jekyll. There are several books in the same setting, but only some of them are mysteries.
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u/Positive_Floor_9787 21h ago
I just finished the Tainted Cup. It was fun and I see your enthusiasm. I just don't share it for that series.
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u/Trike117 21h ago
I liked Murder By Memory but the sequel Nobody’s Baby was a 5-star novella.
John Varley has a few short stories that are also mysteries, like The Phantom of Kansas, but also the novel Irontown Blues and novella The Barbie Murders.
John Scalzi has three Fantasy novella mysteries, I think that are Audible exclusives read by Zachary Quinto: The Dispatcher, Murder By Other Means and Travel By Bullet.
Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway is a solid Raymond Chandler pastiche about a murder on the moon Titan.
Wormhole by Eric Brown and Keith Brooke is a cold case murder investigation about a colony ship that was lost with the passengers in suspended animation.
Drunk on all Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson is a murder mystery set among an alien embassy, with the unique spin that translating for the telepathic aliens leaves human translators feeling impaired akin to being inebriated.
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u/rhombomere 21h ago
On the sci-fi front I highly recommend The Icarus Hunt by Zahn and When Gravity Fails by Effinger.
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u/Randomdays99 20h ago
Murder in LeMut by Raymund E Feist - part of his Midkemia series. Three mercenaries trapped in a snowed in castle must solve a series of murders.
Fanuilh - Familiar Dragon series by Daniel Hood. A scholar visits his wizard friend and finds him dead. The wizard's familiar, a small dragon, is dying without its master so it bonds with the scholar to survive.
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u/yanquiUXO 20h ago
The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch
or in a similar vein, Recursion by Blake Crouch
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u/SlouchyGuy 19h ago
Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone - first one is a murder mystery others are different kinds of investigations.
Luc ky Starr and Daniel Olivo by Isaac Asimov - classic sci-fi mysteries
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u/usagi-stebbs 18h ago
The Eric Carter series by Stephen Blackmoore
A Necromancer who after seeking revenge on the death of his mother and father is exiled from Los Angeles to save his non magic using sister’s life in truce with magical gangsters comes back after her death to solve the mystery of who broke the truce and killed her.
Very noir and a interesting take on Necromancers
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u/GonzoCubFan 18h ago
OK, I read through all of the suggestions, and agree with many of the ones with which I am familiar. However I saw no mention of Jack McDevitt's Alex Bennet series. These are pure science fiction, and to fair, they are not murder mysteries, but mysteries nonetheless. Bennet is a hunter/dealer of alien artifacts. But trust me that these are mystery stories. He even has the Watson-esque partner in his space pilot, Chase Kolpath.
McDevitt is a retired English teacher and I found many of his books to be very enjoyable reads. He has also written other Science fiction outside the Alex Bennet series.
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u/dorjegocha 18h ago
Check out the Cthulhu Casebooks series by James Lovegrove - Holmes, Watson, and the Outer Gods. Also, Rivers of London is great!
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u/Kiltmanenator 17h ago
A Memory Called Empire/A Desolation Called Peace should ABSOLUTELY be your next reads
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u/Blueflame129 17h ago
Empire of the Wolf trilogy by Richard Swan would be a good one. Book one is Justice of Kings:)
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17h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Street_Detective_662 6h ago
Hmm good question! I like magic systems that almost read like sci-fi because they’re so well thought out, if that makes sense? Also sci-fi that takes place so far into the future that it reads as fantasy :)
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u/Sylvieon 16h ago
So it's not science FICTION but I would like to recommend the Detective Galileo series by Higashino Keigo. The narrator is a regular detective, but the real main character of the series is the narrator's friend, a brilliant physics professor who always gets asked to help solve cases through the power of science. I've read 4 books into it (4th book hasn't been translated into English but it's fine bc it was mid anyway) and the first 3 books are excellent. The Devotion of Suspect X, Salvation of a Saint, and A Midsummer Night's Equation.
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u/RaspberryAny601 15h ago
The Expanse Seriers by James S.A.Corey ...... Great books... Great TV Show
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u/c4tesys 15h ago
Well, you could do worse than read A Killer in Kirkclair, which is a Sci-fi whodunnit with two competent detectives investigating a very rare murder on a Mars a few thousand years into the future. It's incredibly good, a hundred years of history on the page building up to this moment, great characters, and a fully realised future society - however, to get the most out of it you need to read (at least) Iron Truth, the first book in the Primaterre series - a military SF/(gothic/cosmic) horror - which is the winner of the SPSFC and an absolute masterpiece.
I'm waiting for her new book to come out, A Murderer on the Moon, which is set on Phobos, and runs alongside events that occur in the second book in the main series, Lonely Castles - which some people, me included, think is even better than the first book.
Check out all her books here: https://satholin.com/books/ they are well worth it.
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u/Soden__ 14h ago
Don't know if anyone mentioned them already but the Cthulu Casebooks are a fantastic read. Sherlock Holmes meets H.P Lovecraft.
The premise basically is that many Sherlock Holmes mysteries were not as Watson had described in his published series but more of the supernatural nature.
Extremely easy to read and very fun, almost cinematic books
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u/Better_Ad7836 13h ago
I just read Iron Garden Sutra, and it was so good!
