Best The Red Herring Books

Survivor in Death

In Death • Book 20

by J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts

Robb crafts her most emotionally complex case as Eve Dallas adopts a young witness to a family massacre, balancing her investigation with unexpected maternal instincts in 2059 New York.

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Robb crafts her most emotionally complex case as Eve Dallas adopts a young witness to a family massacre, balancing her investigation with unexpected maternal instincts in 2059 New York.

Career of Evil

Cormoran Strike • Book 3

by Robert Galbraith

A severed leg delivered to their office sends Strike and Robin hunting through four dangerous suspects from Strike's past, each with motive to terrorize the detective agency.

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A severed leg delivered to their office sends Strike and Robin hunting through four dangerous suspects from Strike's past, each with motive to terrorize the detective agency.

Death on the Nile (Poirot)

Hercule Poirot • Book 18

by Agatha Christie

Poirot investigates when a wealthy heiress dies on her honeymoon cruise, with every passenger harboring motives for murder.

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Poirot investigates when a wealthy heiress dies on her honeymoon cruise, with every passenger harboring motives for murder.

The Drop

Harry Bosch • Book 15

by Michael Connelly

With three years until forced retirement, Bosch gets handed two explosive cases: DNA evidence suggesting an eight-year-old committed murder, and a politician's suspicious death.

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With three years until forced retirement, Bosch gets handed two explosive cases: DNA evidence suggesting an eight-year-old committed murder, and a politician's suspicious death.

One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Lying • Book 1

by Karen M. McManus

Simon, creator of Bayview High's scandal app, dies during detention with four classmates who all had motives to want him silenced permanently.

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Simon, creator of Bayview High's scandal app, dies during detention with four classmates who all had motives to want him silenced permanently.

Peril at End House

Hercule Poirot • Book 8

by Agatha Christie

Vacationing Poirot becomes intrigued by Nick Buckley's string of deadly accidents at her crumbling Cornish estate. Christie weaves red herrings and false clues into one of her most cleverly constructed puzzles.

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Vacationing Poirot becomes intrigued by Nick Buckley's string of deadly accidents at her crumbling Cornish estate. Christie weaves red herrings and false clues into one of her most cleverly constructed puzzles.

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

Miss Marple • Book 8

by Agatha Christie

Hollywood glamour meets village poison when movie star Marina Gregg witnesses something horrific moments before fan Heather Badcock dies from a deadly cocktail meant for someone else.

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Hollywood glamour meets village poison when movie star Marina Gregg witnesses something horrific moments before fan Heather Badcock dies from a deadly cocktail meant for someone else.

Sad Cypress

Hercule Poirot • Book 21

by Agatha Christie

Elinor faces execution for poisoning her rival in love, but Poirot suspects someone else planted the evidence. Christie builds tension as the detective races against the death sentence.

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Elinor faces execution for poisoning her rival in love, but Poirot suspects someone else planted the evidence. Christie builds tension as the detective races against the death sentence.

After the Funeral (The Agatha Christie Mystery Collection; Imitation Leather)

Hercule Poirot • Book 30

by Agatha Christie

When Cora declares her brother was murdered at his funeral, then gets savagely killed with a hatchet the next day, her throwaway comment becomes chillingly significant. Christie weaves family greed and hidden resentments into a classic locked-room mystery.

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When Cora declares her brother was murdered at his funeral, then gets savagely killed with a hatchet the next day, her throwaway comment becomes chillingly significant. Christie weaves family greed and hidden resentments into a classic locked-room mystery.

The Body in the Library

Miss Marple • Book 2

by Agatha Christie

When the Bantrys discover a glamorous stranger's corpse in their library, the scandal threatens their reputation until Miss Marple unravels the victim's true identity.

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When the Bantrys discover a glamorous stranger's corpse in their library, the scandal threatens their reputation until Miss Marple unravels the victim's true identity.

The Confession

Inspector Ian Rutledge • Book 14

by Charles Todd

Inspector Rutledge faces an impossible case when a dying man confesses to murdering his cousin five years earlier during the Great War, but provides no body, no witnesses, and precious few details.

