22 Mysteries & Thrillers with Writers as Main Characters

Book Summary

The Lake House is a historical thriller set in two time periods, but both from one lifetime of the main character named Alice.

The story is split between Alice’s life in 1930s Cornwall, when she was a child at the family estate, and 2003 London. In the 1930s, Alice’s younger brother vanishes, devastating the family.

Alice somehow goes on to become a successful author. Late in her life, a young detective stumbles on the now decrepit Cornwall estate, causing her path to cross with Alice and leading the way to truths about the past.

Book Summary

Great authors know when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one novelist, Columbia Jones, the biggest twist of all is her own murder. With a list of bestsellers and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, she was at the top of her game with adoring fans around the world. But on the final night of her book tour, a face in the crowd causes her to collapse. And the next morning, she’s lying dead in a pool of blood.

Her death shocks the literary world and leaves her daughter and publicist reeling. It turns out that Columbia had a colorful past, and there were many people who might have had a motive to murder her. With a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the case, her secrets won’t stay buried long. 

Book Summary

Tess Harrow is a bestselling thriller writer, but this summer, she just wants to take a break to bond with her daughter after her recent divorce. They’ve barely settled in when an explosion rocks the cabin, and Tess finds herself pulled into a murder investigation.

The local sheriff turns out to be the spitting image of the detective Tess writes about in her books. Her young daughter is fascinated by dead bodies, and the neighbors are pointing their fingers at Bigfoot. Nothing about this summer is going as she had planned.

Book Summary

Accidental author Ernest Cunningham is headed to the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society Crime-Writing Festival on a train between Darwin and Adelaide. While he is looking for story inspiration for his second mystery novel, he hopes it won’t involve real people killing each other this time.

Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, and one of the six crime-writing authors aboard the train is murdered. The remaining five authors quickly turn into detectives; after all, they should be good at solving crimes. However, their careers have also taught them how to commit a crime and get away with it.

Book Summary

Steve Wheeler fills his days in retirement with a bit of investigation work, but spends most of his time doing pub quizzes, sitting on his favorite bench, and playing with his cat. He’s enjoying the new quiet life and prefers leaving the adrenaline to his daughter-in-law, Amy.

Amy is a private security officer who is currently on a remote island protecting world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio. It was supposed to be an easy job, but then a dead body and a bag of money turn up, and it appears a killer has their sights set on Amy. She calls for help to the one person she trusts—her father-in-law, Steve.

Book Summary

Bestselling novelist Paul Sheldon finds himself in a nightmarish situation when he is rescued from a car crash by Annie Wilkes, a reclusive former nurse and his self-proclaimed “number one fan.”

Paul had just completed a new, non-romance manuscript and killed off Misery Chastain, the heroine of his famous series. But Annie, obsessed with Misery, is furious. Holding Paul captive in her remote Colorado home, she demands he write a new novel resurrecting Misery, under constant threat of violence if she disapproves of his work.

Trapped and severely injured, Paul is forced to use his wits and storytelling skills not only to appease Annie, but to survive.

Book Summary

At 45, Lila is starting a new career as an intern at a literary agency after losing her job as a journalist. Being paid to read is her dream! As with all jobs, it’s more difficult to adapt than she expects with endless piles of query letters and some quirky co-workers.

Then, an aspiring author drops dead in the waiting room. Lila has a new task of uncovering a murderer after she finds a series of threatening letters. What is really going on at this thriving literary agency?

Book Summary

Jane had dreams of being a writer, but feels like her whole life is in flux as her one published work only sold 500 copies. She also believes her husband of 19ish years, Dan, is cheating on her. When they go to an upscale restaurant for their anniversary, it seems like a good time to tell him she wants a divorce.

But before the second course arrives, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room, taking the whole restaurant hostage…but in a bumbling sort of way. Jane is shocked. Not because she’s suddenly a hostage, but because everything the activists say and do is straight from the pages of her novel. This means she knows what is going to happen next, and it’s up to her to stop it.

Book Summary

If you like your summer cozy mysteries with a side of Italian adventure, you’ll love this new series set in Tuscany and Florence.

In the first book in the series, newly retired and newly single police detective Dan Armstrong finds himself attending a writer’s workshop at a villa in Tuscany. It’s the last place he expected to be, but his detective pals planned the whole thing as a retirement gift in hopes of helping him write his next chapter.

Only days into the course, renowned crime writer Jonah Moore is found stabbed to death with his own silver dagger, and Dan comes out of retirement to try to catch the killer.

Book Summary

Leonora (Nora) is a 26-year-old reclusive writer. She doesn’t really want to go on a trip to the English countryside when she is invited to celebrate the upcoming wedding of an old friend. But she reluctantly agrees…and soon regrets it when the glasshouse leaves her feeling uneasy.

