50 Books like A Perilous Undertaking

The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel)

by Natsu Hyuuga

an apothecary hides her poison knowledge in the harem, but a beautiful eunuch sees everything

4.48

17k+

🩺 Medical Mystery 👑 Court Intrigue 🔥 Slow Burn Romance ⚖️ Class Divide 🎭 Hidden Identity

The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel) Summary

The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel) 92%

an apothecary hides her poison knowledge in the harem, but a beautiful eunuch sees everything

by Natsu Hyuuga 2014

4.48

17k+ ratings

🩺 Medical Mystery 👑 Court Intrigue 🔥 Slow Burn Romance ⚖️ Class Divide 🎭 Hidden Identity

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

by Kate Khavari • 2022

A 1920s botanist hunts a dinner-party poisoner among cutthroat London scholars to clear her mentor.

3.52

23k+

🎓 Academic Mystery 🕰️ Historical Whodunit 🔍 Amateur Female Sleuth 🔬 Woman In Science 💕 Slow Burn Romance

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons Summary

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons 95%

A 1920s botanist hunts a dinner-party poisoner among cutthroat London scholars to clear her mentor.

by Kate Khavari 2022

3.52

23k+ ratings

🎓 Academic Mystery 🕰️ Historical Whodunit 🔍 Amateur Female Sleuth 🔬 Woman In Science 💕 Slow Burn Romance

Stalking Jack the Ripper

by Kerri Maniscalco • 2016

In Victorian London, a forensic student hunts the Ripper, and the evidence points to her family.

3.92

183k+

🔎 Forensic Investigation 🕰️ Victorian Gothic Mystery 🤝 Unlikely Duo 🔐 Family Secrets 🧪 Macabre Experiments

Stalking Jack the Ripper 94%

In Victorian London, a forensic student hunts the Ripper, and the evidence points to her family.

by Kerri Maniscalco 2016

3.92

183k+ ratings

🔎 Forensic Investigation 🕰️ Victorian Gothic Mystery 🤝 Unlikely Duo 🔐 Family Secrets 🧪 Macabre Experiments

Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker

by Patricia Meredith • 2021

A beheading forces a masked thief and a detective to hunt a killer in a Spokane mansion.

4.06

190

🔍 Historical Whodunit 🕯️ Gothic Atmosphere 🎭 Masked Thief 👥 Detective Duo ⚙️ Eccentric Inventor

Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker Summary

Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Taker 93%

A beheading forces a masked thief and a detective to hunt a killer in a Spokane mansion.

by Patricia Meredith 2021

4.06

190 ratings

🔍 Historical Whodunit 🕯️ Gothic Atmosphere 🎭 Masked Thief 👥 Detective Duo ⚙️ Eccentric Inventor

The Agency for Scandal

by Laura Wood • 2023

A Victorian wallflower spy falls for a duke who never notices her, until their missions collide.

4.23

5k+

🔍 Women Spy Ring 🎭 Secret Identity ❤️ Slow Burn Romance 💍 Fake Relationship 👑 Class Differences

The Agency for Scandal 93%

A Victorian wallflower spy falls for a duke who never notices her, until their missions collide.

by Laura Wood 2023

4.23

5k+ ratings

🔍 Women Spy Ring 🎭 Secret Identity ❤️ Slow Burn Romance 💍 Fake Relationship 👑 Class Differences

The Frozen People

by Elly Griffiths • 2025

Sent to 1850 to solve a murder, a detective is stranded with no way home.

3.89

16k+

🕰️ Time Travel Mystery ⚰️ Victorian Murder 🔍 Cold Case Mystery 📜 Dual Timeline 🚔 Framed For Murder

The Frozen People 93%

Sent to 1850 to solve a murder, a detective is stranded with no way home.

by Elly Griffiths 2025

3.89

16k+ ratings

🕰️ Time Travel Mystery ⚰️ Victorian Murder 🔍 Cold Case Mystery 📜 Dual Timeline 🚔 Framed For Murder

The Librarian of Crooked Lane

by C.J. Archer • 2022

A librarian seeking magical roots lands in an enchanted art heist beside a haunted war hero.

