Novels like Casebook of the Strange
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Casebook of the Strange, best match first.
- 1 Candlelight in the Night 黑夜里的烛光 An aspiring police officer fresh out of the police academy is assigned to a grassroots unit. A baffling murder case changes Shi Yi's life forever. The sun sets, and night falls. Beneath its cover, countless human desires slowly take root and bloom. One murder after another, corpse after corpse, evidence hidden in the smallest of details, and the helpless cries of victims' families: all of it drives this newly graduated officer to grow. If criminals' desires are the endless night, then the countl 22Reads—Score—Shelves
- 2 The Conservation of Crime 犯罪守恒 [Case-of-the-week crime solving] + [No romance in the main plot] + [Forensic doctor] + [Based on real cases] Why were skeletal remains unearthed at a construction site? Why was a female body in an advanced state of decomposition found beneath a long-shuttered elevated highway? Why were multiple decomposing corpses found in a long-abandoned septic tank behind a farmstay? Why was blood dripping through the ceiling into an old person’s bedroom in the middle of the night? Who killed several sex work 233Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 3 This Detective Isn’t Very Cold 这个刑警不太冷 Being a police officer is like standing between two worlds: light on one side and darkness on the other. A police officer's mission is to stop darkness from encroaching on the light. A cop who only knows how to enforce the law impartially and draw a clear line between right and wrong may be a good cop, but will never be an outstanding one. An outstanding cop must know when to compromise and when to step aside for a while. They must remain undaunted even in the face of setbacks, able to walk thro 149Reads8.0Score—Shelves
- 4 The Hidden Corner 隐匿的角落 “...As the groom and bride placed rings on each other's fingers, the wedding hall's power switch clicked, plunging the entire venue into darkness. A moment later, the lights came back on, and someone's head fell to the floor...” The ghost story was only halfway through when the wedding hall lights suddenly flickered out for a moment, just as they had in the story. At the newlyweds' table, one of them was dead. Yang Ling, a storyteller, recounted a ghost story he'd written at his friend's wedding 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 5 The Web of Sin 罪网 Evil is like a tightly woven web, and I am the one who patiently unravels it, drawing out its threads one by one until the true face of sin is laid bare… 9Reads7.6Score—Shelves
- 6 Eyes of the Abyss 3: Ashes of Sin 凝渊之眸3：罪余烬 I’m a special-case criminal investigator. I’m also the most ordinary one among countless criminal investigators. This is a collection of cases, as well as a record of memories. In this novel, there’s me, my mentor, and my closest friend. Like me, they’re each unique, yet perfectly ordinary. We once strode boldly through life, brimming with confidence. We once pieced together clues and pursued criminals through the fog. We also knew sorrow and hesitation. My mentor once told me: We walk the bound 74Reads8.7Score—Shelves
- 7 Find the Killer, Find the Killer 找呀找呀找凶手 [Mystery and Deduction]+ [No CP]+ [Anthology] A collection of short and medium-length mystery stories, with a focus on classic whodunits. Who can know for certain what the next moment of life will bring, or what fate has in store for you? The protagonist enters unsolved-case games firsthand, taking on various roles and drawing ever closer to death as they search for the truth about human nature hidden behind each case. 367Reads—Score100Shelves
- 8 From Surviving in the Shadows to Seeking the Truth in the Light 从灰色地带的谋生到阳光下的探寻 Introduction: >I make a living designing perfect alibis for criminals, until a murder takes place in the building across the street. >When the police storm my home, the surveillance footage shows “me” coming and going from the victim’s room repeatedly around the time of the murder. >I recognize the killer’s method as an exact copy of the plan I designed for a client, except the timing has been carefully altered. >During the investigation, a rookie policewoman suddenly points her gun at me. “The —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 9 Criminal Investigation Squad Two: There Are No Cold Cases 刑侦二队：悬案，那是不存在的 