Novels like The Root of Sin
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Root of Sin, best match first.
- 51 The County Magistrate’s Daily Case Files 女县令的查案日常 No romance Young Tang Shifang passes the imperial exam and secures a post as magistrate of Fengyang County. But after becoming entangled in a power struggle, he is ambushed on his way to take up the post, falls off a cliff, and disappears, presumed dead. To uncover the truth, his younger sister, Tang Shiqi, disguises herself as him and takes up the post of magistrate. While secretly searching for her brother, whose fate and whereabouts are unknown, she solves countless cases, including a couple 119Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 52 Case Files of a Homicide Detective 缉凶笔记 I’m a college student, and fate has entangled me in one bizarre murder case after another! A woman’s corpse sealed in concrete, an unidentified charred body missing its genitals, a deranged killer who feeds on human brains… One brutal, bloody murder after another, and one appalling mastermind after another! Driven by the fire of justice in my heart, I’m caught up in a series of dangerous, thrilling hunts for the killers… 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 53 From Police Officer to Chief of Criminal Investigations 从警员到刑侦总队长 Over the course of 21 years, a police officer rises from rank-and-file constable to head of a provincial criminal investigation division. In the 45 years of his life, he takes on one major case after another, advancing from a constable to a member of the criminal investigation team. 66Reads—Score10914d adds
- 54 The One Who Breaks the Darkness 破暗者 A bizarre disappearance case brought Ye Chen back to the city that held so many of his memories. What he didn't know was that behind each case lay not only the sickness in the human psyche, but also a hidden darkness. 38Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 55 The Knockout: Major Crimes Squad 狂飙：重案中队 [Criminal investigations, case-solving, manhunts, and the daily life of detectives, with no supernatural elements] An Zhen, a detective with the Criminal Investigation Corps, is parachuted in as an instructor for the Major Crimes Squad. He has a superhuman memory possessed by only a handful of people in the entire world. In the squad's daily work, he cracks drug cases, hunts down criminals, and takes on criminal gangs, solving one case after another while doggedly uncovering the truth behind mys 595Reads—Score11014d adds
- 56 A Mountain of Sin: My Memoir 罪恶滔天：我的备忘录 (Written entirely by hand, not AI, and adapted from real events.) If you can't sleep, why not read a short story based on a real case? I pushed open the bedroom in our newlywed home, expecting to hear my wife laughing as she played with our month-old son. But the laughter never came. Instead... instead... No romance, no idiot characters, and no female lead. Solving the case is the whole point. The book is divided into sections. The first volume is told in first person, while the second is simila 19Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 The Chaser 追赶者 “Solving a case is like putting together a puzzle. The hardest and most crucial part is often finding the last one or two pieces.” [Standalone cases + criminal investigation + rigorous deduction + no romance] A massive meteor shower is on its way, and a group of enthusiasts gather at a campsite on the outskirts of the city to watch the stars. In the dead of night, a scream rings out. A man has been stabbed to death. The caller tells the police that they may have killed him. But his habit of usin 95Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 58 Cold Case Unit 悬案组 Behind many major and unsolved cases lies a truth no one knows. There’s no such thing as the worst, only worse. Read at your own risk if you’re fainthearted. 46Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 59 Chasing Killers in the Dead of Night 暗夜追凶 “Does perfect crime really exist?” Bai Qi nodded confidently. “Of course!” “Then how come I've never heard of it?” Bai Qi gave a disdainful smile. “If you'd heard of it... would it still be a perfect crime?” 2.7kReads8.7Score31714d adds