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Inspector Rutledge faces an impossible case when a dying man confesses to murdering his cousin five years earlier during the Great War, but provides no body, no witnesses, and precious few details.

A Caribbean Mystery

Miss Marple • Book 9

by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple's tropical vacation turns deadly when a fellow guest claims to have photographed a murderer, then winds up dead himself in this perfectly plotted Caribbean mystery.

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Miss Marple's tropical vacation turns deadly when a fellow guest claims to have photographed a murderer, then winds up dead himself in this perfectly plotted Caribbean mystery.

Three Act Tragedy

Hercule Poirot • Book 11

by Agatha Christie

Reverend Babbington's death from a cocktail at a theatrical dinner party seems natural until two more poisonings follow the same pattern. Christie structures murder like a three-act play, with each death raising the stakes and revealing deeper motives.

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Reverend Babbington's death from a cocktail at a theatrical dinner party seems natural until two more poisonings follow the same pattern. Christie structures murder like a three-act play, with each death raising the stakes and revealing deeper motives.

The White Lioness

Kurt Wallander • Book 3

by Henning Mankell

A Swedish housewife's execution-style murder connects Wallander to a conspiracy targeting Nelson Mandela—Mankell links small-town crime to global politics.

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A Swedish housewife's execution-style murder connects Wallander to a conspiracy targeting Nelson Mandela—Mankell links small-town crime to global politics.

Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man

87th Precinct • Book 27

by Ed McBain

McBain's recurring mastermind, the Deaf Man, challenges Carella and his team with advance notice of his ambitious heist plan. The detective-versus-criminal-genius setup showcases McBain's puzzle-plot skills.

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McBain's recurring mastermind, the Deaf Man, challenges Carella and his team with advance notice of his ambitious heist plan. The detective-versus-criminal-genius setup showcases McBain's puzzle-plot skills.

The Dance of the Seagull

Commissario Montalbano • Book 15

by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli

A seagull drops dead after an eerie dance, then Montalbano's right-hand man Fazio disappears, connecting Sicily's natural omens to very human dangers.

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A seagull drops dead after an eerie dance, then Montalbano's right-hand man Fazio disappears, connecting Sicily's natural omens to very human dangers.

The Coded Blue Envelope: A Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery

Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery #8.6 • Book 22

by Anna Elliott, Charles Veley

Elegant Zoe Rosario unwittingly becomes a messenger in the Black Hand gang's deadly game when she carries a coded blue envelope—one wrong note in this musical mystery could be fatal.

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Elegant Zoe Rosario unwittingly becomes a messenger in the Black Hand gang's deadly game when she carries a coded blue envelope—one wrong note in this musical mystery could be fatal.

Highgate Rise

Charlotte & Thomas Pitt • Book 11

by Anne Perry

Did Clemency Shaw die in a house fire meant for her doctor husband, or did he set the blaze himself? Pitt and Charlotte navigate Victorian class prejudices while chasing an arsonist through London's elite.

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Did Clemency Shaw die in a house fire meant for her doctor husband, or did he set the blaze himself? Pitt and Charlotte navigate Victorian class prejudices while chasing an arsonist through London's elite.

Sherlock

by Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat

Handpicked by the BBC Sherlock creators, these nineteen tales trace Holmes from his debut in A Study in Scarlet to late classics like The Dying Detective, offering the essential canon that shaped television's most famous consulting detective.

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Handpicked by the BBC Sherlock creators, these nineteen tales trace Holmes from his debut in A Study in Scarlet to late classics like The Dying Detective, offering the essential canon that shaped television's most famous consulting detective.

Friday the Rabbi Slept Late

The Rabbi Small Mysteries • Book 1

by Harry Kemelman

A rabbi framed for murder in his own temple parking lot makes for an unexpectedly engaging detective story. Kemelman balances Jewish community dynamics with solid mystery plotting, creating something both thoughtful and entertaining.

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A rabbi framed for murder in his own temple parking lot makes for an unexpectedly engaging detective story. Kemelman balances Jewish community dynamics with solid mystery plotting, creating something both thoughtful and entertaining.

Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief

The Ernest Cunningham Mysteries • Book 4

by Benjamin Stevenson

A bank robbery becomes a murder mystery when the doors are chained shut and someone dies inside. Stevenson traps Ernest in his most claustrophobic case yet, where every hostage is a suspect.

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A bank robbery becomes a murder mystery when the doors are chained shut and someone dies inside. Stevenson traps Ernest in his most claustrophobic case yet, where every hostage is a suspect.

The Ice House

by Minette Walters, Unknown Author

A decomposed body in an English country estate's ice house puts three reclusive women under police suspicion in this psychological mystery that questions everything about guilt and innocence.

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A decomposed body in an English country estate's ice house puts three reclusive women under police suspicion in this psychological mystery that questions everything about guilt and innocence.

The clocks Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot • Book 34

by Agatha Christie

A stenographer finds a dead man surrounded by five clocks in a house where neither she nor the blind owner should be, creating one of Christie's most intricate puzzles for Poirot to solve.

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A stenographer finds a dead man surrounded by five clocks in a house where neither she nor the blind owner should be, creating one of Christie's most intricate puzzles for Poirot to solve.

Taken at the Flood

Hercule Poirot • Book 27

by Agatha Christie

A war widow inherits a fortune when her new husband dies in the Blitz, but séance warnings suggest her first husband survived after all. Christie weaves wartime chaos into a classic inheritance mystery with supernatural overtones.

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A war widow inherits a fortune when her new husband dies in the Blitz, but séance warnings suggest her first husband survived after all. Christie weaves wartime chaos into a classic inheritance mystery with supernatural overtones.

At Bertram's Hotel

Miss Marple • Book 10

by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple's London holiday at the perfectly traditional Bertram's Hotel turns sinister when she detects criminal activity behind the impeccable service and old-world charm.

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Miss Marple's London holiday at the perfectly traditional Bertram's Hotel turns sinister when she detects criminal activity behind the impeccable service and old-world charm.

The Tooth Tattoo

Peter Diamond • Book 13

by Peter Lovesey

A vanished violinist, a string quartet residency, and a corpse identified by a music note tattoo on her tooth give Detective Peter Diamond his strangest case yet.

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A vanished violinist, a string quartet residency, and a corpse identified by a music note tattoo on her tooth give Detective Peter Diamond his strangest case yet.

The Knocker on Death's Door

The Felse Investigations • Book 10

by Ellis Peters

Ancient door knocker carries a deadly curse from abbey to church, leaving two bodies in its wake. Peters weaves folklore and forensics in this atmospheric mystery about legends that refuse to die.

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Ancient door knocker carries a deadly curse from abbey to church, leaving two bodies in its wake. Peters weaves folklore and forensics in this atmospheric mystery about legends that refuse to die.

The Wives of Hawthorne Lane

by Stephanie DeCarolis

Halloween on picture-perfect Hawthorne Lane becomes a crime scene, turning four neighborhood wives into prime suspects. Suburban thriller that exposes the sinister side of community perfection.

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Halloween on picture-perfect Hawthorne Lane becomes a crime scene, turning four neighborhood wives into prime suspects. Suburban thriller that exposes the sinister side of community perfection.

A Sleeping Life

Inspector Wexford • Book 10

by Ruth Rendell

When Rhoda Comfrey dies in Kingsmarkham, Inspector Wexford discovers her last twenty years are a complete blank—Rendell crafts mystery from erasure itself.

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When Rhoda Comfrey dies in Kingsmarkham, Inspector Wexford discovers her last twenty years are a complete blank—Rendell crafts mystery from erasure itself.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham

Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney • Book 1

by Claudia Gray

Emma and Mr. Knightley host a house party featuring Austen's greatest characters, but when the universally despised Wickham dies, everyone becomes a suspect.

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Emma and Mr. Knightley host a house party featuring Austen's greatest characters, but when the universally despised Wickham dies, everyone becomes a suspect.

