20 Mystery Books for Free! [PDF]

Dr. Watson meets a strange man named Sherlock Holmes, and together they take on a murder case that leads from London to the American desert. A Study In Scarlet is the novel where it all started.

Arthur Conan Doyle published this in 1887 and created the most famous detective in the world. If you love mysteries, this is where to begin.

A broke student in St. Petersburg talks himself into committing murder, thinking he is too smart to feel guilty. Crime and Punishment follows the slow unraveling of a mind that cannot escape what it has done.

Fyodor Dostoevsky gets inside your head in a way few writers can. Published in 1866, this novel about pride, guilt, and what it costs to believe you are above the rules has not aged a day.

Twelve cases, twelve puzzles, and the detective who sees what everyone else misses. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the collection that made Holmes a household name.

Arthur Conan Doyle gave readers short, sharp stories you can finish in one sitting. This is the perfect place to start if you've never read Holmes.

A man swears he loved animals, but alcohol and rage turn him into something he can't recognize. The Black Cat is a short, dark tale about guilt that refuses to stay hidden.

Edgar Allan Poe wrote this story in 1843, and the ending still shocks readers today. It's a quick read that will stay with you long after you finish.

A young man is accused of killing his own father near a quiet country pond. The Boscombe Valley Mystery shows Holmes proving that the obvious suspect is not always the guilty one.

Arthur Conan Doyle built this story around secrets from the past that two families tried to bury. It's a classic Holmes case with a surprising layer of mercy.

A magic bottle grants any wish, but there's a catch: if you die with it, your soul goes to hell. The Bottle Imp is a story about the price of getting what you want.

Robert Louis Stevenson set this tale in Hawaii and gave it a clever twist that makes you think about what you'd risk for happiness.

A crumbling mansion, a dying family, and a buried secret that won't stay buried. The Fall of the House of Usher is gothic horror at its finest, where the house itself feels alive and sick.

Edgar Allan Poe created an atmosphere so heavy you can feel it pressing down. This is one of the most famous horror stories in the English language, and it earns that reputation.

A family curse says a giant hound haunts the moors and kills every Baskerville heir. The Hound of the Baskervilles sends Sherlock Holmes to find out if the danger is real or just a clever trick.

Arthur Conan Doyle mixed detective fiction with gothic horror in this novel. It is the most famous Sherlock Holmes story ever written, and for good reason.

A private detective takes a simple case that leads him into a web of lies, murder, and a hunt for a priceless statue. The Maltese Falcon set the standard for hard-boiled detective fiction.

Dashiell Hammett based Sam Spade on real detectives he worked with. This 1930 novel is tight, tough, and impossible to put down.

Roger Ackroyd is found stabbed in his study, and Hercule Poirot comes out of retirement to solve the case. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd has one of the most famous plot twists in mystery fiction.

Agatha Christie broke the rules with this 1926 novel, and readers are still debating whether it was fair. Either way, you will never see the ending coming.

Two women are killed in a locked room in Paris, and the police have no idea how. The Murders in the Rue Morgue is widely considered the first modern detective story ever written.

Edgar Allan Poe invented the detective genre with this 1841 tale. The solution is wild, and you can see the roots of Sherlock Holmes and every mystery that came after.

A young woman is trapped in a dark castle by her cruel uncle, surrounded by locked rooms, strange sounds, and secrets behind every door. The Mysteries of Udolpho is the novel that defined gothic fiction.

Ann Radcliffe published this in 1794 and became one of the most popular writers in England. If you love atmosphere, suspense, and old castles full of mystery, this is where it all began.

A wealthy woman is poisoned in her own home, and everyone in the family had a reason to do it. The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the book that introduced Hercule Poirot to the world.

Agatha Christie wrote her first novel in 1920, and she already knew how to build a puzzle. This is where one of the greatest careers in crime fiction began.

A man sits alone at midnight, mourning someone he lost, when a dark bird flies in and says one word: "Nevermore." The Raven is one of the most haunting poems ever written.

Edgar Allan Poe published this in 1845 and became famous overnight. The rhythm and mood of this poem stay with you long after you finish reading.

Two broke young friends start a detective agency, and their first case pulls them into a dangerous spy plot. The Secret Adversary is fast, fun, and full of twists from the very first page.

Agatha Christie wrote this in 1922, and the humor still lands. If you want a mystery that keeps things light while keeping you guessing, this is a great pick.

A bored man in London stumbles onto a spy ring and suddenly finds himself running for his life across Scotland. The Thirty-Nine Steps is the chase thriller that set the template for every spy story that followed.

John Buchan published this in 1915, and it moves at full speed from start to finish. If you want a short, exciting read that never slows down, this is it.

A young governess arrives at a country house and begins to see ghosts that threaten the children in her care. The Turn of the Screw is a ghost story that keeps you guessing what is real and what is not.

Henry James published this in 1898, and readers still debate its meaning. It is one of those rare horror stories that scares you with what it does not say.

Sherlock Holmes gets a coded warning about a murder, and the case leads to a secret society in a mining town. The Valley of Fear is part detective story, part thriller, and one of the best Holmes novels.

Arthur Conan Doyle published this in 1915, and it has two gripping halves. If you like Holmes at his sharpest and a story with real danger, start with this one.

A charming nobleman travels across Europe, leaving death behind him wherever he goes. The Vampyre is the short story that created the modern vampire legend.

John William Polidori wrote this in 1819, and every vampire story since owes something to it. It is short, dark, and the ending still shocks readers today.

A drawing teacher meets a strange woman dressed in white on a dark road, and his life is never the same. The Woman in White is a mystery built on secrets, stolen identities, and a villain you will love to hate.

Wilkie Collins published this in 1859, and people lined up to read each new chapter. It is one of the first suspense novels ever written, and it still keeps readers up at night.