4 Free eBooks to Read in May 2025 for Mystery, Thriller, and Crime Fans

Solve crimes with these mystery ebooks—free, this month only.

Covers of all fours books on this list

Those of us who are voracious readers can never get our fill. There is always some intriguing new mystery or riveting new thriller to devour and an endless stream of new releases to add to our reading wish lists.

But sometimes you just crave a classic. These are the books that created the scaffolding for the genres we know and love—and they are just darn good.

Every month, we’re bringing you a selection of free ebooks to read that are perfect for all you timeless sleuths out there—lovers of all things mysterious and thrilling.

A Tale of Three Lions

A Tale of Three Lions

By H. Rider Haggard

When legendary hunter Allan Quatermain takes his son Harry on a buffalo expedition, their journey takes a deadly turn after a brutal lion attack.

What begins as a hunting trip becomes a high-stakes quest for survival—and revenge—in this gripping adventure from the author of King Solomon’s Mines.

The Mystery Mind

The Mystery Mind

By Arthur B. Reeve, John W. Grey

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In this wild occult adventure, a fearless young woman is targeted by a murderous cult obsessed with Atlantis and led by a ghostly voice called the Mystery Mind.

As her captors drag her deeper into danger, two unlikely heroes—her scientist guardian and her hypnotist fiancé—race to unravel a paranormal plot beyond their darkest imaginings.

Packed with thrills, hypnosis, and high-stakes suspense, The Mystery Mind is vintage pulp at its most deliriously fun.

The Yellow Claw

The Yellow Claw

By Sax Rohmer

When a desperate woman collapses and dies at a novelist’s door, Inspector Dunbar is pulled into a chilling mystery that leads from high society to the shadowy streets of Limehouse.

As he hunts the elusive Mr. King—a criminal genius with plans to upend London’s elite—Dunbar teams up with famed detective Gaston Max in a race against time.

A twisty 1915 crime classic packed with intrigue and atmosphere.

A Strange Disappearance

A Strange Disappearance

By Anna Katharine Green

When a servant vanishes from a prominent diplomat’s home, detective Ebenezer Gryce suspects there’s more to the case than a simple disappearance.

As he digs deeper into Mr. Blake’s secretive behavior and shadowy connections, a web of intrigue begins to unravel.

A gripping mystery from the trailblazing “mother of the detective novel.”