3.83

26k+

🏮 Gaslamp Fantasy 🧳 Orphaned Heroine 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🫂 Found Family 📚 Magical Library

The Librarian of Crooked Lane 93%

A librarian seeking magical roots lands in an enchanted art heist beside a haunted war hero.

by C.J. Archer 2022

3.83

26k+ ratings

🏮 Gaslamp Fantasy 🧳 Orphaned Heroine 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 🫂 Found Family 📚 Magical Library

The Imposter's Inheritance

by C.J. Archer • 2020

When a magical coronet disappears, a watch magician follows the clues into London's secret trade.

4.04

8k+

🕰️ Victorian Fantasy 🔍 Married Sleuths 💎 Magical Heist 🫂 Found Family 👑 Secret Heir

The Imposter's Inheritance 93%

When a magical coronet disappears, a watch magician follows the clues into London's secret trade.

by C.J. Archer 2020

4.04

8k+ ratings

🕰️ Victorian Fantasy 🔍 Married Sleuths 💎 Magical Heist 🫂 Found Family 👑 Secret Heir

Cocaine Blues

by Kerry Greenwood • 1989

A poisoned heiress draws a detective into 1920s Melbourne, where high society hides a cocaine ring.

3.84

30k+

🕵️ Amateur Sleuth 🤝 Found Family 🎩 High Society Crime 🧪 Poison Investigation 🥂 Roaring Twenties

Cocaine Blues 93%

A poisoned heiress draws a detective into 1920s Melbourne, where high society hides a cocaine ring.

by Kerry Greenwood 1989

3.84

30k+ ratings

🕵️ Amateur Sleuth 🤝 Found Family 🎩 High Society Crime 🧪 Poison Investigation 🥂 Roaring Twenties

The Bride Wore Constant White

by Shelley Adina • 2018

Two sisters hunt a killer in the steampunk West when their mail-order bride friend is murdered.

4.09

351

🤠 Steampunk Western 👰 Mail-Order Bride 👥 Found Family 👻 Ghostly Clues ☕ Cozy Mystery Energy

The Bride Wore Constant White 92%

Two sisters hunt a killer in the steampunk West when their mail-order bride friend is murdered.

by Shelley Adina 2018

4.09

351 ratings

🤠 Steampunk Western 👰 Mail-Order Bride 👥 Found Family 👻 Ghostly Clues ☕ Cozy Mystery Energy

A Study in Scarlet

by Arthur Conan Doyle • 1887

Dr. Watson meets Sherlock Holmes. A corpse, a bloody word, a trail to the Utah desert.

4.13

499k+

🏙️ Victorian London 🕵️ Eccentric Detective 📝 Sidekick Narrator ⚔️ Revenge Quest 🏜️ American Frontier

A Study in Scarlet 92%

Dr. Watson meets Sherlock Holmes. A corpse, a bloody word, a trail to the Utah desert.

by Arthur Conan Doyle 1887

4.13

499k+ ratings

🏙️ Victorian London 🕵️ Eccentric Detective 📝 Sidekick Narrator ⚔️ Revenge Quest 🏜️ American Frontier

The Birdcage Murders

by Karen Baugh Menuhin • 2022

Diamond dust kills a lord. The dinner guests all lost someone in a massacre twelve years ago.

4.55

3k+

🏚️ Closed Circle Mystery 🎩 Golden Age Whodunit 🕵️ Amateur Sleuth Duo ⚖️ Collective Revenge 💋 Femme Fatale

The Birdcage Murders 92%

Diamond dust kills a lord. The dinner guests all lost someone in a massacre twelve years ago.

by Karen Baugh Menuhin 2022

4.55

3k+ ratings

🏚️ Closed Circle Mystery 🎩 Golden Age Whodunit 🕵️ Amateur Sleuth Duo ⚖️ Collective Revenge 💋 Femme Fatale

The Black Country

by Alex Grecian • 2013

A missing family. A sinking village. Two Scotland Yard detectives and a bogeyman locals believe in.