By a twist of fate, Lin Wenyu joined the Criminal Investigation Team of the Jiaping City Public Security Bureau. Five years later, through her own efforts, she founded Criminal Investigation Team Two. With the bureau chief’s help, she recruited four key members to the team. They also had the support of a forensic scientist friend. From then on, there was no case Criminal Investigation Team Two couldn’t solve. Later, the reputation of team leader Lin Wenyu, the four core members, and their forens 515Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 10 The Ultimate Manhunt 绝地追凶 A contemporary criminal investigation mystery, full of unexpected twists and deductive case-solving. Feel free to dive in. The story will never go on hiatus. Entirely original, with a deliberate pace. Take your time and follow the investigation. Pay attention to the casual remarks and gestures of certain people. 14Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 The Broken Mirror Murder Case 破镜缉凶 [Mystery + Criminal Investigation + Deduction + Case-of-the-Week + Long Main Plot + No Romance + Solving Crimes] On a livestream, a bride in red hangs herself from an ancient locust tree. A million viewers watch as her corpse follows an invisible track and “walks” back to the crime scene. I'm Qin Niu, captain of the criminal investigation team in Changping City. The people I'm up against aren't ghosts, but a group of “crime designers.” They use magnetic levitation to transport corpses, infrasou 11Reads—Score—Shelves
- 12 Detective Game: Professor Gu’s Adorable Wife 侦探游戏，顾教授的小娇妻 When night falls, everything that once seemed beautiful slowly decays. Problems begin to emerge in B City, a place that shines brightly in everyone's eyes. What happens when Shen Muyan, B City's beautiful, coolheaded, free-spirited squad captain, meets Gu Yan, a calculating, proud, highly intelligent professor of criminal investigation? Watch them join forces and bring peace back to B City. 29Reads8.5Score—Shelves
- 13 Parallel Lines 2 平行线2 The night before her wedding, the bride vanishes without a trace. She is later found at a neighbor’s house, with a man’s corpse lying beside her. Shu Qingyang and Fu Baiyun, who came to attend the wedding, immediately join the investigation, but the key clue lies with a rabbit... A viral singer is found dead by the roadside. Before his death, he had suddenly begun studying theology. The eerie crime scene bears no trace of evidence, while the Qiao family, now squarely in the crosshairs, sends out —Reads8.4Score—Shelves
- 14 Crime Scene 罪恶现场 The story recreates crime scenes and explores the weaknesses of human nature. Behind every case lies a battle between the police and evil! Each case is adapted from a real incident. Any resemblance is purely coincidental! 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 15 The Encryption Mystery 加密疑案 A master detective from the Republic of China era; a detective’s notebook whose records begin in 1931; a special cipher tailored for detectives of the future; and an intellectual duel that forcibly draws in the Queen of Crime… A conspiracy passed down through generations, inherited schemes, an endless cycle of revenge, and a detective who cannot rest in peace. Only by cracking the double cipher hidden in the notebook can one reach the truth buried in the distant past. The detectives’ wordplay be 51Reads8.7Score—Shelves
- 16 The Divine Detective 神探 A murder case brings agent Xia Lan back to her hometown, where she becomes the youngest captain of the criminal investigation team in Mengshan City. With the help of private detective Sun Yu, she uncovers the secrets behind one bizarre case after another: serial killers, unexpected culprits, and a mysterious criminal organization. It was he who made the Blue Enchantress bloom once more in the darkness. After darkness is dispelled, the brilliant detective ensures that the light remains. 10Reads7.7Score—Shelves
- 17 He's a Technical Police Officer, So Why Is He Doing Nothing but Criminal Investigations? 他是技术警察，怎么全是刑侦的活 After transmigrating to a parallel world, Qin Chuan becomes a technical police officer in the criminal investigation department. In other words, he's a photographer who follows criminal investigators to crime scenes to take pictures and document evidence. Before transmigrating, he was an inept young mage who only knew the most basic spells for summoning spir 1kReads7.4Score102Shelves
