For all the readers who don’t mind chocolate in their peanut butter, here’s a list of exciting sci-fi and fantasy books that dip into the mystery genre. Mystery novels are always a good time, but mystery novels with demons, monsters, sorceresses, and space ships? Now that’s an epic nerd-purr! (And if you enjoy sci-fi mysteries, check out this list of even more that I’ve loved.)
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
This is a really fun fantasy novel that reimagines Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters. But this time, the detective is a sorceress, Shaharazad Haas, whose new flatmate, Captain John Wyndham, joins her on a case almost immediately after moving into 221b Martyrs Walk. Shaharazad’s ex-lover is being blackmailed, and the case will take the duo all over London and have them crossing paths with some shady suspects, both human and otherworldly, as they search for the culprit.
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
This is an excellent sci-fi noir that hasn’t received nearly enough attention. It’s like a 1940s mystery set aboard a cruise ship in space! Tesla Crane is a famous inventor and heiress who is traveling on a space liner when her honeymoon is rudely interrupted by a murder. And to make matters worse, her husband is arrested as the lead suspect by the ship’s security. Tesla will have to figure things out herself if she wants her husband to be freed before they arrive at their destination.
The Shamshine Blind by Paz Pardo
And if you want more sci-fi noir, then this book will scratch that itch. It’s a wildly original tale about an alternate United States, where chemical weapons have been created that cause emotions. The colorful weapons are quickly adopted to be used recreationally and for medical treatments. Kay Curtida is an agent with Psychopigment Enforcement, which investigates the black market sales of the drugs. And Kay’s new case has the potential to make her career…if she can survive it.
Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk
This is the book on the list that I hope will have a sequel one day. It’s a dark queer fantasy about a Chicago steeped in magic. The main character is a detective who sold her soul to save her brother’s life. But now she’s in love and has more to lose. So when Hell comes calling, they have a deal for the detective: find the active serial killer, the White City Vampire, in three days or less and she can stay with her sweetheart. But three days is not a lot of time to find a cunning killer being hunted by the police.
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The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
Any list can be made better by adding a Colson Whitehead novel! In his debut, Lila Mae is an elevator inspector who can perform safety checks by using her powers of intuition. But when there’s a tragedy involving an elevator in a new building, Lila Mae is blamed for the accident, even though she has a spotless record and is never wrong. Someone is trying to set her up, and cast doubt on all intuitionists, and she’ll have to play detective to stop them.
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Instagram and Bluesky.
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