3.74

7k+

🔍 Victorian Mystery 🌲 Folk Horror Atmosphere 🏘️ Village Secrets ⛏️ Mining Community 👧 Creepy Children

The Black Country 92%

A missing family. A sinking village. Two Scotland Yard detectives and a bogeyman locals believe in.

by Alex Grecian 2013

3.74

7k+ ratings

🔍 Victorian Mystery 🌲 Folk Horror Atmosphere 🏘️ Village Secrets ⛏️ Mining Community 👧 Creepy Children

The Duke Undone

by Joanna Lowell • 2021

A struggling artist paints a naked duke; scandal binds them in a bargain neither can afford.

3.62

5k+

🎨 Artist Heroine 💕 Enemies To Lovers 🏛️ Class Difference 🎭 Secret Identity 🔥 Slow Burn Romance

The Duke Undone 92%

A struggling artist paints a naked duke; scandal binds them in a bargain neither can afford.

by Joanna Lowell 2021

3.62

5k+ ratings

🎨 Artist Heroine 💕 Enemies To Lovers 🏛️ Class Difference 🎭 Secret Identity 🔥 Slow Burn Romance

An Inconvenient Duke

by Anna Harrington • 2020

A duke's hunt for his sister's killer hinges on the woman running a secret rescue network.

3.72

2k+

💪 Activist Heroine 🛡️ Wounded Warrior Hero 🕊️ Secret Rescue Network 🎭 Ballroom Intrigue 💔 Grief And Healing

An Inconvenient Duke 92%

A duke's hunt for his sister's killer hinges on the woman running a secret rescue network.

by Anna Harrington 2020

3.72

2k+ ratings

💪 Activist Heroine 🛡️ Wounded Warrior Hero 🕊️ Secret Rescue Network 🎭 Ballroom Intrigue 💔 Grief And Healing

Bringing Down the Duke

by Evie Dunmore • 2019

England's coldest duke. Her scholarship depends on changing his mind. He wants more than politics.

3.92

95k+

🥀 Enemies To Lovers ❄️ Ice Cold Duke 🕯️ Victorian Romance 📚 Bluestocking Heroine ⚖️ Class Difference

Bringing Down the Duke 92%

England's coldest duke. Her scholarship depends on changing his mind. He wants more than politics.

by Evie Dunmore 2019

3.92

95k+ ratings

🥀 Enemies To Lovers ❄️ Ice Cold Duke 🕯️ Victorian Romance 📚 Bluestocking Heroine ⚖️ Class Difference

The Case of the Missing Marquess

by Nancy Springer • 2006

Enola Holmes follows her missing mother's cipher into London, where a marquess has been kidnapped.

3.78

45k+

🕵️ Girl Detective 🎩 Victorian London 🔍 Sherlock Holmes Adjacent 🏃 Runaway Protagonist 📜 Encoded Messages

The Case of the Missing Marquess Summary

The Case of the Missing Marquess 92%

Enola Holmes follows her missing mother's cipher into London, where a marquess has been kidnapped.

by Nancy Springer 2006

3.78

45k+ ratings

🕵️ Girl Detective 🎩 Victorian London 🔍 Sherlock Holmes Adjacent 🏃 Runaway Protagonist 📜 Encoded Messages

Rules for Ruin

by Mimi Matthews • 2025

An orphan spy must destroy a politician. The slum-born king she's falling for needs him alive.

3.95

6k+

🗡️ Enemies To Lovers 🏙️ Victorian London ⚖️ Women's Rights 🏚️ Rookery Underworld 🕵️ Undercover Mission

Rules for Ruin 94%

An orphan spy must destroy a politician. The slum-born king she's falling for needs him alive.

by Mimi Matthews 2025

3.95

6k+ ratings

🗡️ Enemies To Lovers 🏙️ Victorian London ⚖️ Women's Rights 🏚️ Rookery Underworld 🕵️ Undercover Mission

In the Market for Murder

by T.E. Kinsey • 2015

A farmer dies in his pie. A lady sleuth and her maid sift village grudges for the poisoner.

