The VERY* Official Netflix Persuasion Survey. *Not actually a true random sample or statistically viable, but fun. 12 friends in Michigan watched the film Persuasion. Their ages spanned 6 decades. Afterwards, they rated the film. Average rating on a scale of 1-5: 4.33. Everyone either "liked it" or "loved it".

Review of Netflix’s Persuasion (with Survey Data)

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I love adaptations, and I love Jane Austen. So I had to watch Netflix’s new adaptation of Persuasion, starring Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, and Henry Golding. I decided to make a movie night of it and invited a bunch of friends over. We watched the film. There was much laughter. The credits rolled. And then I handed out surveys.

Yes, surveys.

You come to a girls night at my house, and you may end up taking a survey.

What was most interesting to me was actually the qualitative results–what people liked and disliked from a film standpoint–but first, let’s look at overall impressions.

Overall Impressions/Quantitative Results: Enjoyment Factor

The VERY* Official Netflix Persuasion Survey. *Not actually a true random sample or statistically viable, but fun. 12 friends in Michigan watched the film Persuasion. Their ages spanned 6 decades. Afterwards, they rated the film. Average rating on a scale of 1-5: 4.33. Everyone either "liked it" or "loved it".

I minored in film in college, and I did a masters in English. I love movies, and I love books. And I feel like they’re very different things. But in terms of a movie that’s worth watching, you need to know if it’s enjoyable or not. That’s a fundamental part of the film viewing experience.

I gave everyone a scale of 1 to 5 and asked them how much they enjoyed the film.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE On a scale of 1-5, how entertaining did you find the film? 1 (It was terrible & I can’t believe Kathy convinced me to watch this) 2 (disliked) 3 (it was fine) 4 (I liked it) 5 (I loved it)

And as you saw from the first graphic in this post, people liked the movie. We had an average of 4.33 stars. And everyone either liked it or loved it.

I also wanted to see whether or not someone’s enjoyment of the film was influenced by how much they feel like a Jane Austen fan. Now, there is no official rubric for what makes someone a true Jane Austen fan (though a rather hilarious character in the film Austenland attempts to define a true fan). So I simply let people judge for themselves.

Would you consider yourself a Jane Austen fan?

  • Yes
  • No
  • Sort of

Note that I included a “sort of” category. To me, I see people who rated themselves as “sort of” Jane Austen fans as casual fans or those who might have engaged with mostly 1 or 2 of her books. But I didn’t put a description–I wanted people to put themselves wherever they felt most comfortable.

And here’s the results, with the averages of how they rated the film:

Enjoyment of film vs. whether or not a Jane Austen Fan. All 12 people answered the question, "Would you consider yourself a Jane Austen fan?" Not a fan (2 people): 4. Sort of a fan (5 people): 4.4. Austen fan (5 people): 4.4.

In general, those that either consider themselves Jane Austen fans, or “sort of” Jane Austen fans, rated the movie higher than those who didn’t.

One lady loves Jane Austen, and Persuasion is her favorite novel. She has watched (and owns) other adaptations. And she gave the film 5 stars.

The Qualitative Results: Filmic Choices

Then came the qualitative questions. I asked what, from a film technique standpoint, people thought worked well, and what didn’t work as well for them.

Survey Results: What Worked Well in Netflix’s Persuasion

There was a wide range of responses. One person, a self-professed Jane Austen fan, wrote:

“I felt like the breaking of the fourth wall was a wink and a nod to the humor of the author herself.”

Several other people also commented on how they liked the breaking the fourth wall and Anne’s direct dialogue with the camera/viewer.

The cliffs scene was a favorite, someone else really liked the dialogue, and people generally liked the emotions that were conveyed:

“I thought it captured well [the] regret, sorrow, and second chances.”

There were people who mentioned really liking:

  • The music
  • The costumes
  • The dialogue
  • That the storyline was clear
  • Mary’s character/the humor she added to the story

One person, a Jane Austen fan, wrote:

“The Elliots were all true to Austen’s characters.”