- 18 The Amnesiac Detective 失忆神探 A murder within a murder case, a body hidden inside a concrete pillar, killings by a porcelain cat brought to life, murders by a bloodsucking zombie, killings by a magic mirror... You can't unravel the secrets behind these cases with ordinary reasoning. A psychology professor suffering from anterograde amnesia offers a unique perspective, taking you deep into the minds of terrifying criminals and exposing the shocking truths behind their crimes. 715Reads6.5Score—Shelves
- 19 Criminal Investigation 刑侦探案 The veteran detective from the criminal investigation department had barely appeared when he stumbled upon a murder case. A family massacre plunged the entire city into gloom. Why were horrific crimes happening so often in this peaceful city? Where did the darkness in people’s hearts come from? As You Jia found a few clues amid one bloody case after another, he was thrust into a so-called death game. The game... had begun… 53Reads5.8Score—Shelves
- 20 Major Crimes: Keeping Night Watch in the Forensics Lab 重案追凶：我在法医室守夜 The protagonist, Lin Yebai, is the chief forensic pathologist of the Major Crimes Unit at the Jianghai Public Security Bureau. With his exceptional expertise, meticulous reasoning, and keen insight, he leads his team in uncovering the truth behind one seemingly impossible case after another. At the same time, he is investigating the truth behind his father's accidental death ten years ago. 4Reads6.0Score—Shelves
- 21 Parallel Lines 3 平行线3 A psychiatrist accused of murder goes missing, but the police discover that a mysterious figure is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Are they helping the suspect escape, or setting someone else up to take the fall? A bizarre car crash that appears to be an accident unravels the mystery of a mountain disaster from three years ago, or perhaps reveals a premeditated murder... A woman’s corpse appears after a rainy night. The strange scent left behind and the butterflies fluttering nearby are u —Reads8.6Score—Shelves
- 22 Cold Case: Criminal Investigation Unit Nine 悬案：刑侦九组 The criminal investigation squad of Xingchan City Public Security Bureau takes on a tricky murder involving a car. Five rookie officers are unexpectedly chosen by the bureau chief to become undercover agents in Unit Nine. Besides handling some of the most heinous cases, they must also uncover a terrifying secret within the bureau. Leaving their roles as detectives behind, they work undercover to reveal the mystery surrounding Unit Nine... Why have three officers been missing for so long? What sc 37Reads8.5Score—Shelves
- 23 Bone-Piercing Needle 透骨针 [Crime, ensemble cast, suspense] A suicide case amid a celebrity marriage sends shock waves through the online world. Behind the public scrutiny lies a revenge plot and fourteen years of waiting. The feelings born in the days of youth are tinged with tragedy. Through the notorious “Jujube Needle Hero” serial murder case, the story slowly reveals the shadows that darkened a group of teenagers as they grew up. Branded by their times, those boys and girls lead twisted lives, like stalks of wheat wi 11.2kReads8.9Score1.5kShelves
- 24 Disaster Profiling: The Entire Song Dynasty Is Hunting Me 侧写天灾：我被全大宋通缉了 [Crime Solving] [Brotherhood] [Extreme Contrast] [Dynastic Espionage] [Transmigration] He is a walking “profiling disaster,” and every time he uses his gift, he comes closer to becoming a monster. I am a constable sent by the court, yet I have become the only one who can “bring him back to himself.” When the whole world wants him dead, I tear up the wanted notice. “If you want to touch him, you'll have to get past the blade in my hand.” —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 25 I'm a Top-Ranked Criminal, So What's Wrong With Becoming a Detective? 我堂堂头号罪犯，转业刑警怎么了 [Crime Investigation + Crime + Mystery + No Female Lead + Hard-Core Case Solving] Wait, is it really so shameful for a prodigal to turn over a new leaf and become a detective? My name is Su Xu. I was once the world’s most wanted criminal, with a bounty of one billion dollars on my head. I broke into the British Museum alone to steal back cultural relics, infiltrated a terrorist group in a war zone and killed its leader, and posed as someone else to bug the White House and steal its top secrets… 17Reads8.2Score—Shelves