4.12

17k+

🕵️ Lady Detective Duo 👒 Edwardian Mystery 🏘️ Village Secrets 🍄 Poison Murder 🏡 Quirky Village

In the Market for Murder 94%

A farmer dies in his pie. A lady sleuth and her maid sift village grudges for the poisoner.

by T.E. Kinsey 2015

4.12

17k+ ratings

🕵️ Lady Detective Duo 👒 Edwardian Mystery 🏘️ Village Secrets 🍄 Poison Murder 🏡 Quirky Village

The Art of a Lie

by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

An 18th-century widow killed her husband. The con man courting her chose the wrong mark.

4.10

7k+

🎭 Con Artist Thriller 🏙️ Georgian London 🗡️ Murderess Protagonist 🌃 Historical Noir 🔥 Slow Burn Suspense

The Art of a Lie 92%

An 18th-century widow killed her husband. The con man courting her chose the wrong mark.

by Laura Shepherd-Robinson 2025

4.10

7k+ ratings

🎭 Con Artist Thriller 🏙️ Georgian London 🗡️ Murderess Protagonist 🌃 Historical Noir 🔥 Slow Burn Suspense

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

by Beth Brower • 2019

Banished to her own attic, a penniless heiress keeps a journal her scheming cousin should fear.

4.05

69k+

📖 Epistolary Novel 💪 Plucky Heroine ⚖️ Inheritance Battle 🫖 Cozy Historical 🕯️ Gothic Undertones

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Summary

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion 92%

Banished to her own attic, a penniless heiress keeps a journal her scheming cousin should fear.

by Beth Brower 2019

4.05

69k+ ratings

📖 Epistolary Novel 💪 Plucky Heroine ⚖️ Inheritance Battle 🫖 Cozy Historical 🕯️ Gothic Undertones

The Duke and I

by Julia Quinn • 2000

A duke refusing marriage and a debutante seeking suitors fake a courtship, then fall in love.

3.80

707k+

🎭 Fake Courtship 💍 Forced Marriage 💔 Traumatized Hero 😈 Reformed Rake 🔥 Steamy

The Duke and I 92%

A duke refusing marriage and a debutante seeking suitors fake a courtship, then fall in love.

by Julia Quinn 2000

3.80

707k+ ratings

🎭 Fake Courtship 💍 Forced Marriage 💔 Traumatized Hero 😈 Reformed Rake 🔥 Steamy

The Impossible Thing

by Belinda Bauer • 2025

One impossible egg, stolen again. Two misfits hunt it through a century of dangerous obsession.

4.07

6k+

🕰️ Dual Timeline Mystery 🕯️ Historical Crime 🧠 Neurodivergent Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 🥚 Collector's Obsession

The Impossible Thing 91%

One impossible egg, stolen again. Two misfits hunt it through a century of dangerous obsession.

by Belinda Bauer 2025

4.07

6k+ ratings

🕰️ Dual Timeline Mystery 🕯️ Historical Crime 🧠 Neurodivergent Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 🥚 Collector's Obsession

Olivia Twist

by Lorie Langdon • 2018

She survived as Oliver Twist. Now a society lady, the thief who knew her secret is back.

3.88

4k+

🌀 Gender-Swapped Retelling 🏙️ Victorian London 🎭 Secret Identity 💕 Friends To Lovers 🗡️ Rogue With A Heart

Olivia Twist 91%

She survived as Oliver Twist. Now a society lady, the thief who knew her secret is back.

by Lorie Langdon 2018

3.88

4k+ ratings

🌀 Gender-Swapped Retelling 🏙️ Victorian London 🎭 Secret Identity 💕 Friends To Lovers 🗡️ Rogue With A Heart

The Secret Adversary

by Agatha Christie • 1922

Penniless in London, two friends stumble into a conspiracy of spies, impostors, and a stolen treaty.

3.84

72k+

🕵️ Golden Age Mystery 🔍 Amateur Sleuths 🤝 Crime Solving Duo 💕 Partners To Lovers 🏙️ Post-Wwi London

The Secret Adversary 91%

Penniless in London, two friends stumble into a conspiracy of spies, impostors, and a stolen treaty.

by Agatha Christie 1922

3.84

72k+ ratings

🕵️ Golden Age Mystery 🔍 Amateur Sleuths 🤝 Crime Solving Duo 💕 Partners To Lovers 🏙️ Post-Wwi London

Empire of Shadows

by Jacquelyn Benson • 2024

A Victorian archivist pursues a lost city with a stolen map and a maddening surveyor.