I felt the same. Mary, Elizabeth, Sir Walter, the Musgroves–they managed to capture some of the essence of Austen’s characters.

One person who was not a Jane Austen fan wrote:

“I liked that I could understand it all. Older English mixed with modern. Some other movies I get lost sometimes cause of the language.”

For her, the modern references and metaphors (“I can never trust a 10”) really helped make the film more accessible.

I’ll close with one last positive comment:

“I loved all of it.”

Survey Results: What Didn’t Work a Well in Netflix’s Persuasion

First, I went to film school. What “doesn’t work” is a very subjective thing. And it’s almost more useful to consider what the goals of the film were and how well it achieved those goals.

However, I decided to spare my guests a 30-minute lecture on how to judge a film’s merit, and instead just asked on the survey “What didn’t work as well for you?”

Here were a few of the responses:

“I thought Anne drank too much.”

This is a definite shift to a book. Anne may or may not be an alcoholic in the movie.

Another person comment on the modern references:

“The modern language/references were occasionally jarring against the 1800s visuals.”

This is interesting because I only had two people comment on the modern languages/references. One person positively, and one person semi-negatively.

I’m someone who loves historical things. I put hundreds of hours into making my Jane Austen-inspired novels historically accurate, and I tried to make the language match Austen’s. But I thought this film was cohesive in being a bit ahistoric–not completely accurate costumes, some modern languages and references, the very uncomfortable octopus sucking scene, the frowny face drawn by Mary on her forlorn note. So even though it’s not how I’ve approached my own Austen adaptations, the modern languages/references worked.

Most people didn’t have any complaints. I got a lot of no responses on this final question, and several that read:

“No major criticisms.”

And

“Nothing, it was fun.”

Some Positive Results

One person commented on her survey:

“Now I want to read it.”

There were several other people who verbally expressed the same sentiment. And if a film makes you want to read Jane Austen, I always see that as a good thing.

Several other people (including people who had given the film a “4: I liked it”) plan to rewatch it, some of them with their husbands.

My Own Personal Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I love the original novel. I love Jane Austen’s use of language. I love the nuance. I love the friendship with Mrs. Smith and that entire subplot (which was not included in the film). I like Jane Austen’s subtle commentaries on the war, on politics, on rhetoric, on education, on the role of the social sphere in a woman’s life. And these are all good, beautiful things that were not in the film.

But I thought it was a really good adaptation.

Fresh? Yes.

Interpreting characters a little differently? For sure.

Taking a new vision to Austen? Yes.

I think it’s useful to note that the director, Carrie Cracknell, is largely a theatre director. I feel like theatre-goers expect a wider range of adaptations than film-viewers, and so this adaptation may surprise some viewers. But generally, I think people will enjoy it.

Hardcore Jane Austen fandom does have a solid contingent of purists that can be rather judgmental on anything that does not fit their conceptions of what a Jane Austen adaptation should look like.  If you’re looking for complete accuracy for the novel, you’re going to be disappointed. However, that’s not what makes an adaptation interesting to me.

There’s a great film theory article by Richard Stam called “Beyond Fidelity: The Dialogics of Adaptation.”  He talks about how “fidelity” and the moral language we use to judge film adaptations can actually get in our way as film viewers. He posits that a film may be choosing an essence of the original and putting that into a new genre. But an adaptation is not pure transference–Stam talks about how an adaptation can be:

  • Translation
  • Reading
  • Dialogization
  • Cannibalization
  • Transmutation
  • Transfiguration
  • Signifying

He spends a great number of pages going into each of these things–so if you want to read about how an adaptation can be a dialogue with the original, or a transmutation, check out his article.

(I do want to point out that there have also been some very racist critiques of Persuasion. Which is honestly very sad to me. I personally think color blind cast is amazing. Also, despite the white-ness of many Austen adaptations, Regency England was actually quite a diverse place, and that were people of many races at all levels of society.)

Netflix’s Persuasion is a film that I plan to rewatch. Despite loving the novel Persuasion, I’ve never actually seen the other film adaptations, and now I’m interested in watching them–broadening my horizons and such.

