Novels like Shadows All Around
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Shadows All Around, best match first.
- 101 Major Crimes Detective: From Trainee Officer to Crime-Solving Genius 重案刑警：从见习警员到破案神探 My new work is here! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support gives me the motivation to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 208Reads6.8Score10014d adds
- 102 The Truth in the Ruins 废墟里的真相 Ganzhou is a city where prosperity and decay intertwine, its secrets hidden in every street and alley, unknown to all. Yu Lin is an ordinary beggar, living a life everyone overlooks and spending his days wandering the city's darkest corners. Yet Yu Lin has extraordinary powers of observation and deduction, often spotting the truth hidden in people's most casual gestures. One cold, snowy night, a bizarre murder takes place in Ganzhou. A man is found dead inside his own wardrobe, wearing a strange 6Reads7.2Score—14d adds
- 103 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—14d adds
- 104 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
- 105 A Collection of Mystery and Horror Stories from Hancheng 寒城悬疑恐怖故事集 [Mystery + Criminal Investigation + Dark + Horror + Human Nature + Crime] Not long after joining the criminal investigation team as a trainee officer, Fan Xing gets involved in the investigation of a fall-from-a-building case in Hancheng. The female victim had clearly been tortured before her death. Fan Xing also finds a silver pendant in her mouth: it's the very coming-of-age gift his father meant to give him before disappearing ten years ago. As Fan Xing and the others delve deeper into the ca 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 106 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
- 107 The Deadly Rabbit Man 致命兔人 Cheerful psychologist vs. stern criminal investigation captain A chilling nursery rhyme about a rabbit sparks a series of murders spanning ten years. A rabbit-like figure appears at every crime scene. Ten years ago, seven high school students went on a trip together. Six were killed. Ten years later, the rabbit-like figure appears again beside Su Fei, the sole survivor. If the rabbit-masked killer hadn’t returned, psychologist Su Fei would never have suspected that the stoic police officer Luo M 557Reads8.7Score10014d adds
- 108 Fifteen Years Hunting a Killer: The Restaurant Family Massacre 追凶十五年：饭店灭门惨案 Fifteen years ago, the family of the owner of the Xinxin Restaurant in Linhai City was massacred, and the restaurant burned to ashes overnight. Was it a vendetta or a random crime? Over the next fifteen years, three generations of detectives, young and old, tirelessly passed the investigation from one to the next, peeling back layer after layer until they finally found the killer. 175Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 109 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—14d adds
- 110 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—14d adds
- 111 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—14d adds
- 112 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—14d adds
- 113 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—14d adds
- 114 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—14d adds
- 115 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—14d adds
- 116 Xu Changsheng Investigates 许长生探案 Police Captain Xu Changsheng, known to his team as “Little Zhuge,” faces one tangled case after another. He always manages to unravel the clues, find the key evidence, and bring the criminals to justice. This book records several particularly challenging cases that showcase Xu Changsheng’s deductive skills. 11.4kReads9.0Score1.2k14d adds
- 117 I Am the Suspect 我就是嫌疑人 A high-IQ suspect versus a criminal investigator [Mystery and deduction, ensemble cast, no CP or romance, slow-paced. Please don’t read if that’s not your thing.] Ten years ago, the head of Guangyang Orphanage was found dead in a gruesome state. A twelve-year-old child named “A Lang” became the prime suspect, but has never been brought to justice. Ten years later, A Lang reappears. After killing three people, he takes an entire junior high school class hostage and calls the police himself. In fr 216Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 118 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
- 119 Crime Solving: The Master Detective of a Parallel World 破案：平行世界里的神探 713Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 120 My Dear Detective Gu 我亲爱的顾神探 A romance wrapped in a case file, offering a fresh perspective on mystery. Who says mysteries are all about mind-bending cases? Sometimes, they need a little sweetness too. Can you imagine Su Bai, a policewoman and criminal investigator who’s tougher than most men, able to catch criminals with her bare hands, break bricks with one hand, and master every kind of grappling and martial arts, yet after falling in love, becoming so delicate around Gu Ying that she can’t even twist open a bottle cap? 75Reads7.5Score—14d adds
