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What to Read if You Loved the Hulu TV Series 'Only Murders in the Building'

By Skokie Staff Advisory Services

Here are some mystery and true crime suggestions.

  • Under Lock & Skeleton Key

    2022 by Pandian, Gigi

    If you liked the secret passages in the Arconia, you will love this is the first book in the Secret Staircase mysteries. It's a refreshing addition to the locked room category, as well as an intriguing whodunit inside the world of magicians and illusionists. Suggested by Rummanah and Sharon.

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  • The Thursday Murder Club

    2020 by Osman, Richard

    If the chemistry between Steve Martin and Martin Short is your favorite part of Only Murders in the Building (OMITB), you might like this book series about septuagenarian friends solving crimes. The friendship among the four friends is delightful and heartfelt in the way only true friendship can be. Suggested by Lynnanne.

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  • Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective

    2023 by Siegel, Katie

    This is the first installment in a new quirky, cozy mystery series. It takes some inspiration from Nancy Drew, and it's definitely lots of fun spending time with Charlotte and her team as they follow the clues to whodunit. Suggested by Sharon.

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  • Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

    2023 by Stevenson, Benjamin

    If you enjoy the witty asides, the silliness, and the red herrings of OMITB, you will enjoy this layered mystery with a narrator who knows a lot about mystery novels but does not know as much about his family as he thinks he does. Suggested by Lynnanne

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  • A Brush with Murder

    2021 by Abbott, Bailee

    This artist-themed mystery features two sisters trying their hand at amateur detective work after a spiteful reporter is found stabbed to death in the alley behind their new business, Paint Your Shop. Like season two of OMITB, there’s more to the painting than meets the eye. Suggested by Sharon.

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  • The Word Is Murder: A Novel

    2018 by Horowitz, Anthony

    Anthony Horowitz makes himself a co-lead in this mystery novel, as a fictionalized version of the author reluctantly partners with a former London detective named Daniel Hawthorne to solve a baffling case. It is cleverly done. There’s an Agatha Christie-like plot and the Watson/Holmes dynamic keeps you wanting more. Like OMITB, there are many twisty pieces to this puzzle. Suggested by Sharon.

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  • The Inheritance Games

    2020 by Barnes, Jennifer

    The large cast of characters, the clever mystery, and the one-home setting reminded me of Only Murders in the Building. If Mabel is your favorite OMITB character, you'll enjoy the teen protagonists in The Inheritance Games series. Suggested by Lynnanne.

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  • As Good as Dead: The Final Good Girl's Guide to Murder Novel

    2021 by Jackson, Holly

    This book draws a lot of inspiration from the "Serial" podcast. Pippa Fitz-Adeleke takes up a case that is notorious in her community and is assumed to be closed; however, the clues do not line up. This is the first book in a series that later has a larger podcast presence. Suggested by Rummanah.

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  • The Plot Is Murder

    2017 by Burns, V. M.

    If you’re looking for a cozy read starring a formidable cast of retired characters, this is for you. Samantha Washington (who happens to be writing a historical mystery) teams up with her grandmother and friends to solve a whodunit that centers on her newly opened mystery bookshop. Suggested by Sharon.

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  • Sadie

    2018 by Summers, Courtney

    If the podcast element from OMITB was the part you enjoyed the most, then you would like Sadie. The narrative alternates between the perspective of 19-year-old runaway Sadie and the podcast that is looking for her. There's lots to enjoy in this thriller. Suggested by Lynnanne.

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  • I Hope You're Listening

    2020 by Ryan, Tom

    The trauma of Sibby's disappearance has led Dee to start a secret podcast: Radio Silent. She curates and assembles information from missing-person cases, and her listeners take it from there. Suggested by Rummanah.

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  • Hollywood Homicide

    2017 by Garrett, Kellye

    When semiretired actor Dayna Anderson witnesses a hit-and-run that leaves a young woman dead, suddenly amateur sleuthing for reward money becomes a viable work option. Dayna and her investigating partners get a lot wrong before getting it right (like OMITB), which keeps you guessing until the final scene. Suggested by Sharon.

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  • If I Disappear

    2021 by Brazier, Eliza Jane

    A true-crime podcast called Murder, She Spoke has become a lifeline for Sera Fleece as she grapples with a world where "women just like her disappear daily." So when the podcast goes silent and its creator, Rachel Bard, erases her social media presence, Sera is determined to get answers. Soon, she's "undercover" in a Northern California ranching town where everyone seems to be avoiding a terrible secret. Kirkus Reviews calls this “a disquieting and distinctly creepy debut." Suggested by Andrew.

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  • Conviction

    2019 by Mina, Denise

    A true crime podcast leads to real life crime solving. Recommended by Lynnanne.

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  • Trust Me When I Lie

    2019 by Stevenson, Benjamin

    This Australian thriller is clearly inspired by the pop cultural juggernaut (and thorny ethical questions) of Serial and the true crime genre more generally. Jack Quick made his name with a docuseries that led to Curtis Wade's exoneration in a high-profile murder case--even if he had to fudge the facts a bit along the way. But when a nearly identical murder is committed in the same town, Quick becomes obsessed with finding the truth once and for all. Suggested by Andrew.

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