Skip to Content

Home / Mystery & Thriller / Locked Room Mysteries

Locked Room Mysteries

Do you love playing the board game Clue, in which you have to solve a murder that happens while the suspects and victim are in one confined location? Or escape rooms where you must solve riddles and find clues to unlock the room before a timer goes off? Both of these fun games embody the concept of locked room mysteries!

Three tilted book covers, center image black cover with yellow text reading Agatha Christie and a rope

What is a Locked Room Mystery?

A locked room mystery, also known as an “impossible crime mystery” or simply an “impossible mystery,” is a subgenre of crime and detective fiction. The premise is simple – a crime has been committed, but there was no way for the perpetator to get in or out of the room or building. The author presents the reader with a series of clues – some helpful and others that are red herrings intended to throw you off course.

History of the Locked Room Mystery

Some credit Edgar Allan Poe as the author of the first locked room mystery, The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841), in which two murders are committed in a locked room on the fourth floor of a house in Paris. Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson also solved a number of locked room mysteries, inclduing The Speckled Band (1892).

The locked room mystery genre rose to popularity in the 1930s, which is largely considered the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Authors like Agatha Cristie and John Dickson Carr crafted novels that keep you guessing as you solve impossible crimes alongside the characters. While the characters aren’t generally locked in the room, they might as well be as they can’t seem to escape or solve the crime.

Almost 100 years later, these locked room mysteries remain popular, with contemporary authors like Lucy Foley embracing the genre. So whether the setting is a moving train or a remote island, put on your detective hat and pick up one of these books to see if you can solve the case!

We selected a range of classic mystery stories and new release modern locked room mystery books, making this a great primer of the best locked room mystery novels of all time! 

Locked Room Mystery Books

Text reading 15 great Locked Room Mysteries over book covers

RELATED POSTS

FIND YOUR PERFECT BOOK LIST

Angela & Melissa

The Book Girls are best friends who jointly read over 200 books per year. We started Book Girls' Guide in 2019 to help others de-stress and find joy through the power of a great book. We do in-depth research on thousands of novels and non-fiction titles each year to provide curated book lists covering a variety of genres.

Books Set on a Form of Transportation

Thursday 17th of August 2023

[…] Locked Room Mystery Books17+ Winter Thriller Books to Read in 2022 […]

Follow Along on Social Media

Looking for your next great read? Try one of the highly-rated titles from our curated book lists.