- 121 Qingshi Mystery Files: The 13th Missing Person 青石悬疑档案：第13个失踪者 [Supernatural suspense] [Chinese-style horror] [Feng shui] [Folk customs] [Multiple heroines] Twelve people vanished within a year from the old office complex of Qingshi Mining Group. The official explanation was “voluntary resignation.” The local rumor was that they “went down the mine and never came back.” It wasn’t until the thirteenth person went missing that Shen Tinglan, deputy director of the group’s General Affairs Office, realized the disappearances were happening according to a list. H 1Reads—Score10814d adds
- 122 Case Files of Crime: The Punisher 猎罪档案：惩罚主 [Detective and police procedural + pure deduction + no romance! + no female lead + standalone cases + criminal investigation + realistic crime-solving] “Zhou Qi, an obscure detective who quit his job to start a business, teams up with his police friend Li Wushang to crack one bizarre case after another.” P.S. This book has no romance. If you like stories about two male leads with a romantic subplot, try another book: Hunting Crime Files: Bloodied Angel (also known as Nameless Detective Agency) " 293Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 123 I’m Trapped in an Endless Case File 我陷入了无限案卷 A cool-headed genius detective heroine × a street thug hero with a sharp instinct Chen Meng has solved countless cases. After every case is closed, she returns to “reality”: familiar streets, ordinary dates, and people who are alive. Then she discovers that none of it is reality. It’s the beginning of the next case file. The cases never end, because she has never truly left. 17Reads—Score—14d adds
- 124 The Wall Is Four and a Half Meters High 高墙四米半 The author is a grassroots police officer who drew on personal experience to write this story. Using a detention center as its starting point and major cases once reported by CCTV as its basis, the novel recreates the reality of life inside a detention center and the process of investigating cases. Its greatest strength is its authenticity: this is a realistic novel that reads more like literary reportage. 137Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 125 The Crime Squad Captain’s Mastermind Turns Out to Be a Little Girl 刑警队长的幕后大佬竟是萝莉 The Nanjing Normal University dismemberment case, the twin corpses linked by a foul odor, the Headless Horseman case, and the mysterious death of Liu Ke'er. More than a hundred brutal, baffling cases, with a new case every few chapters. Many are based on real events. The investigative duo of Wang Wangwang (Woof Woof Woof), a righteous criminal investigation captain, and Miao Miaomiao (Meow Meow Meow), a highly intelligent little girl, seeks justice for the dead and offers prayers for the living. 193Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 126 Simmering Tears to Brew Youth 轻煮眼泪熬青春 In the 1980s, an accident changed the fate of a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl forever. Family, love, and friendship backed her into a dead end. She went far away from home and met an overbearing CEO who loved her. Their love began a journey of mutual healing, as their lives unfolded through streaks of blood and warmth, peeling back the bittersweet layers like an onion. 59Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 127 Ultimate Evil 终极罪恶 There are countless crimes in the world, and behind every major case lies a story unknown to the public. Join detective Xu Lang as he reconstructs crime scenes and uncovers the stories behind the crimes. 20Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 128 My Four Million Became the Center of a Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law Conspiracy 我的四百万，成了婆媳局中局 Four million yuan: the down payment my husband and I had saved for five years. That morning, it was transferred from my mother-in-law's account straight into my brother-in-law's card. At the time, I thought it was just a simple family dispute. Only when the police investigation concluded did I understand that we were merely the latest victims of a scam that had been going on for twenty-five years. This story is filled with countless tears, but in the end, I learned that some wounds lead to redem —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 129 Lord Shaoqing, Please Have Some Tea 少卿大人请喝茶 Xie Jue, junior minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Yan Qinglan, the Prime Minister's daughter, join forces to solve one baffling case after another. On the day the much-anticipated Xingjiu Pavilion is completed, the missing former Fourth Prince, Prince Zhou, suddenly reappears under mysterious circumstances. A fleeting encounter from eighteen years ago left behind a feud that has yet to be resolved. As Hanyue Kingdom welcomes back its princess, the winds of change stir across Chongyao —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 130 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
