Novels like Mystery in a Small Town
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Mystery in a Small Town, best match first.
- 1 The Perfect Accomplice Plan 完美共犯计划 [All-female ensemble cast + mystery and deduction + professional pursuit of criminals] Seven years ago, a murder in a women’s dormitory cleaved five girls’ lives in completely different directions: She was stalked for half a month. She knew who was responsible, but the police said nothing was out of the ordinary; She was cast as the lead in a new series, only to find that its script mirrored the dormitory murder she had lived through; She went from being a major suspect in a police investigation 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 2 Case Files: Irregular Tales from Criminal Investigations 凶案密档：刑侦不规则怪谈 [Mystery + criminal investigation + horror + human nature + crime + serial murders + fast-paced] A horrifying event unfolds inside an old tailor shop: welcome to the world of the Doll Tailor! This collection of bizarre murder mysteries features more than a thousand baffling cases full of twists, including The Doll Tailor, Ghost in the Mirror, The Midnight Bus Mystery, The Soul Possession Case, The Killers' Circle of Friends, and The Wicked Child. Urban mysteries return as criminal investigation 15Reads—Score—Shelves
- 3 The Last Suspect X 最后一个嫌疑人X You can never imagine how filthy the darkness buried beneath the sunlight can be. This world is not all paradise. Beneath the surface of human hearts lurk twisted things that disregard family bonds, love, morality, and human decency. The most extreme, utterly depraved acts do not happen only in novels. Greed is a bottomless pit in human nature. Are you ready? Ready to face one bizarre, shocking case after another? 270Reads5.7Score101Shelves
- 4 The Shackles of Misty Alley 雾巷枷锁 A corpse is found in an ancient well, reopening an old case. A butterfly jade pendant binds the fates of Chen Ci, a writer who has spent seven years pursuing the killer, and Lu Zheng, a detective hemmed in by the rules. Symbol-filled notes, torn field records, a second skeleton of unknown identity... Amid the fog of the narrow alleys, the two go from opposition to partnership, closing in step by step on the truth: a loan-sharking gang has colluded with senior figures at the police bureau. As sec —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 5 Black Smoke 黑烟 Standalone Cases + Criminal Investigation + Crime-Solving A girl with all four limbs severed Bones smashed to pieces A puzzle that can never be completed A butcher's blade hidden behind a legend A bizarre art gallery A haunted school The good and evil in human nature, right and wrong, and all the gray areas in between What brings me into the light, and what will make us fall into the abyss? 174Reads—Score101Shelves
- 6 The Strange Bones Speak 诡骨尸语 The story follows forensic investigator Gu Fei and policewoman Chen Yao, whose lives are changed by an accident. Together, they seek truth and justice through a series of baffling cases! (This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental!) 164Reads—Score—Shelves
- 7 Paranormal Investigation Bureau 2: Miracle 诡事调查局2：奇迹 [Urban] + [two male leads] + [supernatural mystery] After wrapping up a series of bizarre cases, Chu Zhetian and Jing Chen face a new challenge. How will they handle it this time? 24Reads—Score—Shelves
- 8 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
- 9 The Embroidered Guards' Case Files (Complete in Five Volumes) 锦衣拍案（全五册） Set against the real history of the early Ming dynasty, this legendary mystery series inserts the fictional character Hua Gang, a brilliant investigator in the Imperial Guards, into the past. With an authentic historical backdrop and vivid depictions of local customs, it aims to transport readers to the vibrant yet perilous early years of the Great Ming. The Case Files of the Imperial Guards series consists of five books, in chronological order: The Ghost Postmaster, Farewell, My Concubine, The 1.6kReads9.2Score167Shelves
- 10 The Mirror Image Double 镜像替身 270Reads—Score—Shelves