Now Go Forth and Watch!

Despite my survey being so VERY official (and not statistically significant), I think it’s fair to recommend that you go watch Netflix’s Persuasion and judge the film for yourself.

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Jane Austen Men as Potatoes

Jane Austen Men as Potatoes

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In December, I participated in the #16DaysofJane challenge by @bookhoarding on Twitter. The theme for Day 6 was potatoes, and after a lively text conversation with my friend Brooke Lamoreaux, who told me that all Austen men are actually potatoes, I posted the following on social media. For the sake of posterity, I’ve decided it better me on my blog as well.

Mr. Collins: Boiled Potatoes. Boring but he means well. Also, he seems to be everywhere.
Frank Churchill: Funeral Potatoes. Chewy and delicious. Can only eat if there's a funeral.
Mr. Elliot: Potato Chowder. Insulted your family. Now is dressed as a chowder. Still a potato.
John Thorpe - Potato Salad. Sometimes potato salad is good. Your brother brought it so you feel obligated to try it.
John Willoughby: French Fries. So incredibly delicious. But too much isn't good for you.

As demonstrated, all Jane Austen men are potatoes. What type of potato do you think Mr. Darcy is? What about Mr. Bingley? I’d love to hear in the comments.

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The Jane Austen Mystery Novel. 10+ Examples of Jane Austen Mystery Novels. 4 Reasons Why Blending Jane Austen and the Mystery Genre is so Effective

The Jane Austen Mystery Novel

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The Jane Austen Mystery Novel. 10+ Examples of Jane Austen Mystery Novels. 4 Reasons Why Blending Jane Austen and the Mystery Genre is so Effective

I’ve written three Jane Austen mystery novels, so it’s a genre that is dear to my heart. New Jane Austen mystery novels are being published each year, so I’d like to investigate what has led to the Austenesque mystery surge, and showcase some prime examples of the genre.

First, let’s start with a definition. Then we’ll look at why blending Jane Austen and the mystery genre is so effective, and then I’ll give 10+ examples of books that fall into this genre.

What is a Jane Austen mystery novel?

A Jane Austen mystery novel is a mystery story that uses Austen’s novels as its base, either by injecting a mystery into one of the original tales, using her characters to solve mysteries beyond the original stories, transforming Jane Austen herself into a sleuth, or telling a modern-day mystery with a strong Jane Austen connection.

4 Reasons Why Blending Jane Austen and the Mystery Genre is So Effective

Why Blending Jane Austen and the Mystery Genre is so Effective

First, all of Jane Austen’s novels are about social tensions and societal fissures—money and financial distress, love and jealousy, secrets and miscommunication, power and the powerless—and it is at these fissures, these moments of tension, when crime often occurs.

Second, Austen’s novels are deep studies into character: in each, the protagonist must try to understand others in a detective-like manner. It’s a quest to unravel motivations, character history, and unstated desires, especially when these desires contradict with the face that a person displays to the public.

In Pride and Prejudice, there’s a delightful exchange as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are dancing with each other:

“May I ask to what these questions tend?” [said Mr. Darcy.]

“Merely to the illustration of your character,” said she, endeavouring to shake off her gravity. “I am trying to make it out.”

“And what is your success?”

She shook her head. “I do not get on at all. I hear such different accounts of you as puzzle me exceedingly.”

1895 C. E. Brock illustration of Elizabeth contemplating Mr. Darcy’s portrait as she attempts to understand him (image in public domain)

After much trial and error, by gathering the accounts of others and making her own personal observations, Elizabeth reaches a conclusion on Mr. Darcy’s character, and it’s a positive one. Cue the wedding bells.