- 131 Reborn in 1994: From Rookie Cop to Criminal Investigation Expert 重生94：从菜鸟警察到刑侦专家 One morning, award-winning lawyer Zhu Yu woke up and found himself reborn in 1994, at the scene of a family massacre. It was the first case he had worked on after graduating from police academy: the June 23 massacre. In his previous life, the gruesome, blood-soaked scene had terrified him into fainting, making him the laughingstock of the entire criminal investigation team. The June 23 massacre had also remained unsolved ever since. Given a second life, Zhu Yu swears he will crack the case and c 26.3kReads8.6Score2.7k14d adds
- 132 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. 41Reads—Score—14d adds
- 133 After Sending My Husband to a Psychiatric Hospital 把丈夫送进精神病院后 When I received my husband Zhou Huai’s psychiatric diagnosis, I sobbed so hard my whole body shook. Only I knew those were tears of excitement. After all, I was the one who had slipped drugs into his coffee every day for the past six months. He had it coming. His diary was filled with plans to use psychological manipulation to drive me to suicide and inherit the billions my parents left behind. I had him committed to the most heavily guarded psychiatric hospital in the city, thinking I’d won. U 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 134 I Can Tell You’re Lying 看得出来，你在说谎 [Female-oriented] [Mystery + Crime Investigation + Microexpressions + Subtle Gestures] The truth lies in microexpressions; secrets are revealed by the smallest gestures. When facing Feng Xi, not a single subtle expression can escape her sharp, almond-shaped eyes. When facing Liang Yize, not a single suspicious gesture can escape his alluring, peach-blossom eyes. When the windows to the soul belong to these two, they become walking lie detectors. No matter what kind of suspects they face, their e 42Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 135 The Ghost Hand Murders: Selected Detective Stories of Sun Liaohong 鬼手谜案：孙了红侦探小说精选集 “He climbed out of his grave and strangled the enemy who had framed him with his bare hands!” Sun Liaohong was a bestselling detective novelist during the Republican era. He entered the literary scene in the 1920s and reached the height of his career in the late 1940s. His “The Strange Cases of the Gentleman Thief Lu Ping” series became one of China's best-known detective series, as celebrated as Cheng Xiaoqing's “The Huo Sang Cases.” This collection brings together several of his classic detect 7Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 136 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
- 137 The Whole Picture 全局 The Longjing City Public Security Bureau has an undefeated warrior on its force. According to officers from every precinct, there isn't a case he can't crack. Longjing Police College is a small school affiliated with Longjing People's Police University. And yet, somehow, it produced a young woman who dares to challenge anyone. Even our undefeated warrior doesn't dare talk back to her. One strange case after another unfolds: the Man in Black case, the Human-Skin Mask case, the Marionette case.. 49Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 138 Those Carefree Days of Youth 那晃晃悠悠的青春 Campus supernatural mysteries + mental disorders + crime-solving! How much can childhood trauma affect a person? What causes psychological problems? An intern's fall from a building, a baby murder by human traffickers, a murder at a hot-spring inn, a body sunk in a river, the bones of a girl buried fifteen years ago discovered beneath the school's banyan tree, and a woman's corpse hanging in an unfinished building, reeking of decay... Behind each case lurk the ugliest, darkest sides of human nat 3Reads8.3Score—14d adds
- 139 1368 No scheming green tea. No misunderstandings. No melodrama, no characters getting stupid for the sake of the plot. The heroine wants to find the person who killed her parents. Only later does she realize this isn’t just about getting revenge, and it isn’t just her problem: it concerns the safety of the public. 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 140 I’m the Grim Reaper, and I’m About to Start Committing Crimes! 我是死神，我要开始犯罪了！ [High-IQ Crime] [No Female Lead] [A Rational Madman] [No System] Twenty years ago, Yi Bo's entire family was slaughtered. Twenty years later, he walks out of a psychiatric hospital. From that moment on, the fates of certain people are sealed! Yi Bo swears to uncover the truth behind his family's murder and kill the people responsible! But as his investigation goes deeper, he discovers that things are far from simple. An unseen hand is guiding Yi Bo as he painstakingly unravels the mystery. “The 2.6kReads6.9Score16914d adds