4.15

10k+

🏛️ Archaeological Adventure 🗺️ Lost City Quest 🤝 Reluctant Partners 🔥 Slow Burn Romance ✊ Defiant Heroine

Empire of Shadows 91%

A Victorian archivist pursues a lost city with a stolen map and a maddening surveyor.

by Jacquelyn Benson 2024

4.15

10k+ ratings

🏛️ Archaeological Adventure 🗺️ Lost City Quest 🤝 Reluctant Partners 🔥 Slow Burn Romance ✊ Defiant Heroine

The Phoenix Crown

by Kate Quinn • 2024

In 1906 San Francisco, three women track a vanished artist into a charming patron's private asylum.

3.86

51k+

🔍 Historical Mystery 💕 Sapphic Romance 🎭 Hidden Identity 👯 Female Friendship 🕰️ Edwardian Era

The Phoenix Crown 91%

In 1906 San Francisco, three women track a vanished artist into a charming patron's private asylum.

by Kate Quinn 2024

3.86

51k+ ratings

🔍 Historical Mystery 💕 Sapphic Romance 🎭 Hidden Identity 👯 Female Friendship 🕰️ Edwardian Era

Murder in Constantinople

by A.E. Goldin • 2024

A Jewish tailor finds his dead lover alive. Her trail ends at the Sultan’s palace.

3.44

570

🕎 Jewish Historical Mystery 🕵️ Espionage Thriller 🎭 False Identity ✈️ Exile And Diaspora 🖤 Gothic Atmosphere

Murder in Constantinople 91%

A Jewish tailor finds his dead lover alive. Her trail ends at the Sultan’s palace.

by A.E. Goldin 2024

3.44

570 ratings

🕎 Jewish Historical Mystery 🕵️ Espionage Thriller 🎭 False Identity ✈️ Exile And Diaspora 🖤 Gothic Atmosphere

Death of an Earl

by G.G. Vandagriff • 2021

An Oxford poet must clear her fiancé's sister-in-law of murdering an earl.

4.27

1k+

🕰️ Golden Age Mystery 🔍 Amateur Detective 🎓 Oxford Academia 🏰 English Manor Murder 🇬🇧 Pre War England

Death of an Earl 91%

An Oxford poet must clear her fiancé's sister-in-law of murdering an earl.

by G.G. Vandagriff 2021

4.27

1k+ ratings

🕰️ Golden Age Mystery 🔍 Amateur Detective 🎓 Oxford Academia 🏰 English Manor Murder 🇬🇧 Pre War England

The Unknown Beloved

by Amy Harmon • 2022

A woman reads history in cloth. A federal agent needs her to catch Cleveland's serial butcher.

4.32

20k+

🧵 Psychometry 🔪 Historical Serial Killer 🖤 Slow-Burn Romance 📰 Based On True Crime 🏚️ Depression Era

The Unknown Beloved 91%

A woman reads history in cloth. A federal agent needs her to catch Cleveland's serial butcher.

by Amy Harmon 2022

4.32

20k+ ratings

🧵 Psychometry 🔪 Historical Serial Killer 🖤 Slow-Burn Romance 📰 Based On True Crime 🏚️ Depression Era

The Queens of Crime

by Marie Benedict • 2025

Five mystery novelists secretly solve a nurse's locked-room murder that the police buried.

3.80

29k+

🔍 Golden Age Mystery 📚 Real Authors As Characters 👩‍⚖️ Women Sleuths 🤫 Secret Society 🗝️ Locked Room Puzzle

The Queens of Crime 91%

Five mystery novelists secretly solve a nurse's locked-room murder that the police buried.

by Marie Benedict 2025

3.80

29k+ ratings

🔍 Golden Age Mystery 📚 Real Authors As Characters 👩‍⚖️ Women Sleuths 🤫 Secret Society 🗝️ Locked Room Puzzle

Elizabeth's Deception

by Kate Speck • 2020

Hiding as a bastard daughter to escape assassination, Elizabeth Bennet never counted on Mr. Darcy.