The third reason that Jane Austen and mystery combine so well is that Austen is already using many mystery conventions. In 1988, Ellen R. Belton published an article in the journal Nineteenth-century Literature titled “Mystery Without Murder: The Detective Plots of Jane Austen.” Belton argues that all of Austen’s novels are in fact detective novels in which the heroines are “not investigating criminals, but potential marriage partners.” Austen uses countless mystery techniques, including the juxtaposition of seemingly random events, “the embedding of important information in a mass of unimportant detail,” selective disclosure of viewpoints, red herrings, mysteries that once revealed disclose “deeper mysteries,” and “clues that allow us, if we are clever, to solve the mysteries ahead of the heroine.” Ultimately, each of Austen’s novels is structured as a mystery, and the goal is not to simply unravel what happened or “who did it,” but to come to what today we would call an underlying psychological understanding of people and events.

One of Jane Austen’s novels, Northanger Abbey, plays directly with the conventions of the mystery novel. It’s written as a pastiche of the Gothic novel, and the main character, Catherine Morland, sees herself as a protagonist in such a story.

Illustration of Catherine Morland reading

1833 Illustration of Catherine Morland reading (and scaring herself with) a Gothic novel, illustrator unknown (image in public domain)

While staying as a guest at the mysterious, ominous Northanger Abbey, Catherine searches for clues to help her unravel the mystery of the murdered Mrs. Tilney. At this point, Austen turns the genre on its head: Mrs. Tilney was not murdered after all, and no crime has been committed (unless you count being insufferable, overbearing, and mildly vindictive as a crime). Yet Catherine Morland does learn to read character, and she discovers many truths about others and herself in the process.

The fourth and final reason is that while Jane Austen completed only six novels before her early death, the world she penned is expansive, full of wonder and potential. Like Greek mythology, fairy tales, and other literary treasure troves, Austen’s work supplies an abundance to the modern novelist, full of possibilities and “what ifs.” What if there was a death at Pemberley? What if a character gave in to human foibles and embraced the worst of humanity? What then? How do those who remain figure out what has happened and why? And then how do they move forward?

Decades before authoring her own Jane Austen-inspired mystery novel, P.D. James wrote, “I think if Jane Austen were writing today, she might very well be our greatest mystery novelist.”

Truly, Jane Austen has much to teach modern readers—and writers—about what makes an effective mystery. It is little wonder then, that the Jane Austen Mystery Novel is a growing subgenre with an avid readership.

10+ Examples of Jane Austen Mystery Novels:

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor

1. Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron

Published in 1996, this is the first novel in what is now a fourteen-book series which features Jane Austen herself as an amateur sleuth. When her friend Isobel is accused of murdering her husband, Jane must prove Isobel’s innocence and avoid danger.

2. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Published in 2012, this is the sequel to the romantic comedy Austenland (which is also a feature film). In Midnight in Austenland, a recently divorced woman attends a Jane Austen-themed resort…but things quickly turn sinister, and it’s hard to tell where the fiction ends and the truth begins.

The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley - coming April 22, 2021

3. The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley

This 2021 novel is the first in a trilogy featuring Mary Bennet as a spy for the British government. While visiting distant relatives at the mysterious Castle Durrington, Mary discovers a dead body on the beach. She feels driven to investigate, despite the threat of invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte and the fear that she will jeopardize her position at the castle and her family’s good name in the quest for the truth.

(Note: this is my novel! For years, I have wanted to tell a story about Mary Bennet, because it hurt to see the middle sister dismissed and mocked, and I knew that there was more to Mary than everyone around her believes.)

The Lovesick Maid. Charlotte Collins Mysteries Book 1.

4. The Lovesick Maid: A Pride and Prejudice Sequel by Mark Brownlow

Published in 2018, this novella features a perceptive Charlotte Collins solving a whodunnit mystery at Rosings under the eye of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Brownlow has also written a sequel novella featuring Charlotte Collins titled The Darcy Ring.

Pride and Premeditation

5. Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Another 2021 novel, this is a young adult retelling of Pride and Prejudice in which Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy work for competing law firms; both are set on solving a scandalous murder (and perhaps falling in love in the process).

Murder Most Pemberley

6. Murder Most Pemberley by Jessica Berg

Also published in 2021, this novel features Eliza Darcy, a modern-day descendant of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Eliza returns to England and the family estate, only to find herself embroiled in a murder investigation that seems tied to a family rift.

