Mind-Boggling Mystery & Thriller Books About Mistaken Identity

Ashley Elston’s makes her debut in adult fiction with this #1 New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick. 

Evie Porter is the picture of the perfect Southern girl. The only thing is, Evie isn’t real. When her boss, Mr. Smith, gives her a new identity Evie learns all about the town she is being sent to and the people there.

Evie’s mark this time? Ryan Sumner.

As her relationship with Ryan makes her question her lifestyle, Evie is faced with her past and her true identity. 

“Elston raises the stakes” with this heartfelt, fast-paced mystery (New York Times). 

This latest addition to Patricia Cornwell’s long-running series of novels starring Doctor Kay Scarpetta is ripe with suspense and originality. 

When her niece, Lucy Farinelli, calls her in to investigate a death at an old amusement park, Scarpetta is shocked to find that the victim is an old lover of hers.

Lucy and the investigators think otherworldly forces may have been involved in the death, but as Scarpetta looks closer, she sees a clue from the victim himself. 

At first, Grace Jenkins’ death seems like a tragic but unavoidable accident, she was struck by a car on the road. Grace’s daughter Henrietta arrives back in the small town of Larking after her mother’s death.

But when the body is autopsied, questions arise: the accident no longer looks like an accident, and Grace never had any children. Henrietta is left floundering with no lead to her true identity. 

Aird’s signature character, Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan of the Calleshire police force, is on the case to catch the killer and figure out who Henrietta really is. 

In this book, by Edgar Award-winning author Patrick Quentin, the identities of naval lieutenant Peter Duluth and his wife Iris are put into flux. 

While Peter is on a brief leave from the Navy during WWII, he intends to spend a relaxing weekend at a hotel with Iris. But things begin to get strange. Iris gets continuously mistaken for her cousin and Peter’s uniform is stolen.

When Peter’s uniform is used to implicate him in a murder, Peter and Iris must evade the police and pursue the real killer, all while keeping themselves out of danger. 

On a dark New York Night in the fifties, Marine veteran Big Vince MacLowerie walks home from a card game. He mistakes a man on the street for his old friend, Eddie Jackson, to grave consequences.

The next day a body is found, followed by more. MacLowerie, though innocent, is heavily implicated in the murders.

When the one person who believes in his innocence, Lieutenant Hank Tepper, is sent out of town, MacLowerie must prove his own innocence, and catch a killer. 

This 1937 novel still holds incredible relevance in the 21st century and is filled with timeless mystery and suspense.

When Doctor Hugh Westlake is mistakenly referenced as a euthanasia advocate, he is called upon in the middle of the night to perform a mercy killing. He prescribes the ill woman with morphine tablets, but does not go against his ethics to kill her himself.

The sick woman dies the next morning, followed by another one of Westlake’s terminally ill patients found overdosed on morphine, and the doctor finds himself a suspect of murder. 

This 2019 recipient of the Derrick Murdoch Award from the Crime Writers of Canada tells the story of a random killing in Trafalgar, British Columbia, or a case of mistaken identity. 

When English teacher Cathy Lindsay is killed by a sniper on a hiking trail, authorities are left confused. Cathy was a beloved teacher in a seemingly ideal marriage living a quiet life.

Sergeant John Winters and young Constable Molly Smith search Cathy’s life for any sign of a motive—but what if she wasn’t the target?

Set against the backdrop of the American Southwest, Mitch Cullin has crafted a twisted lyrical, and haunting novel about identity, desire, and pieces of American culture that are often ignored.

This book provocatively addresses the taboos beneath the surface of suburban life.

Readers follow a Tucson schoolteacher through sordid scenes in public restrooms and pornographic arcades until he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

On the run, the protagonist loses everything that is dear to him. His grip on reality slips as his innocence is put into question. 

Dive into the first of this Edgar Award-winning author’s books to hit the New York Times Bestseller list. Scottoline weaves together corruption, violence, and suspense to form this masterpiece.

Criminal Defense Lawyer Bennie Rosato is about to face her most challenging and personal case yet. Rosato is an expert in police corruption, and the case of prisoner Alice Connolly, accused of killing her cop boyfriend, should fall right into her wheelhouse. 

However, this case is different than anything Bennie has taken on before as Alice is the exact likeness of herself. 

Preschool teacher Nancy Stern is constantly reminded that she doesn’t measure up to her new neighbor, the other Nancy Stern. When a hunky man’s voice mistakenly calls to ask the other Nancy on a blind date—she just has to take her chance. 

But while teacher Nancy begins to fall in love, the other Nancy is murdered and the identity of both the killer and the intended victim is called into question. 

This funny, charming, and entertaining mystery will make readers into instant Jane Heller fans.

In this thrilling adventure, Timothy Carrier finds himself at the center of a murder plot, faced with unthinkable decisions. 

While enjoying a drink after work one day, a man slips Tim an envelope at the bar. 

Inside? A wad of cash and a picture of a woman. “Ten thousand. The rest when she’s gone.”

Tim is the only one who can save the innocent woman’s life, and solve the mystery of the killer going after her. 

#1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Koontz will have your heart pounding while he sends Tim on a journey of self-discovery and bravery.