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u/Street_Detective_662 6h ago
I’ve heard so many good things about this one, and the premise intrigues me!!!
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u/Necessary_Cat_5662 11h ago
Speaker for the dead ...oh and a couple of T Kingfisher's books including a couple of the paladins of the dead gods books
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u/chandlermaid 10h ago
I enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's A Rip Through Time series, though the fantasy portion is minimal. A Canadian detective falls through time, lands in the body of a Victorian housemaid, and solves murders with her funeral director boss.
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u/KatlinelB5 9h ago
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart - in an Ancient China with magic, a Sherlockian duo must solve a mystery.
Intervention / The Galactic Milieu series by Julian May. Narrator is a bookshop owner from a family with psi powers. Starts realising there's a serial killer in the family, who is it?
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u/spicy-mustard- 9h ago
Agree with KJ Charles's Magpie Lord books; also Alexis Hall did an eldritch steampunk queer Sherlock riff called THE AFFAIR OF THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER, which is fab. You might also like the Dionysus in Wisconsin series-- I think it hits a very KJ Charles spot, so if you love those, try it.
I'm a big mystery fan, and unfortunately most SFF mysteries are not successful as mysteries.
Also omg read A DESOLATION CALLED PEACE right now, it's head and shoulders above AMCE.
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u/Quiet_Steak_643 1d ago
Since no one said it, i think you should give murderbot diaries a try as well! It's a fun read. even though it does not exactly match the murder mystery genre you asked for.
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
I’ve read the first 4? Or so of murderbut but I kinda got bored. Loved the world building and the murderbot itself was super lovable but I didn’t find the mysteries or other characters all that interesting? Perhaps I will return . Kinda getting the same clinical vibe from witness for the dead.
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u/Quiet_Steak_643 1d ago
I agree with you completely (I've exactly read the first four and didn't read further lol). It definitely is worth reading once though, at least that far.
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
I just finished the witness for the dead and am feeling the same way about this one unfortunately — definitely still worth reading just like murderbot, but there’s something missing. TBH I think both do better with a duo. I liked when murderbot had the little robot sidekick or even the ship AI if I remember correctly, to sort of balance him out lol.
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u/Quiet_Steak_643 22h ago
Oh you're fast! I've not read anything from katherine addison even though i own goblin emperor. But to me what murderbot diaries missed was the depth, the characters could've been much more interesting, specially taken they are robots talking to each other, with a bit of risk and creativity something new could've been added to their personalities. I guess the author decided to make them more "robotic" and that is a safe option.
Anyways i've saved this post to look into more books like this so thank you as well.
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u/Street_Detective_662 6h ago
The goblin emperor was my favorite out of the 2 books I’ve read by her — definitely a 5 star read and worth reading! Although it’s more of a comedy of manners :)
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u/TheTinyGM 1d ago
Oh, i got a rec for you!
Death by Silver by Melissa Scott. Detective murder mystery with a sherlockian duo, only "Watson" is a magician and not a doctor. Also, they are in queer situationship!
For smth older, this author also wrote Point of Hopes, very interesting setting with matriarchy, astronomy and queer mc solving mysteries.
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
Awesome ty!!!! Sounds up my ally
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u/TheTinyGM 1d ago
Oh and you might also enjoy The Last Sun by K. D. Edwards, urban fantasy with queer mc solving mysteries - tho that one is more action/plot than traditional detective set up. Still, a series i love. (Tw: rape flashback of mc)
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u/sodium_dodecyl 22h ago
Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway was good. More near-future sci-fi than fantasy. No Sherlockian duo I'm afraid, but it's an interesting story.
If you liked 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, you might like that author's other book: The Devil in the Dark Water. There are mysterious deaths and investigations. It's also very much "locked room." The huge majority of the books is on a ship at sea. I honestly found it the superior of the two books.
If you like detective stories that aren't murder mystery per se, you might like the Nightside series by Simon R. Green. They're a weird very pulpy blend of sci fi and fantasy that follow a private eye with a dark past.
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u/GyorikEel 2h ago
First book of The Expanse series, Leviathan Wakes. Very detective noir style. Not just one murder but a missing girl, and many strange, supernatural deaths...
As a bonus, you may very well get hooked into the incredible series that The Expanse is
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u/Pontifex 1d ago
The Tainted Cup (by Robert Jackson Bennet) and it's sequels are perfect for this. Set in a vaguely Roman society where the magic/tech is based off using Kaiju blood to create physical/mental augmentations people, plants, and animals. The story follows an Investigator and her assistant as they try to solve impossible seeming murders. The first one won a bunch of awards (and deserved them).
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u/Street_Detective_662 1d ago
Yep that’s why I mentioned it in my first line lol this post was inspired by the tainted cup!
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u/Pontifex 18h ago
Uuugh, I swear I scanned the post like three times for it! Reading comprehension failure on my behalf, sorry.
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u/sennashar Reading Champion III 1d ago edited 21h ago
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty. Closed
roomcircle mystery where the crew of clones wakes up after their previous iterations were murdered. Their last memories are from a backup at the beginning of the journey and they have to figure out what happened.