7. Murder at Longbourn by Tracy Kiely

This 2009 novel is the first in a four-book series of cozy mysteries with Austenesque inspiration (including many characters directly paralleling those in Pride and Prejudice). It features a modern Elizabeth Parker attending a Cape Cod murder mystery party. The problem? Someone is actually found dead, and Elizabeth’s aunt is the prime suspect.

Death Comes to Pemberley

8. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

Published in 2011, this novel occurs after the events of Pride and Prejudice. There is a murder on the Darcy estate, and Elizabeth’s brother-in-law, Wickham, is one of the main suspects. This novel has been adapted into its own BBC miniseries.

Murder at Northanger Abbey

9. Murder at Northanger Abbey by Shannon Winslow

This 2020 novel is set after the events of Northanger Abbey. In this story, Catherine Morland’s time has come: she gets to solve a real murder at Northanger Abbey.

10. Death of a Clergyman by Riana Everly

In this 2020 novel Mr. Collins is found dead and Elizabeth is the prime suspect. Mary Bennet and an investigator named Alexander Lyons both attempt to solve the murder and prove Elizabeth’s innocence.

What Happened on Box Hill

11. What Happened on Box Hill by Elizabeth Gilliland

This 2022 novel is a modern-day mashup which incorporates all of Austen’s characters into a single contemporary setting, Austen University. A murder is covered up as an accident, but Caty Morland believes otherwise and sets up to find the truth over the course of a three-course dinner party full of suspects from Austen’s novels.

Accusing Mr. Darcy by Kelly Miller

12. Accusing Mr. Darcy by Kelly Miller

In this romance/murder mystery, after a brutal killing in a nearby estate, Mr. Darcy finds himself the prime suspect. Elizabeth must attempt to find the truth and follow her heart, even as she risks crossing paths with the killer. This novel is the winner of the Firebird Book Award for Romantic Suspense.

The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy by Regina Jeffers

13. The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy by Regina Jeffers

Shortly after Darcy and Elizabeth’s wedding, Mr. Darcy’s cousin is found dead, and Elizabeth and Darcy are forced to investigate, diving into family secrets and mysterious legends. The author, Regina Jeffers, has won a number of awards for her Jane Austen-inspired fiction. In addition to this novel, her other Austenesque mysteries include The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy, The Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin, and The Phantom of Pemberley.

Mistaken Identity by J. Dawn King

14. Mistaken Identity by J. Dawn King

Murder, betrayal, and treachery abound in this mystery-variation of Pride and Prejudice. Is it Elizabeth who is trying to kill Mr. Darcy, or someone who likes remarkably similar?

Lover's Knot by Jenetta James

15. Lover’s Knot by Jenetta James

Another variation on the original Pride and Prejudice story, Elizabeth Bennet witnesses a terrible crime, and Mr. Darcy finds himself drawn to discover the truth.

The Suspicion at Sanditon by Carrie Bebris

16. The Suspicion at Sanditon by Carrie Bebris

In her Mr. and Mrs. Darcy series, Elizabeth and Darcy solve a mystery set in the world of every Jane Austen novel (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, etc.) This mystery takes place in the world of Sanditon, and the mystery is the disappearance of Lady Denham. Is a kidnapper responsible, or is there a greater secret which has caused her disappearance?

Note: this post was edited on February 4, 2022, to add some of the amazing Jane Austen mystery novels that came highly recommended.

Have you read other Jane Austen mystery novels? Or did you write one? If so, please share in the comments.

Full Length Mystery Audiobooks: 2021 & 2022

10 Full Length Mystery Audiobooks: 2021 & 2022

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Full Length Mystery Audiobooks: 2021 & 2022

I’ve compiled 10 incredible full length mystery audiobooks from 2021 and 2022. Each audiobook is unabridged, and most are at least nine hours long, providing an immersive experience with twists and turns and suspense.