- 11 A Con Artist? I'm the Grandmaster of Con Artists 骗子？我才是骗子祖师爷 Qin Xiao was one of the leaders of a scam ring. After learning that his girlfriend was pregnant, he decided to quit for good, only for his sworn brother to cruelly murder her. After his death, Qin Xiao’s soul transmigrates into another person’s body, setting him on a path of revenge... —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 12 Behind the Murder 命案背后 Mystery, investigation, and case after case unraveled thread by thread. It takes multiple twists before the truth finally comes to light, letting readers share in the thrill of solving each crime. The cases grow more complex as the story goes on, making it even more compelling. 15Reads—Score—Shelves
- 13 Master Crime-Solving, and Get Away With Murder 掌握破案技巧，犯罪无罪 [Completed] A young woman is murdered on a mountain. Her body is intact and her face clearly visible, yet investigators cannot identify her. A week later, a couple who passed by the scene on the night of the murder are arrested. The murder weapon is found in their home, they have a solid alibi, and the chain of evidence leaves no way to escape the law. A series of meticulously planned, seemingly perfect crimes begins to spread from this starting point. Yet the true culprit behind them leaves no 11Reads—Score—Shelves
- 14 Rider Number 0137 骑手编号0137 [Traditional Criminal Investigation] [Hard-Boiled Deduction] [Brain-Twisting Suspense] [Spycraft and Shadow Wars] [No System] Ye Feng was once a star agent in the national security service. Three years ago, an accident killed his teammates and left him all alone. After moving to Linjiang City, he made a living delivering food, only to become entangled in a series of poisonings. Hoping to resolve the trouble quickly, he chose to work with Lin Yu, a beautiful young police officer who had just joi 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 15 The Criminal Psychologist 罪案心理师 Genius profiler vs. tough homicide squad captain A hand inside a wall, a charred corpse in a cave, human limb fragments in a pigsty... Antisocial personalities... High-IQ crimes... Serial murders... Homicide squad captain Song Qingshan and genius profiler Chu Yanran take you to crime scenes, where they peel back layer after layer of mystery, explore the darkness of human nature, and catch the real culprits! Suspense + deduction + bizarre and unsolved cases + high-IQ crimes + serial murders + psy 3.7kReads6.9Score357Shelves
- 16 Repayment Countdown 还款倒计时 Countdown to Repayment tells the story of Chen Yizhou, an ordinary man struggling between desire and reality. Chen Yizhou is an average office worker in Jiangcheng, working hard to make ends meet. He and his wife and son squeeze into an old rental apartment, living a simple but warm life. At a class reunion, Zhao Yu, the class heartthrob, paints a startup dream so alluring that Chen Yizhou is drawn in. Trying to raise the investment money, he plunges into the world of online loans. Then Zhao Yu 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 17 A Forensics Prodigy: Jiangcheng Police Stories 刑侦天才之江城警事 My name is Chen Ning. I graduated from the Criminal Investigation College of the Huaguo Police University, then joined a police station in the city. I encountered many difficult cases in the course of my daily work, but my policewoman senior and I cracked them one by one. Later, I joined the city police squad. This is a suspenseful, mind-bending novel with a tense plot and professional forensic knowledge, along with a love story woven throughout. All in all, I personally think it's well worth re 312Reads—Score—Shelves
- 18 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 87Reads8.9Score—Shelves
- 19 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—Shelves
- 20 Di Renjie Investigates: The Haunted Seal of Chang'an 狄仁杰探案·长安诡印 Di Renjie Investigates: The Eerie Seal of Chang'an 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 21 Republican-Era Treasure Hunt 民国寻宝记 My new work is here! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 22 The Long, Long Night 长夜长夜 Long Night, Long Night is an engrossing criminal investigation novel. It opens with the suicide of a veteran detective, drawing readers into a world of suspense and danger. The story then leads to the suicide of a female student more than a decade earlier, which in turn brings to light the accidental death of a police officer and a series of related cases. The plot is tightly paced, packed with suspense and twist after twist, making it impossible to stop reading. Every chapter leaves behind clu 217Reads8.2Score104Shelves