Legacy in the Blood

Chiara Corelli Mystery • Book 4

by Catherine Maiorisi

The murder of investigative reporter Ned Rich reveals a web of blackmail victims, each with motive enough to kill the man who threatened their carefully guarded secrets.

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The murder of investigative reporter Ned Rich reveals a web of blackmail victims, each with motive enough to kill the man who threatened their carefully guarded secrets.

The Lying Game

by Ruth Ware

Boarding school friends reunite when bones are discovered near their old dormitory, threatening to expose the deadly game they played as teenagers. Ware weaves past and present together as childhood lies catch up with adult consequences.

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Boarding school friends reunite when bones are discovered near their old dormitory, threatening to expose the deadly game they played as teenagers. Ware weaves past and present together as childhood lies catch up with adult consequences.

The Empty Hours

87th Precinct • Book 15

by Ed McBain

Classic 87th Precinct procedural where Carella tracks a dead socialite's life through her cancelled checks, uncovering something far stranger than murder. McBain's lean prose cuts deep.

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Classic 87th Precinct procedural where Carella tracks a dead socialite's life through her cancelled checks, uncovering something far stranger than murder. McBain's lean prose cuts deep.

City of Gold and Shadows

The Felse Investigations • Book 12

by Ellis Peters

A young woman's search for her vanished great-uncle leads to romance and danger among the ruins of a Roman settlement.

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A young woman's search for her vanished great-uncle leads to romance and danger among the ruins of a Roman settlement.

Bread

87th Precinct • Book 29

by Ed McBain

A warehouse watchman's murder opens up a web of cash-related crimes linking prostitution, arson, and urban redevelopment. The 87th Precinct discovers how greed connects seemingly unrelated crimes across different social strata.

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A warehouse watchman's murder opens up a web of cash-related crimes linking prostitution, arson, and urban redevelopment. The 87th Precinct discovers how greed connects seemingly unrelated crimes across different social strata.

They Do It with Mirrors

Miss Marple • Book 5

by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple senses trouble at her friend's delinquent rehabilitation center, and her instincts prove right when multiple shootings rock the Victorian mansion's supposed sanctuary.

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Miss Marple senses trouble at her friend's delinquent rehabilitation center, and her instincts prove right when multiple shootings rock the Victorian mansion's supposed sanctuary.

Mischief

87th Precinct • Book 45

by Ed McBain

Someone is killing graffiti artists and leaving them covered in paint and blood, while the precinct's old nemesis the Deaf Man resurfaces with cryptic clues. McBain delivers another solid entry in his procedural series with dual mysteries that test Carella's detective skills.

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Someone is killing graffiti artists and leaving them covered in paint and blood, while the precinct's old nemesis the Deaf Man resurfaces with cryptic clues. McBain delivers another solid entry in his procedural series with dual mysteries that test Carella's detective skills.

Angel with Two Faces

Josephine Tey • Book 2

by Nicola Upson

Josephine seeks peace in Cornwall but arrives as a local funeral raises questions about a young man's death by drowning. Her quiet recovery becomes another murder investigation in this atmospheric mystery.

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Josephine seeks peace in Cornwall but arrives as a local funeral raises questions about a young man's death by drowning. Her quiet recovery becomes another murder investigation in this atmospheric mystery.

A Spot of Folly: Ten and a Quarter New Tales of Murder and Mayhem

by Ruth Rendell, Sophie Hannah

Ruth Rendell's last collection features ten chilling tales where a cheating businessman faces justice and a beautiful rectory echoes with supernatural menace.

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Ruth Rendell's last collection features ten chilling tales where a cheating businessman faces justice and a beautiful rectory echoes with supernatural menace.

The New Neighbors

by Simon Lelic

Londoners Jack and Syd ignored the grisly discovery in their dream home's attic—a fatal mistake when someone gets murdered. Lelic transforms domestic bliss into psychological thriller through one couple's terrible judgment.

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Londoners Jack and Syd ignored the grisly discovery in their dream home's attic—a fatal mistake when someone gets murdered. Lelic transforms domestic bliss into psychological thriller through one couple's terrible judgment.