- 60 Pufferfish 河豚 [No brainless plot] + [No protagonist plot armor] + [No ghosts] + [Three male leads] A tightly paced, plot-driven crime-solving story. It all begins with a bizarre murder in the small town of Menghai... A dead man checking into a hotel, an unknown toxin, a mole in the police force, execution-style killings, a secret buried for years... In this case, criminal investigation captain Si Jiannan, case consultant Cheng Tian, and rookie officer Duan Luo untangle the clues and find redemption... Love ha 14Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 61 Detective Chen Meng: Twelve Secrets from Major Cases, Complete in 3 Volumes 刑警陈猛：重案秘闻十二宗（共3册） I’m a special crimes detective. Just one of the countless ordinary detectives out there. This is both a collection of criminal cases and a record of memories. In this novel, there’s me, my mentor, and my best friend. Like me, they’re each one of a kind, yet utterly ordinary. We once strode forward with bold ambition and high spirits. We once unraveled tangled clues, cutting through the fog to hunt down the truth. We also faced twelve major cases that left us grief-stricken, hesitant, and lost. M 209Reads6.9Score—14d adds
- 62 Crows Descend on Sin City 鸦落罪城 (Mystery and deduction + criminal investigation + anti-drug operations + anti-corruption + mind-bending crimes) In Yacheng, Nanhuai Province, in the 1990s, a sensational case shocked the nation: the 712 serial murders. The case reached far and wide. The suspect brutally murdered a family of three, but the Qingsha Syndicate behind the killer controlled Yacheng's police, procuratorate, and courts, keeping justice out of reach. To solve the case, Zhou Zhen of the Nanhuai Provincial Police Departmen 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 63 Just Straight-Up Deduction? That's My Specialty! 单纯推理是吧？这个我擅长啊！ [A Conan-style episodic story. No romance or ambiguous relationships, grounded, no invincibility, no System, no brainless plot, with deduction and crime-solving] “Like Detective Conan? Then don’t miss this book!” There’s no such thing as a perfect crime. And if there is, then I must have committed it. While pursuing one of the world’s greatest criminal masterminds, Xian Yifan, hailed as the youngest great detective in history, died alongside his quarry. After accidentally transmigrating, he 185Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 64 Into the Abyss 探入深渊 A clueless, comedy-loving detective, a cool and aloof genius, and a series of standalone cases Why did the hotel’s beautiful cleaning lady vanish without a trace, with neither her body nor any sign of her to be found? Why was there a fresh male corpse lying in a coffin in an ancient tomb? Why did a survivor of a fire end up in the morgue after all? Why were four human heads found at the bottom of a water reservoir? … 162Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 65 Home and Away: I Sold the House to Ruin My Husband and His White Moonlight 家里家外：我卖房毁老公和白月光 Home and Away: I Sold the House to Ruin My Husband and His First Love —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 66 Reborn: The Counterattack of an Auxiliary Police Officer 重生之辅警的逆袭 Zhao Tianyu, an auxiliary police officer with over twenty years on the job, was unexpectedly killed while responding to an incident. By some strange twist of fate, he was reborn more than twenty years in the past, back when he had just gotten married and started working as an auxiliary police officer. With a new life ahead of him, Zhao Tianyu set out on a different path. From that moment on, he began defying fate and making his comeback. 37Reads—Score—14d adds
- 67 Forbidden Forensic Files: The Hotel's Locked Room 法医禁忌档案：酒店密室 Forensic Files of Forbidden Cases: Hotel Locked-Room Mystery 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 68 The Silent Edge 无声的锋刃 Once the “brain” of the strongest special operations unit, he retired in bitter disappointment after a mission involving a high-level power struggle ended in failure. He became an ordinary police bomb-disposal expert in a major city. He thought he had left the storm behind, but it returned with even greater fury: undercurrents stirred in the city as international spies, financial predators, new forms of crime, and the shadows of his past converged. Forced to take up his “weapons” again, he now f 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 69 The Theatrical Detective 戏精侦探 A former detective with a knack for playing roles and a criminal psychologist who can read people's minds must unravel layer upon layer of conspiracies in a live-action puzzle game controlled by a mysterious billionaire, or become sacrifices in an even larger purge. 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 70 Lone Cop 孤警 He is meticulous when solving cases, but has terribly poor social skills in everyday life. He was once called a “pervert” for following a single woman. A procedural crime series in which every protagonist and supporting character is intelligent and capable. The pacing is brisk, with roughly one case every ten chapters. The twists are unexpected, and behind each case are the joys and sorrows of human life and the darkness of human nature. The male lead was born with a disability. He became a poli 795Reads8.4Score10214d adds