- 26 Veiling the Clouds and Shrouding the Sun 遮云蔽日 Dual male leads + criminal investigations + equally strong leads + episodic stories + mystery and crime-solving Zuo Shiyi, newly discharged from the military, meets Ke Jingcheng, the forensic team's sharpest-tongued member. The stories keep unfolding as the forensic chief runs his mouth and repeatedly gets himself into trouble. A dismemberment and a body dumped in a pond, a girl with her throat slit, a missing set of genitals, a woman showing up at the station in the middle of the night to repor 63Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 27 Criminal Investigation: My Boyfriend Has a Mental Illness 刑侦之我的精神病男友 [Two male leads, criminal investigation, devoted love, dissociative identity disorder, mutual devotion, a young woman who jumps from a building, a corpse kneeling upright, insects falling from an air conditioner…] Qin Ye, a doctor with dissociative identity disorder, returns to the country to search for the cause of his illness. Through a series of coincidences, he meets Mo Ze, the star of the criminal investigation team. The two engage in a subtle battle of wills, testing each other until they 142Reads—Score—Shelves
- 28 Crime Scene Puzzle: The Unseen Truth 罪案拼图：看不见的真相 In the modern city, the streets are bustling and the lights are bright, and people hurry along their own paths through life. Yet in the city’s shadowy corners, evil quietly takes root like a ghost concealed by night. Countless secrets hidden from view and thrilling crimes intertwine into an invisible web, waiting to be unraveled. 23Reads—Score—Shelves
- 29 The Nine-Lived Fox Spirit Cracks the Great Mystery 九命小妖狐破解大迷局 Mind-blowing twists---------mind-blowing twists--------mind-blowing twists----------a huge reversal A fox spirit solves mysteries throughout her many transmigrations. The whole story unfolds through mystery, deduction, puzzles, transmigration, horror, dream heists, history, and heartbreak. Traps are quietly laid amid what seem like ordinary scenes. Amid ghostly apparitions and fox spirits, follow the heroine on her transmigration journey through one thrilling, turbulent drama after another. “ 35Reads9.4Score—Shelves
- 30 Undercover Detective on the Killer’s Trail 暗探追凶 (No System, pure deduction, no female lead, somewhat graphic, mind-bending twists and turns) The darkest corners of human nature harbor the most unspeakable evil in the world. Serial dismemberments, near-perfect high-IQ crimes, and a depraved pervert addicted to mutilating corpses. One bizarre murder after another leads to a fated nemesis... A deeply cunning psychiatrist and an upright, principled police captain join forces to uncover the thought-provoking truth behind these bizarre and baffling 758Reads8.2Score143Shelves
- 31 Murder Scene: Staring into the Abyss 命案现场：凝视深渊 [Criminal Investigation Documentary] [Case-of-the-Week] [Ensemble Cast] [No Romance] The story is made up of numerous independent criminal cases. Each case spans five or six chapters, unfolding at a brisk pace in a case-of-the-week format with an ensemble cast and a documentary-style approach. The collection features all kinds of criminal cases, including murders, dismemberments, bizarre incidents, and family massacres... Cases are solved through a combination of crime-scene investigation, foren 3.5kReads—Score296Shelves
- 32 Eyes of the Deep Abyss 1: Evil Like a Hook 凝渊之眸1：恶如钩 I'm a special-case criminal investigator. I'm also the most ordinary one among thousands upon thousands of criminal investigators. This is a collection of criminal cases, and a record of memories. In this novel, you'll find me, my mentor, and my best friends. Like me, they are all unique, yet utterly ordinary. We once blazed with ambition and confidence. We once pieced together clues and chased criminals through the fog. We also knew sorrow and hesitation. My mentor once told me: We walk the lin 589Reads9.3Score100Shelves
- 33 A Case of Love 芳心案许 Beautiful and brilliant Captain Ye spends every day either solving cases or catching criminals. Lately, though, her life has been a little disrupted: two doctors have started pursuing her at the same time. A swoon-worthy surgeon versus her top forensic pathologist partner: which one will win Captain Ye's heart? 224Reads8.7Score105Shelves