- 141 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
- 142 My Husband Cheated, So I Personally Turned Him In to the Police 老公出轨，我亲手把他送进警局 In the middle of the night, I got a call from the city public security bureau. They said my husband had been arrested for soliciting a prostitute and told me to come bail him out. I hurriedly denied knowing him and said they had the wrong number. How ridiculous. I was the one who put him away. Why would I go bail him out? My husband cheated, and my mother-in-law treated me like a doormat. Since I’ve already sent one of them inside, I might as well send the other one too. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 143 I Woke Up After Being Knocked Unconscious and Became a Murder Suspect 被打晕醒来后，我成了杀人凶手 Yang Meng is a wildly popular outdoor paranormal exploration blogger, and my boss. The two of us went to the famous haunted “check-in spot” of Fengmen Village to shoot a video. There were four of us in all. Once we arrived, someone suddenly knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I was covered in blood, and Yang Meng was already dead. The bloodstained knife was mine, and all the evidence pointed to me. But I know the killer is one of the other two who are still alive. He is still watching me lik —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 144 My Daughter Was Kidnapped, and the Kidnapper Turned Out to Be My Husband 女儿被绑架，绑匪竟是我老公 My daughter had just turned one hundred days old when she was kidnapped. I paid the ransom, bankrupting myself in the process. Then the kidnappers killed her anyway. I was devastated. But then I suddenly realized my husband was deeply involved in the kidnapping. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 145 Pathological Growth: A Life Destroyed by My Family of Origin 病态生长：被原生家庭毁掉的一生 [Dysfunctional Family Background + Women's Growth + Causes of Crime + Family's Influence] Just how deep, far-reaching, and devastating can the effects of a person's family background be? Some people spend their whole lives healing from childhood. Others lose themselves for life in its shadows. A woman born of love and destroyed by hate, trapped in a twisted relationship that went from dependence to ruin, ended everything with 32 knife blows: her love, her hatred, and a life trampled underfoot. T —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 146 Murderous Testimony 证言杀机 When I was seventeen, driven by jealousy, I reported someone to the police for stealing. But I never imagined that years later, he would nearly destroy my happiness… —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 147 During Renovations on My New Home, We Found Thirty Million Hidden in the Walls! 新房装修，墙体里竟藏着三千万！ I returned to my hometown and bought the house next door. But during renovations, I found thirty million yuan in cash hidden inside the wall! 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 148 Consumed by Love, He Became an Executioner 为情沉沦，他终成刽子手 Who was really in the wrong? A mother and son were brutally murdered. She was a married woman of irresistible charm. He was a hardworking, diligent carpentry contractor. On a quiet night, he climbed into her home and slit the throats of the woman and her son as they slept. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 149 He Killed His Wife, Then Took His Own Life 杀死妻子后，他自杀了 His wife was dead. He had killed her with his own hands. He held her as her body grew cold, weeping uncontrollably. The moment the police rushed upstairs, he plunged a knife into his own abdomen… —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 150 The Court Summons Was the Best Gift I Ever Received: A Betrayed Housewife's Complete Account of Taking Down Her Scumbag Husband 法院的传票是我最好的礼物：被出轨主妇手撕渣男全记录 After three years of marriage, I thought I’d married for love. I never expected I’d actually married into a carefully orchestrated scam. My husband, Zhou Ming, not only cheated on me, but also worked with his mistress to transfer our assets and leave me with nothing. And the most ridiculous part? The court ruled against me in the first trial! The reason was that I couldn’t provide concrete evidence that Zhou Ming had cheated or transferred our assets. What a joke. In this day and age, are honest —Reads—Score—14d adds
