Christie Cravings: 2024's Most Delectable Crimes Series
- Caroline Hamar
- Nov 3, 2024
- 4 min read
There's something deliciously irresistible about autumn that makes me yearn for a good murder mystery. Perhaps it's the lengthening shadows, the crackle of leaves underfoot, the rain giving the perfect excuse to curl up with a steaming cup of tea and a freshly committed crime on paper - of course.
After binge-watching the BBC's "Ludwig" and devouring the latest season of "Only Murders in the Building" on Hulu, I've found myself craving more of that quintessential cozy murder aesthetic. You know the one – where carefully curated strangers find themselves trapped together, their secrets slowly unraveling, culminating in that moment when all is revealed in a room full of suspects.
For fellow lovers of literary homicide, I've compiled five utterly captivating murder mystery series, each boasting fresh releases in 2024. I have worked my way through most of these and in an attempt to satisfy my Christie cravings, I researched my next “victims” - as it were - and found a few more series I can’t wait to dive into.
1. Tom Hindle's Lake Garda Series: Where Escape is Never an Option
Hindle has mastered the art of the contained mystery, creating claustrophobic scenarios where suspects can't simply carry on with their lives or spread out across towns and cities.
His latest, "Murder on Lake Garda" (July 2024), was, for me, the most enjoyable yet. Picture this: a tiny Italian island, a wedding party full of secrets, and a murder that turns "til death do us part" into something far more immediate. Then mix in money, famous influencers, agents and photoshoots!
His debut, "A Fatal Crossing," transports us to the roaring twenties aboard a transatlantic cruise ship, where an elderly passenger's death at the bottom of a stairwell sets Scotland Yard's Inspector Temple on a collision course with the ship's officer, Birch. It's less "cozy" and more contemplative, diving deep into the cold waters of sorrow, guilt and redemption.
Then there's "The Murder Game" – a much more fun tale where guests at a remote Exmoor hotel gather on New Years Eve for a murder mystery game, only to find themselves investigating an actual killing.
Classic Hindle: strangers trapped together, secrets bubbling to the surface, and nowhere to run.
2. Seishi Yokomizo: The Golden Age of whodunnits
Seishi Yokomizo's "The Little Sparrow Murders" exemplifies why he's sold over 55 million whodunnits in Japan. Picture this: the remote mountain village of Onikobe, a decades-old murder mystery, and fresh corpses arranged in macabre poses matching an eerie children's song.
The sixth installment in the beloved Kosuke Kindaichi series follows our disheveled detective as he responds to an old friend's request to investigate a twenty-year-old case. But what starts as a cold case investigation quickly spirals into a deadly game of cat and mouse when new victims appear, their deaths choreographed to mirror dark local folklore.
While "The Honjin Murders" introduced Kindaichi's deductive prowess and "The Inugami Curse" showcased family intrigue, "The Little Sparrow Murders" demonstrates Yokomizo's talent for weaving together village histories, generational rivalries, and folklore into an intricate mystery. The solution demands understanding not just the present crimes, but the village's tangled past.
From remote villages to islands to the streets of Toyko Yokomizo immerses us in the world of Japanese crime writing. The novel, and the series, is a masterful call-back to the golden age of the whodunnit.
3. Richard Osman: Where Murder Meets Mischief
Osman burst onto the scene with his beloved Thursday Murder Club series in 2021 which sees four friends in a gated retirement community who meet every Thursday to solve cold cases. However, a murder right on their doorstep means they have their first live case! It’s like The Famous Five but form the other end of the timeline- instead of kids investigating crimes in their spare time, it’s retired folk. And Osman’s quirky descriptions and conversational style bring these odd characters to life.
But his new offering, "We Solve Murders" (October 2024), proves he's far from a one-trick pony.
This fresh series pairs retired detective Steve Wheeler with his daughter-in-law Amy, a security officer, in a combination that reads like a brilliant buddy cop comedy meets classic whodunit. When Amy, guarding a famous author on a remote island, discovers a body and a bag of money, who else would she call but her somewhat reluctant, set-in-his-ways, father-in-law?
It’s all brought together with Osmand’s conversational style, random antidotes and odd descriptions which bring both series to life. That and his gift for creating characters who feel like old friends – quirky, lovable, and absolutely unforgettable.
3. Robert Thorogood's Marlow Murder Club: Sisters in Crime
Who knew retirement could be so deadly? Meet Judith Potts – Times crossword creator, whiskey enthusiast, and accidental detective. By "Queen of Poisons" (June 2024), Judith and her partners-in-crime-solving, Suzie and Becks, have graduated from nosy neighbors to official Civilian Advisors to the police. This time, they're tackling the murder of the mayor in their sleepy town of Marlow.
What makes this series shine is its celebration of female friendship. These women aren't sidekicks – they're a triumvirate of amateur sleuths, each bringing their own unique skills to the investigation table.
4. Anthony Horowitz's Meta-Mysteries: Where Fiction Meets Reality
Imagine being both the author and a character in your own murder mystery. That's exactly what Horowitz has done in his brilliant series featuring ex-Scotland Yard detective Daniel Hawthorne. Their latest adventure, "Close to Death" (September 2024), involves a crossbow, a thoroughly unlikeable victim, and a neighborhood full of suspects who all had reason to want the deceased out of the picture.
These books are like Russian nesting dolls of mystery – stories within stories, Horowitz gives us an insight into the publishing world, the mystery world and his own world!
5. Nita Prose's Maid Mysteries: Murder from the Margins
Meet Molly, the most observant maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, whose neurodivergent perspective brings a fascinating new lens to the murder mystery genre. In "The Mystery Guest" (July 2024), a seemingly simple death in the tearoom becomes anything but, with Molly holding not just the metaphorical key to solving the crime, but literal access to every room in the hotel.
What makes this series truly special is Molly herself – a protagonist who navigates a world of subtle social cues and hidden meanings while solving crimes with her own unique logic and attention to detail.
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