- 71 The Long Night Dawns: Silent Testimony 长夜将明：无声的证词 [Mind-bending mystery | Case-by-case investigations | Hard-core criminal investigations | High-stakes twists | A tender-hearted police team] The long night looms like a mountain, and mist engulfs the city. When every clue points to the person who seems least likely to be guilty, Leng Hanzhou is forced to make the hardest choice, on the fine line between justice and the law. Because some silent testimony has always been hidden in the darkest depths of human nature. Ningzhou, a prosperous economic 851Reads—Score10514d adds
- 72 End of Ten Days: The Eternal Night Is Coming. Can You Survive? 十日终焉：永夜将至，你能幸存？ Ten Days to the End: Eternal Night Is Coming. Can You Survive? —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 73 I Told You, I'm Not the Killer 我说了，我不是凶手 I told you, I’m not the murderer. 1.4kReads—Score14914d adds
- 74 The Peeping Tom 偷窥者 The hit original mystery series by Forensic Doctor Qin Ming! This is the novel that inspired the web drama Forensic Doctor Qin Ming, whose series has sold more than two million copies and racked up over 1.6 billion views! Young women living alone are vanishing one after another, without a trace. Did they run away from home? Were they involved in accidents? Or did someone take them? When the body of a missing woman is found, the baffling cause of death leaves the forensic team perplexed. Meanwhil —Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 75 The Human Soul 人魄 The Human Soul 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 76 Forbidden Forensic Files: Jiangcheng Corpse Evidence 法医禁忌档案：江城尸证 Forensic Files of Forbidden Cases: Jiangcheng Body Evidence 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 77 The Corpse Whisperer: I Can See the Answers in Death 尸语者：我能看见死亡答案 [System] [Forensics] [Mystery] After thirty-six hours on duty, intern forensic doctor Lu Ming unexpectedly awakens an astonishing ability: he can see the true cause of death floating above every corpse. Drowned? No, strangled to death. Sudden cardiac arrest? No, poisoned with an organophosphate. Suicide by falling? No, pushed from the twenty-third floor. Everyone says he’s an inexperienced rookie, but his eyes never lie. When the truth is buried by those in power, killers walk freely in the sunl 6.2kReads8.0Score71614d adds
- 78 Kiss Me as the Storm Draws Near 暴雨将至时吻你 [Sharp-tongued yet soft-hearted criminal investigation captain vs. reborn queen of the night|Two Alphas clash|A tense push and pull] When Meng Chengxiao first saw Chen Xi at a bar, she was being harassed by a few drunks and crying pitifully. His cousin was so smitten, he looked ready to tear out his own heart and give it to her. But on a stormy night, he saw it with his own eyes: the delicate young woman he’d thought so helpless ground her slender toe into a thug’s throat and took down six armed 889Reads8.2Score10514d adds
- 79 The Six-Nosed Fox Demon 六鼻狐妖 Linghu Yin of Ningcheng is a renowned constable of the Six Fan Gate, known by the nickname Fox Demon of the Six Noses. He is exceptionally skilled, and his foxlike cunning in solving cases often helps him spot the smallest clues where none seem possible. So come along with me and see how this official, Linghu Yin, cracks his cases. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 80 Supreme Bounty Hunter 至尊赏金猎人 Hey, you there, “Thirty Thousand Bucks”! No, I mean, fugitive, where do you think you’re going? Behold, the embodiment of justice and a role model for our times has arrived! Now get in my pocket! No, I mean, surrender peacefully... 42Reads6.4Score—14d adds
- 81 The Dead Speak: Cases from Harbor City 尸语追凶：港城谜案录 In a prosperous harbor city where neon lights blot out the sky, crime never sleeps in the shadows. A red-clad corpse found floating in Victoria Harbour shocks the entire city and sets off a string of murders. It also forces three people who can barely stand one another to form an unlikely crime-solving trio. He is Lu Chen, a senior inspector in the Major Crimes Unit: domineering and hot-tempered, he trusts experience and speed. Beneath his machismo, he is protective and soft-hearted, but he can 407Reads—Score11114d adds
- 82 The Cold Case Reopens 迷案重启 [Criminal Investigation and Deduction] [Unraveling the Clues to Dispel Layer Upon Layer of Mystery] The Rainy-Night Predator Case The Flower Shop Owner’s Lover The Death of a Streamer A Captive in the Cellar… Murder after murder… Deputy Captain Lin Yi leads his team in solving one bizarre case after another. Who could have guessed that in the end, he would uncover the mystery of his own origins! 86Reads7.3Score10814d adds