- 23 Scenting the Killer 闻见凶手的味道 After an accident, Shen Xi’s sense of smell becomes extraordinary. The air smells like nothing to us, unless someone has deliberately released “poison gas,” of course. But to her, it smells of blood. If the smell of blood in the air grows so strong that she can hardly breathe, there must be a murderer nearby. This ability has helped criminal investigation captain Qiu Han quickly identify suspects time and again. For some reason, she can’t smell the blood in the air whenever she’s beside Qiu Han. 46Reads—Score—Shelves
- 24 The End of Ten Days: Echoes in the Ruins 十日终焉：迴响之墟 Ten Days to the End: Echoes of the Ruins 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 25 Major Crimes Pursuit 重案追击 Standalone cases + suspense and deduction + crime-solving + romance subplot (readers who mind this, proceed with caution) A red high heel, a bloodied and mangled lower body, a young female victim: this serial murder case, which has plagued Jingzhou for eight years, has haunted Xiao Yichen and the entire criminal investigation team. The case spans an unusually long period, the killer’s methods are brutally cruel, and the victims seem to have nothing in common. What connection could they possibly 18.1kReads8.3Score1.6kShelves
- 26 China's Biggest Crime Cases: The Killer Runs Wild, Roaring Like a Tiger and Dragon 中国大案：悍匪杀疯了，虎啸龙吟 In the history of crime in China, three names have struck fear into people's hearts: Bai Baoshan, Jiang Xiao, and Zhang Shihao. The three became sworn brothers, bound by deep loyalty. Each had a unique path through life and a story of his own, and their methods of committing crimes were entirely different. Before they became notorious bandits, their rise was a darkly twisted tale of ambition and power. At first, they were merely nobodies at the bottom of society. Hoping to get ahead, they began 158Reads—Score—Shelves
- 27 The Major Crimes Unit on the Hunt 追凶重案组 The cool-headed and rational Shen Jin meets the lively, cheerful Shi Ye. The two go from strangers who don’t believe each other to partners who solve cases and grow together. Shen Jin’s scar becomes a mystery for Shi Ye to investigate... 1.3kReads—Score122Shelves
- 28 As a Court Investigator, Is It Really So Strange to Flirt with an Opera Star? 身为少卿，撩个花旦很正常吧 258Reads8.9Score101Shelves
- 29 Di Renjie Investigates: Chronicles of the Drought Demon in the Divine Capital 狄仁杰探案·神都旱魃录 Di Renjie Investigates: The Drought Demon of the Divine Capital 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 30 Di Renjie Investigates: Phantom of the Luo River 狄仁杰探案·洛水魅影 Di Renjie Investigates: The Phantom of the Luo River 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 31 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! 94Reads7.3Score108Shelves
- 32 Killer Profile: Detective Captain, Don't Fall for Me 致命侧写：刑侦队长别心动 Hardcore criminal investigation techniques + in-depth criminal profiling Standalone cases + two equally formidable leads testing each other + undercurrents of affection There is no such thing as an unsolved case in the dictionary of Lin Zheng, captain of Yun Gang City’s criminal investigation unit, until he encounters a ritualistic serial killer. When the orchestra’s first-chair violinist is arranged like a musical rest, all the strings snapped; when a gallery owner’s corpse is found kneeling be 70Reads—Score—Shelves
- 33 A Spirited Young Woman Gets Scammed by an Old Creep 精神老妹被老登骗 A Spirited Young Woman Gets Fooled by an Old Creep 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 34 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
- 35 Not a Single Killer Gets Away: She Has the Power of Empathy 一个凶手也别跑，她有共情超能力 What secrets lie behind a series of baffling cases: a murderer who inspires sympathy, the tragedy of a dysfunctional family, a love that defies measure, a friendship that seems unbreakable, and workplace bullying with no escape...? How will they solve one perplexing mystery after another: a superpowered girl with extraordinary empathy, a best friend with flawless practical skills, an upright young police officer, and a doctor who is impossible to read? 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 36 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 11Reads—Score—Shelves