3.84

286

🖋️ Austen Retelling 💕 Regency Romance 👑 Secret Heiress ⚡ Enemies To Lovers 🔐 Codebreaker Heroine

Elizabeth's Deception 91%

Hiding as a bastard daughter to escape assassination, Elizabeth Bennet never counted on Mr. Darcy.

by Kate Speck 2020

3.84

286 ratings

🖋️ Austen Retelling 💕 Regency Romance 👑 Secret Heiress ⚡ Enemies To Lovers 🔐 Codebreaker Heroine

A Great Deliverance

by Elizabeth George • 1988

A beheading in Yorkshire, a mute confession sends two detectives into a family's darkest secrets.

4.03

52k+

🚔 Police Procedural 🎩 Aristocratic Detective 🤝 Unlikely Partners 🔒 Dark Family Secrets 🏘️ English Village Murder

A Great Deliverance 91%

A beheading in Yorkshire, a mute confession sends two detectives into a family's darkest secrets.

by Elizabeth George 1988

4.03

52k+ ratings

🚔 Police Procedural 🎩 Aristocratic Detective 🤝 Unlikely Partners 🔒 Dark Family Secrets 🏘️ English Village Murder

The Complete Sherlock Holmes

by Arthur Conan Doyle • 1887

Sharing Baker Street, a reclusive genius and a war-weary doctor solve the crimes that baffle London.

4.51

218k+

🕵️ Consulting Detective 🎩 Victorian London 🔍 Classic Whodunit 🧠 Eccentric Detective 📝 Sidekick Narrator

The Complete Sherlock Holmes 91%

Sharing Baker Street, a reclusive genius and a war-weary doctor solve the crimes that baffle London.

by Arthur Conan Doyle 1887

4.51

218k+ ratings

🕵️ Consulting Detective 🎩 Victorian London 🔍 Classic Whodunit 🧠 Eccentric Detective 📝 Sidekick Narrator

Fingersmith

by Sarah Waters

A pickpocket poses as a lady's maid to help swindle an heiress, then falls for her.

4.02

120k+

🕯️ Victorian Gothic 💘 Enemies To Lovers 🔒 Forbidden Love 🎭 Mistaken Identity 🃏 Con Artists

Fingersmith 91%

A pickpocket poses as a lady's maid to help swindle an heiress, then falls for her.

by Sarah Waters 2002

4.02

120k+ ratings

🕯️ Victorian Gothic 💘 Enemies To Lovers 🔒 Forbidden Love 🎭 Mistaken Identity 🃏 Con Artists

The Darwin Affair

by Timothy Mason • 2019

A detective hunting a royal assassin uncovers a conspiracy bent on destroying Charles Darwin.

3.66

11k+

🕵️ Victorian Detective 📜 Historical Conspiracy 👮 Disgraced Detective 🎭 Disfigured Villain 🌑 Gothic Undertones

The Darwin Affair 93%

A detective hunting a royal assassin uncovers a conspiracy bent on destroying Charles Darwin.

by Timothy Mason 2019

3.66

11k+ ratings

🕵️ Victorian Detective 📜 Historical Conspiracy 👮 Disgraced Detective 🎭 Disfigured Villain 🌑 Gothic Undertones

The Nurse's Secret

by Amanda Skenandore • 2022

A pickpocket hiding in Bellevue's nursing school discovers a killer stalking the wards.

4.14

36k+

🕵️‍♀️ Gilded Age Mystery 🎭 Hidden Identity 👮‍♀️ Unlikely Sleuth 🌆 1880s New York City 🤝 Found Family

The Nurse's Secret 93%

A pickpocket hiding in Bellevue's nursing school discovers a killer stalking the wards.

by Amanda Skenandore 2022

4.14

36k+ ratings

🕵️‍♀️ Gilded Age Mystery 🎭 Hidden Identity 👮‍♀️ Unlikely Sleuth 🌆 1880s New York City 🤝 Found Family

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend

by Emma R. Alban • 2024

In Victorian London, a debutante dreads marrying a lord after she falls for an ungovernable heiress.

