The Best Mysteries and Thrillers for True Crime Podcast Listeners

The Midnight Taxi starts — around midnight in an NYC taxi, obviously — with protagonist Siriwathi Perera listening to true crime podcasts while driving drunken passengers home from their various debaucheries. But when she discovers that her last rider of the night has somehow been murdered in her backseat, Siriwathi will have to put her true crime knowledge to use to defend herself. It’s an exciting, puzzle-like mystery set across the boroughs of New York.

Benny and Joy are the beloved hosts of a popular survival stories podcast. But their way of finding fun and humor in near-death experiences can’t help Benny when he arrives at Joy’s house to record an episode, only to find broken glass and both Joy and her husband — their podcast producer — missing. Told between Benny’s attempts to find Joy and glimpses into the past through Joy’s partially written memoir found in the house, it’s a genre-bending mystery with lots to reveal.

Breanna and her boyfriend, Ty, were supposed to have a relaxing weekend in Jersey City. But on the last day of the trip, Bree finds the dead body of white woman everyone on the true crime-obsessed internet has been searching for lying right in the foyer of their rental house, and Ty has disappeared. How can Breanna get out of this without becoming the villain of a true crime podcast?

Whoever said murder can’t be romantic? This twisty romantic thriller stars true crime podcast lover Hannah, who writes a letter to a man named William, who is in prison for murdering four women. They become unlikely pen pals, and Hannah can’t believe that she’s somehow falling for him. When a fifth woman is murdered while William is behind bars, the court decides William can’t be guilty and releases him. Hannah and William can really be together now that he’s definitely not a murderer… Or is he?

True crime podcasts have the power to shine a light on cold cases that deserve much more attention before they get shelved. In We Don’t Talk About Carol, journalist Sydney hasn’t been able to let go of an old mystery within her own family: her Aunt Carol was one of six young Black girls who went missing in 1960s North Carolina and were never found. Sydney is determined to uncover the truth — but doing so might also reveal family secrets that are safest left hidden.

Many true crime lovers are convinced that, given a little training and an assignment to a cold case, they would be natural sleuths. Young couple Jane Pye and Simon Mash think the same thing. After graduating from their private detective class, they’re handed a murder case that’s stumped the police since 1997. But Jane and Simon quickly realize they’re in over their heads, and a bit of bad sleuthing could put them in a lot of danger.

If you’ve ever believed that you could unravel a crime with your extensive true crime podcast knowledge and your quirky best friends, The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is for you. Brandon thought a broken heart was the worst that could happen when he hooked up with a guest at the hotel where he works. Instead, he got ghosted and witnessed a murder. Desperate to find out the truth about his lover, Brandon enlists his friends — including Ollie, who has picked up a lot of tips from listening to true crime podcasts while working as a dogwalker. It’s a messy yet hilarious mystery with an endearing cast of characters.

This edge-of-your-seat thriller takes the form of a podcast transcript in which Ophir, after a decade of life on the run, finally shares her true story. After being caught in a low-stakes money-laundering scheme in Singapore, Ophir left the country to avoid prison time. But her one crime snowballed into a life of evading the law, circling the globe under an array of false identities. Full of big surprises, humor, and plenty of heart, it will hook you as quickly as your favorite true crime podcast.

False Prophet is a literary thriller that explores the far-reaching consequences of real crimes going viral. Jal Persad is an actor who, in the confused grief of losing his estranged mother, decides to write a tell-all memoir about his mother’s experience in the Jonestown cult in 1970s Guyana. The trouble is, Jal’s mother told him very little about her youth, and he fabricated her connection to the cult. But when the book is a huge success, Jal finds himself wrapped tighter and tighter in his own web of lies. Jonestown has been the subject of countless true crime podcasts and documentaries, and this thriller is a fresh take on an infamous true story.