# Indie mystery and thriller books

Crimes to solve, secrets that won't stay buried, and clocks that won't stop ticking. Every mystery and thriller here comes straight from its author, and many let you read the first chapter free.

Page: https://bervet.com/showcase/genre/mystery-thriller

## What you'll find here

Mysteries ask "who did it?" Thrillers ask "will they stop it in time?" Most books here lean one way or the other:

- **Detective and police procedural.** A professional investigator, a case, the method. Often a series with a returning lead.
- **Amateur sleuth.** Someone who isn't paid to solve it, and solves it anyway. The gentler end has its own shelf: [cozy mystery](/showcase/genre/cozy-mystery).
- **Psychological thrillers.** The danger is inside a house, a marriage, a mind. Look for [unreliable narrator](/tropes/unreliable-narrator) and [twist ending](/tropes/twist-ending).
- **Crime from the other side.** Told by the people committing it. Often [morally grey](/tropes/morally-grey), sometimes a [heist](/tropes/heist) or a [revenge](/tropes/revenge) story.
- **Locked-room and puzzle mysteries.** A fair-play puzzle the reader can solve too. Tagged [locked-room mystery](/tropes/locked-room).
- **Legal, political and spy thrillers.** Courtrooms, conspiracies, people who can't trust their own side.

## Finding your next one

- **Read chapter 1 first.** A thriller lives or dies on its opening. The free first chapter shows you the voice and the hook before you buy.
- **Check the content notes.** Crime fiction can get dark. Under More filters you can leave out content you'd rather not read.
- **Try "Most finished".** Books ranked by how many readers finish the free first chapter: a good sign of a hook that works. Nobody can pay to be there.
- **Read before release.** Authors give out free advance copies here. Ask for a place and read it in your browser.

## Writing a mystery or thriller?

List your book free and add your first chapter: in this genre, the opening is your best advertisement. Your chapter 1 page shows how many readers finish it and where the ones who stop leave off, which is exactly what you want to know about a hook. Keep the blurb spoiler-free (KDP doesn't allow spoilers in descriptions either): [How to write a blurb](/guides/writing-a-blurb).

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