3.76

22k+

👑 Victorian Romance 💕 Friends To Lovers 👩‍❤️‍👩 Sapphic Romance 💌 Secret Relationship 🔄 Second Chance Romance

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend Summary

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend 91%

In Victorian London, a debutante dreads marrying a lord after she falls for an ungovernable heiress.

by Emma R. Alban 2024

3.76

22k+ ratings

👑 Victorian Romance 💕 Friends To Lovers 👩‍❤️‍👩 Sapphic Romance 💌 Secret Relationship 🔄 Second Chance Romance

The Luminaries

by Eleanor Catton • 2013

Thirteen strangers in a gold-rush town keep secrets, but a dead hermit's fortune won't stay buried.

3.75

87k+

⛏️ Gold Rush 🕯️ Victorian Mystery 👥 Doppelgangers 🫂 Found Family 🎭 False Identities

The Luminaries 91%

Thirteen strangers in a gold-rush town keep secrets, but a dead hermit's fortune won't stay buried.

by Eleanor Catton 2013

3.75

87k+ ratings

⛏️ Gold Rush 🕯️ Victorian Mystery 👥 Doppelgangers 🫂 Found Family 🎭 False Identities

The Lost Apothecary

by Sarah Penner • 2021

Her solo trip uncovers a hidden 1791 apothecary and its secret: poisons for women's revenge.

3.76

508k+

🕰️ Dual Timeline 🔍 Historical Mystery 🗡️ Women's Revenge 🤝 Found Family 👩‍🏫 Mentor-Protege

The Lost Apothecary 91%

Her solo trip uncovers a hidden 1791 apothecary and its secret: poisons for women's revenge.

by Sarah Penner 2021

3.76

508k+ ratings

🕰️ Dual Timeline 🔍 Historical Mystery 🗡️ Women's Revenge 🤝 Found Family 👩‍🏫 Mentor-Protege

The Cuckoo's Calling

by Robert Galbraith • 2013

A broke PI investigates a supermodel's death ruled suicide. Her brother hired him to prove murder.

3.89

630k+

🕵️ Hardboiled Detective 🎖️ War Veteran Protagonist 💎 High Society Murder 🔍 Investigative Duo 🗣️ Unreliable Witnesses

The Cuckoo's Calling 91%

A broke PI investigates a supermodel's death ruled suicide. Her brother hired him to prove murder.

by Robert Galbraith 2013

3.89

630k+ ratings

🕵️ Hardboiled Detective 🎖️ War Veteran Protagonist 💎 High Society Murder 🔍 Investigative Duo 🗣️ Unreliable Witnesses

Death in the Spires

by K.J. Charles • 2024

An anonymous letter forces Jem Kite to uncover which Oxford friend committed murder ten years ago.

4.17

6k+

🖤 Dark Academia 🔒 Locked Room Mystery 👥 Found Family 🏳️‍🌈 Queer Love Story 💔 Toxic Friendship

Death in the Spires 91%

An anonymous letter forces Jem Kite to uncover which Oxford friend committed murder ten years ago.

by K.J. Charles 2024

4.17

6k+ ratings

🖤 Dark Academia 🔒 Locked Room Mystery 👥 Found Family 🏳️‍🌈 Queer Love Story 💔 Toxic Friendship

The Lost Heiress

by Elizabeth Klehfoth • 2025

A storm unearths bones at a seaside estate, reopening the cold case of a vanished heiress.

4.18

11k+

🕰️ Dual Timeline Mystery 🏚️ Modern Gothic 🔍 Cold Case Mystery 🎭 Hidden Identity 💰 Class Divides

The Lost Heiress 91%

A storm unearths bones at a seaside estate, reopening the cold case of a vanished heiress.

by Elizabeth Klehfoth 2025

4.18

11k+ ratings

🕰️ Dual Timeline Mystery 🏚️ Modern Gothic 🔍 Cold Case Mystery 🎭 Hidden Identity 💰 Class Divides

The Alienist

by Caleb Carr • 1994

In Gilded Age New York, a mutilated child sends a psychologist on a secret serial-killer hunt.

