The classic locked room mystery (or its close cousin, the closed circle mystery) is making a comeback in a big way. If you love this concept, I have a list of 35+ Locked Room Mysteries and Thrillers, past and present. Which of these have you read?
My 35 Favorite Locked Room Mysteries and Closed Circle Mysteries
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New in 2026:
- The Midnight Taxi (murder inside a taxi!)
- The Ending Writes Itself (though I think that You Are Fatally Invited is much better!)
- The Library After Dark (cool gothic fairytale vibe!)
New in 2025:
- The Inheritance
- You Are Fatally Invited
- A Killing Cold
- Sunburned
- A Girl Like Us
- Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten
- With a Vengeance
- The classics: And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- Most creative settings: upscale rehab in The Clinic by Cate Quinn, an Antarctic ocean liner in Midnight by Amy McCullough, a diving bell in The Chamber, a taxi in The Midnight Taxi, a haunted library in The Library After Dark.
- Most interpersonal drama: The Guest List by Lucy Foley and The Search Party by Hannah Richell
Free on Kindle Unlimited (as of June 2026)
- FREE on Kindle Unlimited: House of Glass, A Killing Cold, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, and Daisy Darker! (All updated as of June 2026; please message me in comments if this goes out of date before I check!)
What is a Locked Room Mystery?
- At its most literal: a victim found dead inside a locked room. How did the murderer commit the crime and then escape?
- But most locked room mysteries are actually Closed Circle Mysteries: a group of murder suspects trapped together in a confined area or space — like in a house or hotel, on a boat or an island — from which there is no easy escape. Or they can be trapped by weather, or some other force outside their control.
In all locked room mysteries:
- a limited number of suspects,
- a diabolical puzzle to be solved
- an escalating feeling of paranoia, claustrophobia, and suspense.
Best Locked Room Mysteries and Thrillers
I’m breaking down locked room mysteries by type. There is some overlap in the categories, of course!
- Murder in a Locked Room or House
- Trapped By The Weather!
- Friends Getaway
- Planes Trains and Boats
- House Party
Murder in a Locked Room or House Mysteries
The Library After Dark by Ande Pliego
- A private evening tour of a mysterious New York City library with a dark past
- The guests start dying one by one
Check out my Readers Guide for The Library After Dark!
The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunasekera
- A young female NYC taxi driver picks up an airport fare
- By the time they arrive at departures at JFK airport … he’s dead.
The Chamber by Will Dean
- The most claustrophobic locked room mystery I have ever read!
- Set in a hyperbaric diving chamber, there are very few suspects and a high body count!
Check out my Review (with spoilers) for The Chamber!
House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
- Only five people in a modern house (a couple, their daughter, her grandmother, and a nanny.) When one of them ends up dead, who did it?
I really enjoyed the limited suspects! Check out my Review of House of Glass here!
The Clinic by Cate Quinn
- Death in an exclusive rehab in the Pacific Northwest, complete with minor celebrities.
- It was unusual for a locked room setting and also a sister story.
Check out my Review of The Clinic here!
Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf
- With its reality show premise, this book is fun for fans of Big Brother.
- No, the house isn’t exactly locked, but you are contractually obligated to stay — and be in danger!
Check out my Review of Everyone is Watching here!
Malice by Keigo Higashino
- When a bestselling novelist is found murdered in his locked office inside his locked house, a police detective must get to the bottom of things.
- A classic in the subgenre and as of the updating of this post in November 2024, it is free on Kindle unlimited!
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (young adult)
- This wildly popular young adult locked room mystery made YA mystery popular again!
- For adults, it’s also a fun 80s throwback to John Hughes movies. A group of kids: a queen bee, an athlete, a brain, an outcast, and a gossip blogger, are all sent to detention. When one of them dies, who did it?
Check out my series spoiler review of One of Us is Lying
Trapped by the Weather Locked Room Mysteries
A random group of people is trapped by a blizzard, a terrible storm, or some other kind of natural disaster.
A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall – new in 2025!
- this psychological suspense story with a Gothic feel features a new bride meeting her husband’s family over the holidays
- she can’t remember much of her childhood, but feels like she’s been to their estate before
- when things get truly chilling, a huge storm traps them all
Check out my Review of A Killing Cold With Spoilers
The Unwedding by Ally Condie
- A group of wedding guests at an isolated Big Sur resort is trapped by a storm.
- Then members of the wedding party start dying.
- A June 2024 Reese’s Book Club pick
Check out my Review (with spoilers!) of The Unwedding here.
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
- A British police detective on vacation in Switzerland is trapped in a resort by the storm and has to solve a mysterious series of murders.
- A Reese’s Book Club pick
Come join my Spoiler Review Discussion for The Sanatorium.
Breathless by Amy McCullough
- A group of elite mountaineers are trapped on a peak in extreme weather with a murderer.
- Read my review of Breathless.
The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh
- As a hurricane bears down on Houston, a recently divorcing woman and her young son reluctantly shelter with the woman’s judge-y older sister and her family.
- As the rain and water rise, so does the family drama!
