Mysteries and Thrillers About Writers and Authors have surged in popularity in the last few years. This trend is going strong in 2025 with more new fiction books about authors in danger, author rivals, and even author murderers! Let’s check out the history and current state of “meta” mystery books by and about writers!
Table of Contents: Mystery Books About Writers
- authors in danger from stalkers and figures from their pasts,
- suspenseful books about murderous author rivals
- mysteries and thrillers about authors who are possibly … criminals themselves!
New Mystery Books About Writers for 2025:
- You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pleigo
- Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
- I Might Be In Trouble by Daniel Aleman
- Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
- The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
- Someone Knows by Vi Keeland
- Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman
- A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder by Melinda Mullet
This list contains Amazon affiliate links and I may receive a small percentage of qualifying purchases.
Mysteries and Thrillers About Writers and Authors
The older I get the more I realize that everything old is new again. Mystery Books and Thrillers that feature writers are not a brand new thing, so let’s take a second to give credit to the OGs!
Early versions of the Writer Detective (or Writer Character) in Mystery Novels and TV Shows
- Way back in the 1920s, the Golden Age of Mystery, Dorothy Sayers wrote about Harriet Vane, a mystery writer who was put on trial for the murder of her lover. Juicy stuff!
- There was Murder She Wrote in the 1980s and 90s, a popular TV show about a mystery writer who solved mysteries that spawned a tie-in book series.
- Stephen King also wrote Misery in the 1980s. This story about a writer kidnapped by a deranged fan was made into an Oscar-winning 1990s movie.
- In the early 2000s, there was another writer/detective on TV who solved mysteries, Richard Castle, plus a tie-in series.
- The Gothic suspense story The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield featured a reclusive writer and was hugely popular in the early 2000s.
NEW Mysteries and Thrillers About Writers
I’m dividing the list into categories:
- Writers with Rivals, Enemies, and Stalkers
- Writers Suspected of Murder
- Writer/Author Detectives
- Writers as Crime Victims
- Ghostwriters
Fiction about writers with rivals, enemies and stalkers
Who knew that writers were such a petty and backstabbing bunch! Clearly they make perfect (fictional) villains and victims!
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
Creepy and mysterious, Beautiful Ugly features Grady Green, a writer who is struggling with crippling writer’s block after the disappearance of his wife, Abby.
He heads to the Isle of Amberley, Scotland, to unplug and finish his book. But all on the island is not what it seems. When a solution to his writer’s block seems to drop right in his lap, is it a gift or a trap?
Check out my Review with Spoilers for Beautiful Ugly.
Someone Knows by Vi Keeland
A professor of writing receives a writing assignment from one of her students. “Hannah” seems to know a LOT about a very deep dark secret from her past. Who is this creepy stalker and what is she up to?
Check out my Readers Guide With Spoilers to Someone Knows, a spicy new thriller for fans of Verity!
You Are Fatally Invited by Andre Pliego
A fun retelling of And Then There Were None with writers, puzzles, and dark games. Really fun, though if you’ve read the Christie book you may find some clues there to solving this one!
Yellowface by R.F Kuang
Sly and satirical, this book features a struggling white writer who steals her Asian friend’s manuscript after their tragic death. Yellowface is a story about toxic female friendship, writer rivalries, and also a takedown of the publishing industry. Check out my review of Yellowface!
I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Another writer frenemies story featuring two rival women writers and all their tangled relationship. This does feel similar to Yellowface but is more of a clever cat-and-mouse story as both writers are alive and present during all or most of the story. Here’s my review (with SPOILERS) of I’m Not Done With You Yet.
The Haters by Robyn Harding
I hadn’t had great luck with this author, but because of its “writer in peril” theme, I decided to try it. I was pleasantly surprised. The Haters is about a debut author who begins to realize that someone out there really, really hates her (and her book).
A fun and page-during read. Check out my Review of the Haters!
Disclaimer by Renée Knight
I didn’t read this when it came out in 2015, but it’s recently been adapted for Apple TV.
I haven’t yet started the show, but I think the book is interesting. It’s about a woman who gets a mysterious book in the mail and when she reads it, realizes that it’s a fictionalized version of a secret of hers she thought no one knew.
Check out my Page to Screen post on Disclaimer.
Dream Girl by Laura Lippman
Laura Lippman stepped outside her usual procedural, suspense and historical mystery lane to create this creepy book that felt a lot like Misery. I liked it, but many Gooreads raters and commenters on my Spoiler Discussion post from Dream Girl felt otherwise.
Read it, see what you think, and join our discussion!
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
A female writer gets invited to a retreat run by her writing idol. And … surprise! Her frenemy is there. And … surprise! Everyone attending must complete a novel in a month with the winner receiving a publishing deal. Knives out! The Writing Retreat wasn’t my favorite, and I explain why in my review.
The Widow on Dwyer Court
An author who is going through a dry spell is intrigued and then a bit alarmed when a mysterious new woman moves into her neighborhood. Is she a friend, frenemy or enemy? Check out my Review of The Widow on Dwyer Court!
Mysteries and Fiction about Crime Writers Suspected of a Crime
Genius concept! Who would be better at plotting (and covering up) a murder than a mystery writer? These fun books are about mystery writers accused or suspected of a dastardly crime!
Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
This sequel to Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone takes place on a crime writing festival on a train. Such a fun callback to Murder on the Orient Express, and you’ll see that there are several “murder on a train” travel thrillers and I did a post on them!
Past Lying by Val McDermid
I LOVED this installment in the Karen Pirie procedural series about a mystery writer who might have committed the perfect crime. I loved it so much that I went back and read the other books during my summer vacation AND watched the show based on book one, which is free on Amazon Prime with a BritBox trial subscription.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
I kind of wonder whether this book about a writing teacher whose student says he has an unbeatable concept for a book … and then dies. Can this teacher let this amazing concept die along with him?? Check out my Spoiler Discussion of The Plot, a very fun book. And the sequel to the plot, called the Sequel (haha) is coming soon!
The Sequel (Plot #2) by Jean Hanff Korelitz: coming in October 2024
Stay tuned for my review!!
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Verity is a love it or hate it book that has divided both the romance and thriller communities. I love Gothic fiction and though it was a great modern Gothic story. Whether you passionately loved or hated the book, join my Spoiler Discussion for Verity by Colleen Hoover!
The Last Word by Taylor Adams
A woman staying in an isolated house with her dog writes a negative review of a book she read and suddenly she’s being stalked and terrorized. Is the author responsible? Check out my Review of The Last Word by Taylor Adams!
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
The writer in this creepy domestic suspense story isn’t a main character, but still a mysterious presence. Did he kill anyone and did anyone kill him? We debate this in my Spoiler Discussion for Rock Paper Scissors, so join us! Rock Paper Scissors will also be coming to Netflix, so read it now!
End of Story by AJ Finn
I liked this book by the author of The Woman in the Window more than pretty much everyone else. It’s about a famous author who has had a lot of misfortune and now wants his story told. Is he guilty of something? Read my Review of End of Story.
Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard
A young actress excited for her big break gets the part of a lifetime. But is she starring in a movie, or a real-life horror scene masterminded by a madman? Check out my Review of Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard!
Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
An iconic British author (think Enid Blyton) might have been sneaking secret messages in her books? This epistolary story is diabolically complex and reading it is like putting a puzzle together. Check out my Review of The Twyford Code
Mysteries with Writer Detectives
The Main Character Jaclyn Goldis
This wasn’t my favorite, but has a really cool concept about a thriller author who organizes a train trip on the Mediterranean. Murder is on the itinerary! Check out my Review of The Main Character!
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
This book had such a great premise. It sounded like a game of Clue and was about a group of writers working in the Boston Public Library when … there’s a bloodcurdling scream. Check out my Review of The Woman in the Library.
The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor
I LOVE Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and made a whole list of books and films inspired by it. While The Fiction Writer was not my favorite, it was an intriguing and vibe-y book. Check out my Review of The Fiction Writer.
Mysteries with Writers who are Crime Victims
NO SPOILERS here. In this books, the premise is an author who turns up missing or dead. Who did it?
A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison
A Very Bad Thing was a BANGER of a suspense story. It’s crammed with fun tropes and is extremely page-turning. When a hugely popular writer is murdered on tour, who did it? Check out my Review of A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison.
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
So I have NOT read this series (yet) I have watched season one of the very fun Masterpiece Theater adaptation of Magpie Murders, and I recommend it! Susan Ryeland (not related) is a literary agent who has to solve the mysterious death of her famous client. This book is also a fun Story Within a Story!
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
This historical mystery is a little bit different but I loved it. It’s a re-imagining of the real life disappearance of Agatha Christie and I highly recommend it to Christie fans, historical mystery fans, and readers of women’s fiction! Check out my Spoiler Discssion for The Christie Affair here!
The Last Word by Elly Griffiths
A pair of amateur detectives investigates the deathof a local writer. Then another writer turns up dead. What is going on? Check out my review of The Last Word here!
Mysteries and Thrillers About Ghostwriters
There’s a new sub-trend, which is … ghostwriters!
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
I loved this story of a ghostwriter hired by her own father to ghostwrite his memoir about a murder he was suspected of committing as a teenager!
Check out my Readers Guide to The Ghostwriter!
Other Mysteries and Suspense Books About Ghostwriters
I have not read these yet but I will try to get to them. If you have thoughts, leave them in comments!
Eye of the Beholder by Emma Bamford
The Sublet by Greer Hendricks
Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder by Melinda Muller
Burn Before Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard
Did I forget one of your favorite?Please tell me in the comments!
There is also the Anthony Horowitz series where he appears as himself as the sidekick to the main detective, Daniel Hawthorne. (Hawthorne & Horowitz).
Hi Heidi
Thank you so much for recommending these! I only knew Horowitz from the Alex Rider middle grade children’s series from the 2000s. I only recently realized that he has been writing adult books too.
Magpie Murders was so clever and I will definitely check this series out!!
I LOVE this “books about writers” trope. Thank you for compiling this list, Jen. I must admit that you’ve have influenced my reading taste; if you say a book isn’t good, I will delete it from my bloated TBR.
Well, I try not to say a book is no good. If I think a book is really terrible I stop reading 🙂
Glad you loved the list. I am also living for this new trend as it’s so fun!