- 83 I Am a Personal Effects Organizer 我是遗物整理师 No one would do the job of sorting through people’s belongings after they died, even for money, but young Chen Jiaren dares to take it on! She earns a living while beating up bad guys and putting evil people in their place. The story is incredibly satisfying! Mystery + deduction + no System + golden finger The heroine is focused on saving money 105Reads7.4Score—14d adds
- 84 I Delivered Food to the Dead 23 Times. The 24th Recipient Was Me 我给死人送了23次外卖，第24次收件人是我自己 I Delivered Takeout to the Dead 23 Times. The 24th Recipient Was Me 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 85 After My Sister Vanished, My Prosthetic Eye Started Sounding the Alarm 妹妹失踪后，我的义眼开始报警 Synopsis [Urban action and adventure + anti-scam survival + suspense] Former special police officer Jiang Che's younger sister, Jiang Yao, was lured by a high-paying job offer to the “Jinlan Federation” in Southeast Asia. He goes undercover alone to Blackstone Valley to search for clues. The tactical lens over his right eye can map the terrain, but it can't stop bullets. At the compound, he meets Cheng Ye, an imprisoned programmer; Wen Xi, an undercover female doctor; and Lao Zhong, an informant 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 86 Reborn Detective: I Understand Crime Better Than the Killer 重生刑警：我比凶手更懂犯罪 An audiobook narrated by a live voice is now available! [Criminal Investigation + Deduction + Crime Solving + Mind-Bending Mystery + No Female Lead + Case-by-Case + Revenge] In his past life, he was a kingpin who moved through the shadows. In this life, he is a criminal investigator feared by criminals. Demolition case, naked body in the bamboo grove, murdered model, serial killings... Behind each murder, he understands crime better than the killer and knows the criminal mind inside out. He re 37.1kReads8.6Score4.2k14d adds
- 87 Case Files of the Special Operations Task Force 特别行动组破案实录 The municipal public security bureau's criminal investigation unit establishes a psychological special cases team to tackle difficult cases by analyzing behavioral patterns. Led by Lu Anning, the team has five formidable specialists, each with a role to play: sharp-tongued forensic pathologist Shen Yan, female sharpshooter Cheng Sa, hacker Chen Mo, modification expert Zhao Yan, and skilled negotiator Zhou Xubai. Their cases are solved through psychology and rigorous investigative techniques. The 17Reads—Score—14d adds
- 88 A Dark Kiss Beneath the Deep Lake 深湖之下的暗吻 On the glittering annual gala night at Xingguang Group, senior finance executive Lin Wei “accidentally” falls into a lake and dies. While sorting through her belongings, her younger sister Lin Yue finds a bloodstained encrypted USB drive. On the night she died, her sister sent one last message: “They’re here.” Lin Yue’s investigation hits a hidden reef. Witnesses are silenced one after another, and every lead is cut off. Then Song Feng, just back from studying abroad, enters her life with perfe 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 89 Detective Ziegler 神探齐格勒 [Reclusive Genius Detective vs. Righteous, Spirited Policewoman] [Standalone Cases + Criminal Investigation + Logical Deduction + Secret Crush + Human Drama] He has no pipe or deerstalker hat. But Qigler is China’s very own “Sherlock Holmes.” His intelligence is off the charts, his emotional intelligence is below zero. Reclusive and sharp-tongued, he lives only for solving cases. A wealthy heiress is kidnapped, a woman is found hanged in a locked room, and students at a rural school are victims, 139Reads9.1Score—14d adds
- 90 I Work as a Bounty Hunter in the Ghost Realm 我在鬼界当赏金猎人 [Max-Level Ghost Tamer + Mystery-Solving + Love Triangle Showdown + Unraveling Mysteries] Hell is empty, and monsters and ghosts roam the mortal world! The uncanny has descended, and evil spirits run rampant. Countless mortals and ghost clans struggle to survive in this world. Though still young, Yun Fu has already risen to second place on the ghost-and-monster bounty list. Her name, “Zhe Mei,” resounds across both realms of the mortal world. At first, despite her naturally immense ghost power, 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 91 Numerology: Tracking Down Killers 易数缉凶 [Two powerhouses in criminal investigation and the occult + satisfying episodic cases + rapid-fire twists] No golden finger, no System. Su Wan, the stern-faced captain of the criminal investigation unit, trusts only one rule: "Physical evidence doesn't lie." With her expert forensic skills and investigative logic, she cracks one strange case after another, until she hits a wall in a series of ritualistic murders. Three crime scenes have no fingerprints, no DNA, and no witnesses. The killer has v 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 92 Funeral Affairs Master: I Can Solve Cases Too 白事先生：我也会破案 My childhood friend got caught soliciting sex. There’s no problem with me bailing him out, right? But what’s the deal with making a funeral director like me the head of a special investigation team? All I want is to focus on making money, but the appearance of a confession letter completely changed my life, and nearly got me killed (Chapter 164). For personal and professional reasons alike, Chou Wan, I’m going to catch you... This is a traditional detective novel, not a power fantasy. The pacing 36Reads—Score—14d adds