She and the other acquaintances realize that they aren’t alone in the woods. Only 48 hours later, Nora wakes up in the hospital and instantly knows that someone is dead, but can’t remember what really happened.

Book Summary

Camilla has been on maternity leave from her job as a literary agent, but on June 21st, she’s headed back to work for the first time. But that morning, her husband was gone when she woke up and had left a cryptic note behind.

She drops Polly off at daycare for the first time and tries to focus on her work despite lingering thoughts about the note. Then, the police arrive to tell her there is a hostage situation in London, and her normally optimistic husband is not just involved, he’s the gunman.

This page-turner is told from the split perspectives of Cam and Niall, the hostage negotiator.

Book Summary

David Alvarez used to have it all – an exciting writing career, a six-figure book deal, and a loving boyfriend. His first book was a huge success, followed by his second book, which was a total flop. Now single, David is struggling to come up with an idea for his third novel – one that will redeem him in the eyes of his readers and reviewers.

Looking to blow off some steam, David connects with a sexy stranger on a dating app. His date is not only handsome, confident, and wealthy, but he’s also the perfect distraction from another evening staring at a blank screen.

After a great night, David wakes up hungover but feeling inspired, only to find his date next to him in bed… dead. How did it happen? Did he kill him? David calls the only person he can trust in this moment of crisis – his literary agent. Together, he and Stacey try to untangle the events of the night before and cover their tracks. Maybe they can even spin the entire thing into David’s career-defining novel. But first, they have to figure out what to do with the body.

Book Summary

Verity Crawford was a bestselling author of a popular series of books, but an injury has left her unable to complete the series. Her husband, Jeremy, hires struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh to complete his wife’s unfinished books. 

Lowen begins sifting through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to work with. In the process, she uncovers Verity’s unfinished autobiography – one she doesn’t think Verity intended anyone to read. It’s filled with bone-chilling admissions – including the truth about what really happened the day Verity and Jeremy’s daughter died.

Lowen intends to keep her discovery of the autobiography manuscript secret in order to protect Jeremy. But as their relationship grows more complicated, she begins to reconsider. If Jeremy read Verity’s horrifying truths, could he continue to love his wife? And if not, would that make room for Lowen?

Book Summary

Wylie is a true crime writer who retreated to an isolated farmhouse to write her new book. She doesn’t mind being snowed in because the cozy fire and silence feel perfect. However, she doesn’t realize a storm is also brewing inside the farmhouse.

Decades earlier, two people were murdered, and a girl disappeared from the same house. As the storm rages on, Wylie is haunted by the secrets of the house, and the secrets of her past. When she discovers a small child outside in the snow, it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought.

Book Summary

Despite her small-town upbringing, 26-year-old Florence believes she will become a well-known author. Although she isn’t thrilled about this, she must pay her dues first, including working as an assistant for “Maud Dixon,” which is the pseudonym for a bestselling writer whose real identity is unknown to the world. 

While working for Helen isn’t easy, Florence is learning a lot and hopes this path will take her closer to her big dreams. Unfortunately, something happens on a trip to Morroco that could either crush Florence’s hopes or help her realize her biggest goal overnight.

Book Summary

Everyone knows Cate Kay as the author of a best-selling book trilogy turned box office gold film series. She’s one of the most successful authors of her generation, except that no one actually knows Cate Kay. Because Cate Kay doesn’t exist. Her real identity has been a carefully guarded secret, until now.

Growing up, she and her best friend Amanda shared their dreams of moving to California and becoming movie stars. But before their lives can ever really begin, a tragedy shatters those dreams. Cate has been on the run ever since, using different names to craft a new future. But now a shocking revelation will force Cate to return home. It’s the only way she’ll be a whole person again.

Book Summary

Evelyn was an aspiring author when she met and married renowned novelist William Aubrey in the late 1800s. When William finds himself gripped by writer’s block, he becomes jealous of his wife’s writing talent. Their marriage deteriorates when he deceitfully publishes Evelyn’s manuscript under his own name. Determined to reclaim her work and autonomy, Evelyn devises a daring plan to escape his control.

In 2006 California, Abigail Phillips, grappling with the void left by her mother’s death and the mystery of her father’s identity, discovers a photograph linking her to Evelyn Aubrey. This revelation propels Abigail to England, where she uncovers Evelyn’s disappearance and the suspicion of her murder. As Abigail delves deeper, she begins to suspect that Evelyn had another plot up her sleeve.

Book Summary

A woman living in a remote beachfront home on the rainy Washington coast reads a gruesome but poorly written horror novel. After posting a one-star review, Emma finds herself dragged into an online argument with the author himself.

Soon after, disturbing incidents begin to happen at night, and Emma begins to wonder if the author could be dangerous.