I love reading. I love podcasts. What is better than both in one? Thrilling Books That Feature Podcasts! This post contains Thrillers and Suspense Novels that feature podcasters, YouTubers, documentary filmmakers, and nosy journalists!
Thrilling Books That Feature Podcasts as a Plot Element
Following the debut of Serial in 2014, there has been an explosion of true crime podcasts. So it’s not surprising that podcast elements have started to trickle down into crime fiction as well. Here’s my list of YA and Adult Mysteries and Thrillers that have podcast elements, CrimeTubers, and nosy journalists poking into old crimes!
Adult Thrillers With Podcast Elements
Here’s a list of adult thrillers that incorporate podcasts into their plots. I’ve read all of them except I Know You Know, so if you have questions, please leave a comment!
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum (2026)
Benny and Joy are best friends whose survival comedy podcast has rocketed to success. But one day Joy and her husband vanish, leaving Benny frantic and confused. Can he figure out what happened to Joy.
The Lost House by Melissa Larsen (2025)
Check out my Review of The Lost House!
When an American woman heads to Iceland to be interviewed for a podcast about a terrible crime that rocked her family — and the town — decades ago, she isn’t prepared for the chilling weather or the chilling family secrets that will be unearthed!
The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao (2025)
This comic thriller is about three woman who discover they were dating the same guy. When he turns up dead, they must solve the crime … because they are the prime suspects. And a snarky podcast is breathing down their necks….
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson (2025)
Poe is a podcaster who invites listeners on her show to tell their darkest secrets. But Poe has a secret too, and someone insists that she discuss it on a live broadcast.
On the Surface by Rachel McGuire (2024)
Dani and Sawyer are couple of Yacht Tubers chronicling their sailing around the world. But one day Dani disappears and Sawyer can’t remember the night she vanished.
In a series of pre-recorded videos, Dani begins to reveal more…
Check out my review of On The Surface!
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (2024)
Check out my review of Listen for the Lie here!
Lucy was happy to leave her small Texas hometown. First, her marriage fell apart there. If that wasn’t bad enough, everyone thought she killed her best friend, Savvy.
But her grandmother’s birthday is approaching and a nosy podcaster is circling. Lucy really can’t remember what happened the night of Savvy’s death, but maybe she better try.
The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene (2024)
Check out my Review with Spoilers for The Lake of Lost Girls!
This book with a past/present narrative uses a familiar format: a new podcast dives into a set of cold cases from the late 1990s. The younger sister of one of the victims, now an adult, is drawn back into the horror of her sister’s disappearance. But she can’t stop wanting answers!
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels (2024)
Check out my Review of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels with spoilers!
This epistolary book is about two competing journalists looking into a weird and cryptic set of cult murders. No, there’s no podcast, but the investigative elements are strong (and the story is CRAZY!)
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (2023)
Read my Review of I Have Some Questions For You – and my Spoiler Discussion.
Why is it on this list? The main character is a podcaster who returns to her former boarding school for a reunion. She (and a group of current students from her former boarding school) make a podcast about a 1990s murder that happened at the school.
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (2023)
Why is None of This is True on this list? The book has both a podcaster and then a Netflix show about the book itself. Plus, there are actual podcast episodes on Apple podcasts. It’s very meta!
Check out my review of None of This is True and my Spoiler Discussion Post!
Celebrating her birthday, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with a woman called Josie Fair who is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to make her the subject of a podcast. But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that she has become the subject of her own true crime.
The Secrets We Buried by Becca Day (2023)
Why is The Secrets We Buried on this list? The book features a True Crime Youtuber who decides to look into a murder, which unsettles a group of friends keeping secrets about the case.
Read my review of The Secrets We Buried here!
What is The Secrets We Buried about? When Frankie moves into her new seaside home, her new neighbors – sophisticated Zara, steely Nadine and chatty Geneva, draw her into their group.
But one morning Geneva’s body is found on the beach. Everyone believes her husband must be guilty.
But one person will do whatever it takes to make sure that one secret never comes to the surface…
Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin (2023)
Read my Review of Night Will Find You!
Vivvy was ten when her psychic abilities aved a boy’s life.
Now she’s an astrophysicist in Texas, and the boy she saved has become a cop.
When he asks for her help on the high-profile cold case of a kidnapped girl, Vivvy is forced to team up with skeptical detective Jesse Sharp
As she tries to catch a kidnapper, Vivvy becomes the target of a conspiracy theorist podcaster.
Don’t Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKanna (2023)
Check out my thoughts on Don’t Forget the Girl!
Twelve years ago, 18-year-old University of Iowa freshman Abby Hartmann disappeared. Now, Jon Allan Blue, the serial killer suspected of her murder, is about to be executed. Abby’s best friends, Bree and Chelsea, watch as Abby’s memory is unearthed and overshadowed by Blue and his flashier crimes.