- 34 Life Simulation: Speedrunning the Cultivation World 模拟人生：速通修仙世界 [Simulator] + [No Heroine] + [Cultivation] + [System] Chu Ci happens upon a simulator and begins his ascent. Building on magnificent poetry and prose, he harnesses the power of simulation to explore countless worlds, step by step. From the mournful song of the Miluo River to a long cry across the galaxy, he eventually uses the simulator to unravel the myriad paths, stand atop all the heavens, and make the Chu style the highest expression of all. 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 35 Criminal Investigation: Hunting Down Killers in Major Cases 刑侦之重案缉凶 A series of major criminal cases rocks Cangzhou City, leaving people in a state of panic. In response to the emergency, a major crimes unit is formed, made up of team leader Su Jie, forensic examiner Qin Chuan, special agent Fang Mu, veteran detective Li Jun, and psychologist Yuan Jing. With the situation growing dire and public pressure mounting, watch the five work together to solve cases and restore fairness and order to society. 42Reads—Score—Shelves
- 36 The Bad Kids: Bloodshed in Northern Myanmar 边水往事：血色缅北 Here, they traffic drugs, murder people, trade in organs, commit fraud… They stop at nothing. I went from an eagerly anticipated honeymoon to falling into the hands of a criminal syndicate in northern Myanmar, and began a perilous struggle to survive. In the syndicate, I started out as a “piglet” and carefully worked my way up until I became the boss’s second-in-command. Facing this vast criminal organization, I had to struggle not only on the edge between morality and survival, but also with a —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 37 His Black-Gold Empire 他的黑金帝国 On the blood, tears, and lives of countless ordinary people, he swiftly built his own empire of wealth. His insane, colossal profits became a nightmare for 390,000 people. Behind the lavish mansions and luxury cars lay the financial ruin of thousands upon thousands of people. The gleam of 304 jin of gold cannot conceal the victims' final accusations, made with their lives. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 38 Blood Night 血夜 Night of Blood —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 39 One Gunshot, and My Eight-Year Flight Began 一声枪响，我开始了八年逃亡 Bang! A deafening gunshot shattered the peaceful night sky over Zhuzhou. Lin Zeyu gripped the gun, still smoking in his hand. He knew that from this moment on, his life had plunged once more into a dark abyss. And it had all begun with a choice that seemed ordinary, yet was steeped in tragedy. 19Reads—Score—Shelves
- 40 Death of the Other Woman: 27 Stabs That Drove Her to the Brink 第三者之死：被逼至绝路的27刀 Beside the supermarket shelves in the early hours, a bloodied fruit knife clattered to the floor. When He Wenling plunged the knife into her husband’s mistress, the security camera caught her twisted smile. This housewife, whom the neighbors had mocked for being “too useless to keep a man,” had finally torn the smug, pretty face of Li Xiaoyun apart with her own hands. No one understood why, a year after her divorce, she had suddenly murdered her ex-husband’s new lover. Until the police opened he 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 Judge Bao Wisely Solves the Xiangguo Temple Fake-Death Mystery 包拯智断相国寺假死谜局 Late at night at Xiangguo Temple, I crunched across the frost covering the ground and stopped before a scholar’s corpse. His lips were purplish-black, and his palm clutched an embroidered shoe and a perfumed handkerchief. A sacred Buddhist sanctuary had become a slaughterhouse. A young qin player wept as he identified a monk. Three close friends pointed fingers at one another in court, while the daughter of a rouge-shop owner wept as she recounted her love affair. It looked like a crime of passi —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 On My First Day as a Constable, I Got a Headless Corpse Case 当上捕快第一天，就遇上无头尸案 On her first day as a constable, Xiao Qin encounters a headless corpse case. Madam Zou comes to identify the body. The moment she sees it, she bursts into tears. But after she gets home, there isn't a trace of grief on her face. Instead, she buys the finest satin to make clothes for her husband. Da Hu suspects she murdered her husband and is questioning her when a report comes in: another male corpse has been found in the western suburbs. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 Judge Bao's Divine Verdict: The Bloody Case on the Bian River 包拯神判之汴河血案 A bloodstained secret letter arrives in the dead of night, and two bodies are discovered in a powerful minister’s household. The moment Bao Zheng takes the letter sealed with wax, he has no idea that this seemingly ordinary maid’s disappearance will uncover a shocking scandal in Bianjing’s canal transport system. A deadly secret lies in the black mole on the emperor’s throat. The golden hairpin worn by the wife of the surveillance commissioner, who loves feeding birds, drips with human blood. An —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 A Marriage Mystery in Kaifeng: The New Graduate's Fifty-Tael Wife-Murder Pact 开封府婚嫁疑案：新科进士五十两杀妻协议 On the eve of her wedding, the daughter of the Wang family catches her fiancé with a beggar girl clutching his wrist. The woman’s face is contorted, and she rasps the name “Wang Kui.” The words “wronged” are written in blood, seeping into the blue bricks of Kaifeng Prefecture. Bao Zheng grips the marriage contract from three years ago and sneers. “An empty coffin with no corpse. Was the scholar’s betrothal gift a human life?” The gold hairpin still lies in its box, while Sun Die, his childhood s —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 45 The Fake-Bone Mystery: Judge Bao Exposes a Tycoon's Filicide 假骨迷局：包公智破豪门杀子案 A five-year-old vanishes without a trace, and his birth mother is accused of killing him for his inheritance and sentenced to execution? A single ox bone reveals a shocking miscarriage of justice! During the Northern Song dynasty, Bao Zheng, prefect of Kaifeng, visits Xiangfu County and encounters an old servant pleading his case through tears of blood. An autopsy reveals that the remains of “Shennu’er” are ox bones, not human. The county magistrate rushed to judgment, and the case files are rid —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 46 Judge Bao's Divine Verdict: The Serial Murders at the Ancient Temple 包公神断古庙连环杀人案 Deep in the mountains, an ancient temple stands beneath a weeping downpour. While taking shelter, Bao Zheng witnesses a bizarre scene: a monk murmurs Buddhist prayers as he holds a tiger-head shoe; a scholar trembles with a poisoned pastry tucked in his clothes; a beautiful woman conceals a cold blade up her sleeve; and the tyrant Lu Zhailang curses arrogantly, “I am the law!” Lightning strikes. His attendants lie in a row, charred corpses. A baked cake rolls across the ground, and Lu Zhailang’s —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 47 A Strange Case in the Northern Song: Judge Bao Solves the Mystery of the Noblewoman's Beheading 北宋奇案：包拯智断员外夫人断头谜案 During the Northern Song dynasty, a bizarre murder case shocks Kaifeng Prefecture: the wealthy merchant’s wife, Madam Lu, is found decapitated, and her bed is soaked with blood beneath the brocade covers. On the night of the murder, her husband, Huang, and his sworn younger brother, Zhang Dalian, drink together until dawn, yet both claim they “never left their seats.” The household cook, Wu Laosan, watches with cold indifference, and his technique for killing chickens is uncannily like beheading 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 48 Countdown to Murder 凶案倒计时 Have you ever seen an honor student in her underwear dancing in a morgue? Have you ever seen three kumanthong dolls singing a corrupted nursery rhyme in the dead of night? Have you ever seen four female college students, dead for days, ordering takeout with ghost money? I have. My name is Liu Cheng, and I'm a professional criminal investigator. My bizarre experiences began with the “Ghost Money Female Corpse Case,” which shocked the entire city… 25Reads6.6Score—Shelves
- 49 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 211Reads6.9Score—Shelves
- 50 The Case-Solving Adventures of a Dali Temple Officer and His Unlucky Brother 大理寺丞和冤种兄弟的破案日常 [Mystery + crime-solving + mind-bending + handsome men] Male lead: Xu Yougong, a nobody who has just joined the Dali Temple. Boss: A man with close ties to all the madams in the city’s brothels. Every time he goes to a brothel to investigate a case, he runs into Wang Shaoqing. Brother No. 1: An outstanding fighter, beautiful as a flower, born into a prominent family, and the man every woman in the capital wants to marry. Brother No. 2: A favorite of Heaven who can tell the future with unerri 551Reads8.8Score109Shelves