- 37 The County Town Murders of 1997 97县城凶案 [Detectives +] [Interlocking Cases] [A Blend of Manhunts and Anti-Corruption] At the end of 1997, a series of murders takes place in a county town in Northeast China. The killer’s first victim is Liu Jing, head of the county’s Culture Bureau. Her uterus is stuffed inside a mannequin and dumped across from the entrance to the county committee offices. The second body part dumped is Liu Jing’s heart, left in the same spot among a crowd of people clearing snow for the county committee. An old scave 2.6kReads8.4Score252Shelves
- 38 Di Renjie Investigates: Snake Tracks on a Rainy Night 狄仁杰探案·雨夜蛇踪 Di Renjie Investigates: The Snake’s Trail on a Rainy Night 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 39 Di Renjie Investigates: The Mystery of the Haunted Village 狄仁杰探案·鬼村迷局 Di Renjie Investigates: The Mystery of Ghost Village 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 40 Su Yi'an, Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review 大理寺少卿苏以安 Su Yi'an, the son of a Tang dynasty official, was raised in the countryside, where he and his grandmother depended on each other. By a twist of fate, Empress Wu Zetian appointed him Deputy Minister of Justice. From then on, he and two friends solved one baffling case after another. As they investigated, the truth behind his father's disappearance slowly came to light. 10Reads—Score—Shelves
- 41 The Fated Cycle: The One Who Disappeared 宿命轮回之消失的Ta My wife’s sudden death plunged my world into darkness. I thought I would spend the rest of my life barely existing, like a walking corpse, but a phone call from my wife’s older sister disrupted my once-peaceful life... I’m getting closer and closer to the truth behind my wife’s death, but I’m also gradually walking down a road of no return... Only death is the end!!! 14Reads—Score—Shelves
- 42 Di Renjie Investigates: The Blood Peony 狄仁杰探案·血牡丹 Di Renjie Investigates: The Blood Peony 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 43 Di Renjie Investigates: The Headless Corpse Case 狄仁杰探案·无头尸案 Di Renjie Investigates: The Headless Corpse Case 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 44 Pursuing the Killer in a Mystery Case 谜案追凶 (Detective with multiple personalities + criminal psychology and deduction + bizarre supernatural abilities + high-IQ criminal organization + graphic content + suspense and horror + not for the faint of heart + an exposé of human nature + sound values + dark themes) Are people born good? No! People are born evil. For the sake of profit, innocent people become wronged souls. Because of mockery, countless beautiful young blossoms wither in an instant. Because of jealousy, warm and happy families f 213Reads—Score—Shelves
- 45 The Secret Iron Box 秘密铁盒 [Mystery • Deduction • Romance • Dark • Human Nature • Two Male Leads] The owner of a villa suddenly dies. Was it suicide, an accident, or murder? A single murder case dredges up the young men’s and women’s painful, secret pasts. Their love and hate, tangled relationships, and memories of youth stir beneath the surface. A girl’s secret adolescence, hidden in an iron box, and the crimes behind a charity aid program have remained unknown to all. There are more cases behind this one. Who has been w 14Reads—Score—Shelves
- 46 Mysterious Case Files: The Strange Mark 破案迷踪之诡异的印记 The restaurant’s delicious “ostrich meat,” a husband drowned in the bathroom, half a charred foot in a trash can, a woman hanged in a roast duck oven, a dead woman giving birth, raising little ghosts, “human centipedes,” burying people alive as construction sacrifices, and a cat abuser. The methods of murder are endlessly varied: killing by chance, hypnosis, drugs, dismemberment, murder, suicide, crimes of passion, and revenge killings. The victims bear eerie markings. Little fingers go missing. 576Reads7.5Score—Shelves
- 47 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 186Reads6.4Score—Shelves
- 48 A Cure for Subway Groper Hands 专治地铁"咸猪手“ The Subway Gropers’ Worst Nightmare 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 49 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—Shelves
- 50 Let's Not Talk About Love 不谈爱情 Don't Talk About Love is a purely fictional serialized novel. The novel tells of the inner torment of Zhao Xiaosong, a middle-aged man who works at Shenfeng Tire Factory and suffers from cerebral atrophy. It portrays his resentment, anxiety, loneliness, helplessness, despair, selfishness, longing, and, finally, his struggle... The story begins in the 1990s. Zhao Xiaosong, a country bumpkin from that era, is lucky enough to become a tire-molding worker at Shenfeng Tire Factory in Jiaoshi. Back 2Reads—Score—Shelves
