8 Mystery Books That Need To Become TV Shows

8 Mystery Books That Need To Become TV Shows The covers of three mystery books

Book covers collage

By Dani Kessel Odom Published 37 minutes ago Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer on the New TV team, focusing on writing and content planning for streaming shows. They often assist with Classic TV coverage, as well. They have covered events, such as Denver Fan Expo. Their articles have also been shared by professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale. In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18. Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Many mystery books have what it takes to become a fantastic TV show, and these eight are the most exciting prospects. TV is packed with gripping mystery shows that keep the audience on the edge of their seats. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of trying to solve a mystery before the big reveal. It’s even better when a story keeps viewers guessing until the very end.

However, just because many mystery shows exist doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more. With many exciting upcoming mystery shows based on books, the thought comes up of what other books we’d like to see on our TV screens.

There are so many excellent mystery books to choose from, but these eight stories have high potential to become successful TV shows.

8 The Chill by Ross McDonald

The Chill book cover shows two people sitting on a beach

Ross McDonald is a fantastic crime writer, and his neo-noir mystery book The Chill is the perfect choice for a TV show. The story follows a detective named Lew Archer who is hired to find a runaway bride. However, when he locates Dolly Kincaid, he becomes entangled in a murder mystery that could connect murders that occurred decades apart.

The Chill is McDonald’s best book of all time. The mystery is compelling, with plenty of twists that will keep the audience guessing. The ending reveal feels earned, which isn’t always the case with crime novels.

Aside from being such a compelling story, The Chill is the prime choice for a TV show because it has a lot of depth. The relationship between the Kincaid family is a complex tapestry, and any onscreen adaptation needs the time to weave all the threads together.

7 Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong

Liar Dreamer Thief book cover

The 2023 genre-bending mystery novel Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong is a propulsive mystery-thriller with an unreliable narrator who has a tenuous grasp on reality. This makes the book one of the more interesting mystery novels and definitely one that would make for an interesting TV show.

The story follows Katrina Kim, a broke woman, outcast by her family, living with OCD, and stalking her co-worker Kurt. After learning that Kurt knows she’s stalking him, Katrina visits the Cayatoga Bridge one night. Shockingly, she sees Kurt die by suicide after blaming her. Katrina delves into the mystery of what actually led to this tragedy.

The story, which moves at a breakneck pace, is intriguing enough to carry a TV show. Plus, Katrina’s one of the most realistic protagonists I’ve read in fiction in a long time. She’s a mess and flawed, and that’s what makes her likable.

6 You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

Many authors have taken inspiration from the great Agatha Christie. You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego pays homage to the author while offering something fresh, and it deserves a TV adaptation.

In the book, thriller writers arrive in a famed author’s secluded mansion for a writing retreat. The host, Mila, plans to murder one specific author. When a different person shows up dead, the secrets start pouring out, revealing her to be in a house full of murderers. The only question is which one is responsible this time.

The premise takes clear inspiration from And Then There Were None, but it doesn’t feel derivative. The mystery is just as complex as Christie’s novel, but it has more tension and scares. The prose already has a cinematic feel, so it would be easy to translate for the screen. Plus, the book explores modern themes that would resonate with viewers.

5 The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberly Brock

The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare book cover shows a key and peacock feathers

While most of these books are modern, The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberly Brock is an alternate-history historical mystery. It tackles one of the most enduring mysteries: what happened to the Roanoke Colony.

The story follows a young widow named Alice, a descendant of Roanoke’s Eleanor Dare, who, as a teenager, rejected her birthright book that explains the truth of what happened to Roanoke. In the aftermath of World War II, she’s forced to reckon with her lineage when she and her daughter, Penn, move back to their abandoned family home.

The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare didn’t fully live up to expectations, but it had a ton of potential. All the components are there for a great story. The execution was just lacking. As such, it’s a great option for a TV show adaptation, so long as it receives a showrunner who is willing to rework the story a little bit.

4 The Night Shift By Alex Finlay

The Night Shift By Alex Finlay book cover shows the title as a neon sign

Author Alex Finlay is best known for his horror book Final Girls. However, his best book, and the one that deserves a TV show, is the mystery-thriller The Night Shift. The fast-paced story is compulsively readable, and the story genuinely keeps the audience guessing about who committed the murders.

The story starts with a massacre at Blockbuster Video on New Year's Eve 1999 in the small town of Linden, New Jersey. Only one teen girl survives. Fifteen years later, another massacre occurs in Linden when teen ice cream shop employees get slaughtered, with only one survivor. The book follows the investigation, as everyone tries to solve the mystery.

The storyline is just one of the many reasons why The Night Shift deserves a TV adaptation. The story explores the aftermath of trauma, a theme that might not have made it onscreen in the past. What’s more, the book has a robust cast who feel essential to the story, and their varying perspectives would keep the TV show interesting rather than one-note.

3 Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

Monday's Not Coming book cover shows a teen girl crouched down looking upset

Author Tiffany D. Jackson is a master at crafting a suspenseful, horrifying story that explores important themes and is impossible to put down. The 2018 slow-burn mystery novel Monday’s Not Coming is a perfect example of this. The YA story is absolutely heart-wrenching, and it will stick with the reader long after the final page.

Monday Charles and Claudia Coleman are inseparable best friends, but Claudia starts to worry about her friend when Monday doesn’t write over the summer as promised. When school starts up again, Claudia finds that Monday isn’t showing up. Monday’s phone is disconnected, and she’s unenrolled. Claudia sets out to uncover what happened to her best friend.

Monday’s Not Coming is a difficult read, but it explores the less picture-perfect side of being a child in a world that can be cruel and uncaring. What’s more, without spoiling anything, the truth about Monday highlights a harsh reality that doesn’t appear onscreen often. Ultimately, it’s too important a story not to get a TV adaptation.

2 Now You See Me by Sharon Bolton

Now You See Me by Sharon Bolton book cover shows a girl sitting in a chair in a basement

The detective mystery book, Now You See Me by Sharon (previously SJ) Bolton, is part of the Lacey Flint series, and the riveting story deserves to be told onscreen. The book follows Detective Lacey Flint, who gets wrapped up in a mystery that might be more personal than she realizes.

Lacey Flint stumbles upon a young woman who was stabbed together, and just one day later, a reporter gets a letter, mirroring that of Jack the Ripper, claiming credit for the murder. Shockingly, the letter mentions Lacey by name. The detective has just five days to solve the mystery of the copycat killer before he kills again.

Now You See Me builds breathtaking suspense, making the book impossible to put down. The story flies by due to its fast pace. The cat-and-mouse aspect of the mystery is quite intriguing. Plus, the characters are easy to invest in. Ultimately, the book has everything necessary to become a fantastic TV show.

1 Eve Duncan books by Iris Johansen

Eve Duncan The Face of Deception book cover

Iris Johansen’s Eve Duncan books are a long-running mystery-thriller series, with 25 books to date. The series is a personal favorite, and I’m dying to see the tough, smart protagonist in her own TV show. However, she appears on this list not just because I love the books, but because they’re practically begging to become a TV show.

The character was adapted once before in the 2011 adaptation of The Killing Game, but it wasn't well-received.

Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor who helps solve mysteries. Each book mostly follows a different case, though there are some throughlines and recurring villains. Many of the Eve Duncan books, including Blood Game and The Search, feel like they were written for the screen instead of the page.

Iris Johansen writes complex stories with well-developed characters, genuinely surprising twists, and tons of action. What’s more, Eve Duncan is a layered character with many flaws that feel relatable but also incredible strengths that make her lovable. It has everything necessary to be just as successful as Bones, Bosch, or Cross.

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