The friends, estranged in the wake of Abby’s disappearance, and suffering from years of unvoiced resentments, must reunite when a high-profile podcast dedicates its next season to Blue’s murders.
Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier (2022)
Check out my Review of Things We Do in the Dark and my Spoiler Review of Things We Do in the Dark!
Why is Things We Do in the Dark on this list?
This thriller has a podcaster character who is trying to get to the truth about a woman he loved and lost decades ago.
Night Swim by Megan Goldin (2020)
A podcaster travels to a small coastal town to cover a rape trial, and also gets drawn into an unsolved murder case.
You can read my review of Night Swim here and find my Spoiler Review and Discussion of Night Swim here.
Conviction by Denise Mina (2019)
A true crime podcast sets a trophy wife’s present life on a collision course with her secret past.
You can read my review of Conviction here.
I Know You Know by Gilly Macmillan (2018)
Cody Swift, haunted by the deaths of his childhood best friends and hoping to uncover new evidence, starts a podcast.
I haven’t read this but want to. Let me know in comments if it’s good!
YA Books That Feature Podcasts
This is a list of young adult books that incorporate podcasts into their plot. These are all excellent books, but here’s a guide to find the right one for you!
- Most heart-wrenching: Sadie by Courtney Summers
- For fans of Heartstopper: Radio Silence by Alice Osman
- Rebecca inspired: I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick
- Most addictive: Good Girl Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
- Ripped from the headlines: The Reappearance of Rachel Price
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson (2024)
I feel CERTAIN this book was heavily inspired by a real true crime case and have no one to talk to about it. Yes, it features a documentary about a fictional true crime disappearance.
If you want to know more, check out my Spoiler Discussion for The Reappearance of Rachel Price!
Sadie by Courtney Summers (2018)
Why is Sadie on this list?
The book is a podcast about a tragic death and disappearance.
What is Sadie about?
Sadie has no idea that her journey to avenge her beloved younger sister’s death will soon become the subject of a blockbuster podcast.
Read my review of Sadie!
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman (2016)
In a world determined to shut them up, knock them down, and set them on a cookie cutter life path, Frances and Aled struggle to find their voices through a podcast.
I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick (2020)
What is I Killed Zoe Spanos About?
When Anna Cicconi arrives in Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year’s Eve.
Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe, and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case.
Two months later, Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth?
Check out my thoughts about I Killed Zoe Spanos on my post of Rebecca retellings!
Good Girl, Bad Blood (Good Girl’s Guide #2) by Holly Jackson (2020)
Why is Good Girl Bad Blood on this list? In this second book in the Good Girl’s Guide Series, main character Pippa starts a podcast to chronicle all she learned looking into a notorious crime in her town.
My Review of Good Girl Bad Blood is here! Also check out my Series Spoiler Review of the Entire Good Girl series.
In book one of this series, high school detective re-investigates a notorious murder-suicide. In this second installment, she records a podcast about the case.
I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan (2020)
Ten years ago, Dee witnessed the abduction of her best friend, Sibby. At night, Dee deals with her guilt by becoming someone else: the Seeker, the voice behind the popular true crime podcast Radio Silent.
The Headmaster’s List by Melissa de la Cruz (2023)
Honors student Spencer has amnesia after a tragic car accident that injured her, killed a fellow classmate, and spelled the end of her relationship with her boyfriend. With the Get Salty podcast sniffing around the case, can Spencer get to the bottom of what happened that night?
Check out my review of The Headmaster’s List on my YA site, YA All Day!
True Crime Memoirs
If you love true crime podcasts, try these three!
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (2018)
This posthumous memoir, completed after the author’s death, focuses on her obsession with a notorious serial killer. I recently read this one and it is such a wonderful memoir of a true crime lover and talented writer who died (accidentally) too young.
True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray by James Rennert.
A journalist haunted by the disappearance of a childhood friend becomes obsessed with a missing persons cast. I also read this one recently. If you know the Maura Murray case, this is a memoir about how the author’s childhood experience led him to a fixation on Maura’s case. (Some people think his fixation goes WAY too far.)
Who Killed My Daughter by Lois Duncan
If you’re a reader of 1980s YA, you’ll remember this author. After her daughter was tragically murdered, thriller writer Lois Duncan is determined to get to the truth in this harrowing, heartbreaking memoir.
Let’s talk about our favorite podcasts in comments! I have really enjoyed To Live and Die in LA, Murder on the Cape, and Unraveled.
I loved Radio Silence! Zoe Spanos is on my list to read…
I feel like Radio Silence was under appreciated so glad to give it some love!