Check out my review of Night of the Storm here!
No Exit by Taylor Adams
- A young woman trapped in a storm at a rest stop discovers that one of the motorists trapped alongside her has kidnapped a child.
- Who is it and how can she stop them!
I hadn’t read this but it’s super popular on all my thriller reader groups!
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
The guests at a charming inn in the Catskills are trapped by a blizzard. No worries; they will curl up with a book by the fireplace. Until one guest dies, then a second.
Check out my post on What is the Best Book by Shari Lapena?
Friends Getaway Locked Room Mysteries
For more titles like these, check out my list of Friend Group Thrillers!
A friends’ getaway sound so fun. But with friends like these, who needs enemies? These sometimes include a weather element, just to make sure the group is good and trapped…
The Search Party by Hannah Richell
- We all loved The Guest List by Lucy Foley and there are many similar books.
- But The Search Party takes the premise in many new and interesting directions.
- A group of friends from university, along with their partners and children, gather for a glamping trip that goes terribly, terribly wrong!
I highly recommend it – my review of The Search Party is here!
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
- A reclusive crime writer is invited to a girls’ getaway at a remote country house.
- She wakes up covered in blood.
Check out my post on What’s the Best Book by Ruth Ware?
One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke
- Six women gather for a bachelorette party on a Greek island.
- One of them ends up dead.
If you love a good (thrilling!) wedding story, check out my post on Wedding Mysteries and Thrillers
Shiver by Allie Reynolds
- Years after the tragic death of their friend, a group of former elite snowboarders gather together to honor her.
- But one of them has murderous intentions!
Check out my Goodreads review of Shiver by Allie Reynolds.
Locked Room Mysteries on Planes, Trains and Boats
I have a full post on Thrillers Set on Planes, Trains and Boats, but here are a few favorites:
With a Vengeance by Riley Sager – new in 2025!
- A historical mystery set on a train from Chicago to Philadelphia
- And Then There Were None meets Murder on the Orient Express
- Check out my Readers Guide for With A Vengeance!
Sunburned by Katherine Wood
- This closed circle mystery starts in St. Barts, but then moves to a yacht, where things get deadly!
- Check out my Readers Guide to Sunburned
Midnight by Amy McCullough – new in 2024!
- I mentioned Amy McCullough’s mountain climbing locked room book above. Her next book, Midnight, set on an ocean liner headed for Antarctica, so another locked room (ship) scenario.
- Check out my review of Midnight!
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
- A stressed-out travel writer takes a job writing about a new small cruise ship.
- After she’s trapped on board with patchy internet, she witnesses a murder and no one believes her.
Check out my review of The Woman in Cabin 10 and also my post on What is the Best Book by Ruth Ware?
And WHOA there’s a sequel: The Woman in Suite 11 – check out my Readers Guide and memory refresher
Five Survive by Holly Jackson (young adult)
- A spring break trip in an RV goes horribly wrong when the group gets lost down a remote road with no cell service, four flat tires, and a psycho sniper shooting at them.
Check out my Review of Five Survive!
Locked Room Mysteries Set at a House Party
You’re enjoying an expensive holiday at a private island, a remote resort, or a secluded country manor, and then, there’s a murder! Read these before you RSVP yes!
There’s some overlap with the friend getaway category!
You Are Fatally Invited by Andre Pliego – new in 2025
- A group of writers is invited to a gathering on a private island
- There are games and gifts, but does their mysterious host have dark motives?
- This book feels like And Then There Were None!
Check out my Review With Spoilers for You Are Fatally Invited!
The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha – new in 2025!
- A wealthy family gathers on a private Scottish island to celebrate an anniversary
- But things get VERY dark as old resentments and new secrets come to light
- Who will survive?
Check out my Review with Spoilers for The Inheritance!
There Should Have Been Eight by Nailini Singh
- Seven friends and their partners gather together at the isolated family estate of one of the group. They are there to remember one of their own.
- One by one, they start being attacked. Who is responsible and how can they be stopped?
Check out my Review of There Should Have Been Eight (with spoilers) here!
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
- The Darker family gathers for their Nana’s birthday at her remote mansion.
- But one member after the other dies.
- Join my Spoiler Discussion for Daisy Darker!
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- Guests gather on a remote island off the coast of Ireland for the wedding.
- But right after the happy couple says their vows and champagne corks pop, there’s a murder.
- Join my Spoiler Discussion Post for the Guest List and check out my list of Wedding Thrillers.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- Ten people with secrets arrive at an isolated mansion.
- One by one, they share their secrets.
- One by one, they are murdered.
They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall
- Seven strangers receive invitations for a vacation on a remote island under false pretenses.
- All of them have secrets.
- And strange “accidents” start happening to each one.
- Free on Kindle Unlimited!
Her Dark Lies by J. T. Ellison
- At a wedding on an island off the coast of Italy, a bride to be learns that strange things seem to happen to the woman marrying into her husband’s family.
Check out my review of Her Dark Lies and join my Spoiler Discussion!
Do you have a locked room mystery to add to my list? Tell me in the comments!