4.06

182k+

🏙️ Gilded Age New York 🧠 Psychological Profiling 🔬 Early Forensic Science 🔪 Serial Killer 🕵️ Team Of Outsiders

The Alienist 91%

In Gilded Age New York, a mutilated child sends a psychologist on a secret serial-killer hunt.

by Caleb Carr 1994

4.06

182k+ ratings

🏙️ Gilded Age New York 🧠 Psychological Profiling 🔬 Early Forensic Science 🔪 Serial Killer 🕵️ Team Of Outsiders

Body Language

by A.K. Turner • 2020

A mortuary tech who reads the dead defies the police to prove her teacher was murdered.

3.96

6k+

🔬 Forensic Mystery 🔎 Amateur Sleuth 🚔 Police Procedural 👭 Female Detective Duo 💀 Punk Heroine

Body Language 91%

A mortuary tech who reads the dead defies the police to prove her teacher was murdered.

by A.K. Turner 2020

3.96

6k+ ratings

🔬 Forensic Mystery 🔎 Amateur Sleuth 🚔 Police Procedural 👭 Female Detective Duo 💀 Punk Heroine

Revelation

by C.J. Sansom • 2008

A Tudor lawyer hunts a serial killer staging murders modeled on the Bible's apocalyptic plagues.

4.37

28k+

📜 Tudor Mystery ✝️ Religious Fanaticism 🔪 Ritual Murder 🌋 Apocalyptic Prophecy 🎭 Master Of Disguise

Revelation 91%

A Tudor lawyer hunts a serial killer staging murders modeled on the Bible's apocalyptic plagues.

by C.J. Sansom 2008

4.37

28k+ ratings

📜 Tudor Mystery ✝️ Religious Fanaticism 🔪 Ritual Murder 🌋 Apocalyptic Prophecy 🎭 Master Of Disguise

A Man of Some Repute

by Elizabeth Edmondson • 2015

A wounded spy moves to a crumbling castle just as the vanished Earl is unearthed.

3.77

12k+

🏰 Country House Murder ❄️ Cold Case Investigation 🇬🇧 Postwar England 🕵️ Amateur Detective 🔒 Family Secrets

A Man of Some Repute 91%

A wounded spy moves to a crumbling castle just as the vanished Earl is unearthed.

by Elizabeth Edmondson 2015

3.77

12k+ ratings

🏰 Country House Murder ❄️ Cold Case Investigation 🇬🇧 Postwar England 🕵️ Amateur Detective 🔒 Family Secrets

A Crane Among Wolves

by June Hur • 2024

To ransom her sister from a brutal Korean tyrant, a girl hunts a serial killer the king fears.

3.95

17k+

🕵️ Historical Mystery 👑 Palace Intrigue 👭 Estranged Sisters 💕 Slow-Burn Romance ⚔️ Vigilante Justice

A Crane Among Wolves 91%

To ransom her sister from a brutal Korean tyrant, a girl hunts a serial killer the king fears.

by June Hur 2024

3.95

17k+ ratings

🕵️ Historical Mystery 👑 Palace Intrigue 👭 Estranged Sisters 💕 Slow-Burn Romance ⚔️ Vigilante Justice

The Conductors

by Nicole Glover • 2021

A star-cursed corpse. A seamstress hunting a killer in magical Reconstruction-era Philadelphia.

3.69

4k+

⭐ Celestial Magic System 🔍 Historical Mystery 👫 Married Investigators 🫂 Found Family 📜 Reconstruction Era

The Conductors 91%

A star-cursed corpse. A seamstress hunting a killer in magical Reconstruction-era Philadelphia.

by Nicole Glover 2021

3.69

4k+ ratings

⭐ Celestial Magic System 🔍 Historical Mystery 👫 Married Investigators 🫂 Found Family 📜 Reconstruction Era

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues

by Jess Everlee • 2023

Two childhood friends running a Victorian molly house face a raid and their unspoken love.

3.75

1k+

🖤 Gay Historical Romance 💛 Friends To Lovers 🕰️ Second Chance Romance 🔥 Slow Burn 🏠 Found Family

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues 91%

Two childhood friends running a Victorian molly house face a raid and their unspoken love.

by Jess Everlee 2023

3.75

1k+ ratings

🖤 Gay Historical Romance 💛 Friends To Lovers 🕰️ Second Chance Romance 🔥 Slow Burn 🏠 Found Family

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M