- 93 The Cold Case Club 悬案俱乐部 A pure mystery and crime-solving novel On the Edge of Truth: Huangfu Cheng's Mystery Cases... Huangfu Cheng is both a detective consultant and the moderator, under the name “Withered Leaf,” of the popular video account “Unsolved Case Club.” He has attracted a large following by sharing analyses of unsolved cases and criminal psychology, while also using the power of the internet to gather case leads. But his life is thrown into turmoil when his older brother disappears. He suspects his brothe 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 94 The Reborn Detective Hunts a Killer, Starting With a Gifted Inspector Black Cat 神探重生追凶，开局获赠黑猫警长 Hua Shang is captain of the Criminal Investigation Division at the Mosheng City Police Bureau. She has solved countless major and high-profile cases. A car accident sends her back to when she was eighteen. On her birthday that year, her father, three older brothers, stepmother, and stepsister are all murdered. She is the only survivor. The massacre of the Hua family causes a sensation. Though the killer commits suicide and is brought to justice, Hua Shang knows that person was not the real culpr 533Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 95 The Missing Detective 消失的刑警 [Criminal investigation + solving cases + strong partners + mind-bending + suspense] The “dead” return, all for one deadly truth. While everyone is attending Zhong Yue’s memorial, he opens his eyes in a small hospital room. The criminal investigation squad captain Zhong Yue has “died.” He is now Zhao Yanqin, Zhong Yue’s cousin. Zhao Yanqin is a police officer too, so the supposedly “dead” Zhong Yue naturally returns to the force. With danger all around and lies everywhere, can he escape the trap 8Reads7.0Score—14d adds
- 96 My Game Isn't That Scary, Really 我的游戏真没那么吓人 I hate horror. The hurried footsteps racing up behind me, the soft whispers circling my ears that send chills down my spine… Every bit of it. I hate it all. I hate it so much that once it reaches a certain point, I throw up. But I’m a horror game developer. So, since I’m not cut out for this, I’ve decided to quit. And yet… [Congratulations! You have activated the Horror Game Developer System] No, I don’t want it. Let me quit. ※Warning: Your world may undergo some changes. This is the story of a 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 97 Wind in the Dead of Night: Suspects Know They’re in for Trouble When They Meet Me 暗夜有风：嫌疑人遇到我自认倒霉 The world has both light and darkness, and the line between good and evil can be crossed in an instant. What is the line you won't cross? Where does the abyss begin? And who is the prey? Let rookie cop Chu Feng tell you the truth... 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 98 The Nineteenth Act of Domestic Violence 第十九次家暴 The Nineteenth Beating 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 99 The Strange Cases of the Great Tang 大唐诡案录 [The Strange Artifacts of the Bureau of Mysterious Incident Investigations: A Prelude] During the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, a stone fell from the sky. The evil energy it carried tainted many things, causing strange cases to break out one after another. Emperor Taizong ordered the Tiance Bureau to form a special team to investigate them. Thus, Tang Guan, Ye Taozhi, and Lin Yueqi, three brothers in arms, set out to solve all manner of bizarre cases, including beheadings, cannibalism, flayi 48Reads—Score—14d adds
- 100 The Secret Case Files of Chang'an 长安秘案录 During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Jing Wan'er, whose entire family had been falsely accused, was sent to the palace as a maid. She spent her days handling corpses, earning herself the nickname "Freak" among the palace staff. Then one day, she secretly hid a maid condemned to death among the bodies and smuggled her out of the palace. But Pei Tan, then Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, caught her. Thus began the tangled story between them! 75Reads—Score—14d adds
