Murder Mystery Books for Fans of The Traitors  

While most of us may not be lucky enough to get locked up in a sprawling Scottish castle with scheming guests, we can still experience that sense of thrilling anxiety with a tightly-written, almost claustrophobic murder mystery, such as VJ Randle’s Seven Bodies.

The story unfolds in an isolated hotel in the Scottish Highlands, where a wealthy investor, his wife, and other guests and staff find themselves locked in due to a snowy storm. However, one person manages to disappear without a trace.

A chilling and twisty read. 

If you’re in the mood for a round of psychological suspense, Susan Moody’s A Final Reckoning, set in a boutique hotel with deadly secrets, has got you covered.

The book follows Chantal Frazer, who checks into the Weston Lodge hoping to come to terms with a family tragedy. Except that might mean excavating the very secrets the hotel is determined to keep buried.

If you’re a fan of shows like Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs and grew up reading Agatha Christie novels, you’ll be at home with this Dandy Gilver novel.

The tale follows Dandy, a wealthy aristocrat in 1920s Scotland who goes undercover as a lady’s maid to investigate a secretive and suspicious husband, as well as the mansion’s other eccentric inhabitants.

With an intricate mystery and plenty of charming wit, this one makes for a smart, snappy read.

Like the Dandy Gliver book mentioned above, this one also explores the lives of British aristocrats against a historical backdrop—a 1000-year-old English castle to be precise, currently home to an impoverished aristocratic couple without an heir and possibly containing hidden treasure.

Filled with suspense, romance, and Gothic vibes, this one’s different from Pearl S. Buck’s other books, but just as satisfying.

For those who are currently in a reading slump and need a light but engaging read to cleanse the palate, I Will Find the Key by the author duo behind Lars Kepler can fit the bill.

The story begins when Julia Stark, a private investigator, is hired by a man who shows her a photograph of a bloodied person and wants her to find out if he killed him.

Overall, quite the gripping murder mystery.

Rachel Savernake is a mysterious, attractive, and intelligent amateur sleuth, and Mortmain Hall, which is the sequel to the author’s Gallows Court, delves deeper into her enigmatic backstory, while also serving up a complex and thrilling historical mystery.

It captures 1930s Britain accurately, and brilliantly evokes the style and feel of Golden Age mysteries.

The second entry in Arlen’s Lady Montfort mystery series, this one follows an Edwardian countess and her housekeeper as they investigate the illustrious guests of a fancy dinner party hosted to celebrate Winston Churchill’s birthday.

A masterfully crafted whodunit that explores the niceties and scandals of London’s high society, Death Sits Down to Dinner is quite the elegant and engaging read.

This one’s a nice and cozy mystery published in the 90s that unfolds in a quaint English countryside with mild-mannered characters, a clever plot, and an unexpected ending.

It follows retired professor Andrew Basnett, who’s visiting his friends in the country and gets involved in uncovering the killer behind a seemingly impossible crime that has already baffled the local police.

Finally, if you love historical mysteries and thrillers but you want to move beyond the staple Victorian and Edwardian backdrops and travel further back in time, check out One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters, set in the medieval era.

It follows the escapades of Brother Cadfael, former Crusader and warrior and now a retired monk living in Benedictine Abbey of Shrewsbury. His quiet life is disturbed when he notices there’s an extra corpse among the ones hanged, and he’s pulled into solving the mystery.

Well-researched and refreshing, One Corpse Too Many is an entertaining page-turner.