Where to listen to mystery audiobooks

  • Audible (with a subscription)
  • Libro.fm (typically has the best price to purchase individual audiobooks without a subscription. You can also gift audiobooks or get a subscription)
  • Hoopla (an app available through many libraries. I wrote another post about mystery books on Hoopla.)
  • Libby (an app available through many libraries)
  • Buy physical CDs (through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, indie bookstores, or the audiobook publishers themselves)

Full Length Mystery Audiobooks (2021 & 2022)

These recommendations are for 10 audiobooks (full length–mystery) that you can listen to in 2021 and 2022. It includes indie books, hot new mysteries and thrillers, and classic mystery novels.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Cozy mysteries involving food and murder always whet my appetite. This debut novel by Manansala had me craving Filipino food and trying to guess the identity of the murderer until the very last chapter.

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

The audiobook is also available on the Libby library app (search within app)

The Family Tree

The Family Tree by Steph Mullin and Nicole Mabry

This is a fast-paced thriller involving a woman who discovers, via DNA test, that she’s adopted…and according to the FBI, one of her new family members is a wanted killer.

Listen on Audible

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier

Good Rich People is an “eat the rich” thriller in which a woman will do anything to survive–including stealing someone’s life and pretending to be rich. This is a fast-paced, intense, masterfully written thriller that was released in January 2022.

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley

The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet

Mary Bennet, the overlooked middle sister from Pride and Prejudice, has her secrets…like the fact that she is investigating a murder and spying on her mysterious hosts at Castle Durrington.

(Full disclaimer–I wrote this book, but I have to give a plug for it because it’s narrated by one of the best narrators in the business, Alison Larkin.)

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

Listen on Hoopla

August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones

This is the first book of a compelling mystery series featuring August Snow, a half-Mexican, half-black ex-cop in Detroit who finds himself drawn into cleaning up the city. It’s gritty, has a protagonist whose not afraid of violence, and is a great contribution to the hardboiled detective genre.

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

The audiobook is also available on the Libby library app (search within app)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

This novel is one of the classics for the mystery genre. Agatha Christie’s mysteries tend to run on the shorter side, but at almost seven hours, this audiobook is full length and unabridged.

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

Listen on Hoopla

The audiobook is also available on the Libby library app (search within app)

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

A Harlem Renaissance mystery, with jazz clubs, dancing, and, of course, murder. This book is an incredible debut novel, and the first in a series.

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

The audiobook is also available on the Libby library app (search within app)

Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins

Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins

This is a book where the present collides with the past, and secrets can’t help but be revealed–an adult woman reconnects with her childhood nanny in this suspenseful, multiple timeline thriller.

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

Waiting for the Night Song by Julie Carrick Dalton

This is a book about childhood trauma, dark secrets unearthed, and has a great underlying environmental themes.

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

The audiobook is also available on the Libby library app (search within app)

A Deadly Fortune by Stacie Murphy

A Deadly Fortune by Stacie Murphy

A compelling, Gilded Age mystery set in New York City with a taste of the supernatural. The main character is placed in an insane asylum because she can summon spirits. Her ability which got her locked up may also be able to save her, and solve a mystery.

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

Listen on Hoopla

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

A college-age thriller about a group of psychopaths who are being studied…and then one of them gets killed. Is the main character the hunter, or is she the prey?

Listen on Audible

Listen on Libro.fm

Listen on Hoopla

The audiobook is also available on the Libby library app (search within app)

Do you have other favorite full length mystery audiobooks that aren’t on this list? If you do, please share in the comments–I’m always on the lookout for my next good listen.

The Best Mystery Books on Hoopla

The Best Mystery Books on Hoopla

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The Best Mystery Books on Hoopla

I listen to a lot of audiobooks and read a lot of ebooks, and mystery is one of my favorite genres, so today I’m going to share ten of the best mystery books on Hoopla. Hoopla is my go-to for listening to audiobooks or reading ebooks—it’s free to access through many libraries across the country, and it makes it so you can listen to an audiobook or read an ebook on your phone, your tablet, or your computer.

In no particular order, here are

10 of the Best Mystery Books on Hoopla (in audiobook and/or ebook):

Part 1: Mysteries available as Audiobooks

Lives Laid Away by Stephen Mack Jones

Lives Laid Away by Stephen Mack Jones

This novel features an ex-cop living in Mexicantown in Detroit, who takes it on himself to right wrongs in his community. It’s a thrilling, pulse-racing novel, filled with action and gritty intensity.

Listen to Lives Laid Away on Hoopla

Saving Grace by Debbie Babitt

Saving Grace by Debbie Babitt

This suspense novel features the first female sheriff in a small town, and a disappearance that brings up decades-old crimes and threatens to fracture the community.

Listen to Saving Grace on Hoopla

The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley

The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley

This mystery novel features Mary Bennet, the dull, plain, overlooked sister of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice… but there is more in store for Mary, and when there is a murder at Castle Durrington, she becomes a spy, intent on unravelling the mystery.

(Disclaimer: I’m the author of this book. I’m including it because the narrator is an incredible British comedian who has narrated the entire works of Jane Austen, and she brings the characters and the story to life.)

Listen to The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet on Hoopla

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

This is an intense Edgar award-winning thriller novel that gives up Hitchcock Rear Window vibes. Neighbors are moving and the neighborhood is becoming gentrified, but the reasons may be sinister…

Listen to When No One is Watching on Hoopla

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P Djeli Clark

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark

This fantastic mystery novella is only three hours long, and is perfect if you’re in need of a short listen. It’s also perfect for those who like a little fantasy mixed in with their mystery—it features detectives in an alternate history Egypt dealing with djinn and trying to resolve a high-profile tram haunting.

Listen to The Haunting of Tram Car 015 on Hoopla

Part 2: Mysteries available as both Audiobooks and Ebooks

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

This is a compelling dual-timeline mystery, in which a modern-day woman runs to London—away from her cheating husband—and discovers a clue in the River Thames to a centuries-old mystery. It’s available in ebook and audiobook—I listened to the audiobook, and I loved the three narrators, one for each of the three main characters.

Listen to The Lost Apothecary on Hoopla

Read The Lost Apothecary on Hoopla

Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

Culinary mysteries hold a special place in my heart—food and murder, both things that must be shared, right? This is a Caribbean Kitchen mystery, with a dead body at a luncheon…the mystery of which must be solved by our food anthropologist heroine.

Listen to Mango, Mambo, and Murder on Hoopla

Read Mango, Mambo, and Murder on Hoopla

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

This is a modern Gothic mystery book featuring a high school teacher, Clare Cassidy. Someone is found dead, and on the body is a line from one of Clare’s favorite Gothic stories. The boundaries between reality and fiction become blurred as Clare is drawn into the mystery.

Listen to The Stranger Diaries on Hoopla

Read The Stranger Diaries on Hoopla

The 7 and ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

This book is Groundhog Day meets an Agatha Christie closed-door whodunnit. The investigator must relive a certain day in different bodies as he tries to discover the solution to an impossible murder.

Listen to The 7 and 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle on Hoopla

Read The 7 and 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle on Hoopla

The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

This is a gripping thriller with two interwoven mysteries—the death of a migrant worker at an antebellum plantation turned tourist attraction, and a missing slave from a hundred years before. Locke is a master storyteller, and the book has been a finalist for a number of awards.

Listen to The Cutting Season on Hoopla

Read The Cutting Season on Hoopla

The Best Mysteries on Hoopla: The Classics

You can’t talk about the best mystery books on Hoopla without addressing the classics. A number of classic mystery novels are available, including Elizabeth Peters’ Crocodile on the Sandbank, a huge number of Agatha Christie’s novels, many Sherlock Holmes stories, and the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Do you have other favorite mystery novels on Hoopla? If so, share in the comments!

Other Mystery Audiobooks

I wrote a new post with my recommendations for full length mystery audiobooks. Some are available on Hoopla; others are available on Libby, Audible, and Libro.fm.