Novels like Case Files
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Case Files, best match first.
- 1 The Nightmare Returns 梦靥如故 [Love and hate intertwined + strong female lead + trapped in danger + hunting a killer on a stormy night] A beautiful woman dies on the operating table during childbirth, leaving Shangguan Yu an orphan overnight. Was it murder or a medical accident? Are the countless midnight visions nightmares, or glimpses of a truth left just barely concealed? Nineteen years ago, on a night of thunder and lightning, a butcher appeared in the rain. Was someone spreading rumors, or trying to cover something up? —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 Personality Scam 2: The Backup Detective 人格骗局2：替补侦探 In the early hours of October 17, 2011, Su Yi, a twenty-six-year-old anti-drug police officer, died in an explosion meticulously engineered by a drug-trafficking organization. As a result, his younger brother, Su Ming, developed dissociative identity disorder, and for years he lived in the shadow of the bombing. To uncover who was behind his brother's murder, Su Ming conceals his condition and joins the Criminal Investigation Division of the D City Public Security Bureau as a police officer. His 2Reads9.4Score—14d adds
- 3 Strange Tales from the Folk 民间吊诡故事 [An ensemble cast] [Multiple protagonists and storylines] [A wild imagination] [Mystery] [Conspiracies] [Open schemes] [Political machinations] Pangu split the earth with his axe. Fuxi and Nuwa established marriage customs. Chiyou and the Yellow Emperor fought for the throne of the gods, only for the battle to end in defeat at Mount Buzhou. After a century of war between gods and demons, the Yellow Emperor abdicated, taking the blame. Humanity gained gods, then lost them, and so a new tale of cr 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 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 52Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 5 Never-Ending Plum Blossoms 梅完梅了 Years ago, the powerful businesswoman Dong Zhenzhu was brutally murdered in her home. Mei Changqing, who had only just joined the police force, accidentally caught a glimpse of the culprit's back during an emergency assignment, but an unexpected mishap let the killer slip away. In the end, the police closed the case as a suicide. Years later, after weathering all kinds of hardships, Mei Changqing is no longer the inexperienced young officer he once was. He has become a middle-aged man with a bee 2Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 6 Tales from the Tranquil Heart Teahouse 清心茶馆故事 In certain corners of this city, a saying has made the rounds: “If you’re out of options, if the truth you’re searching for has sunk without a trace, go to the Qingxin Teahouse and find Mr. Zhou.” This is the last stop for the lost, a crossroads of secrets. By day, it welcomes ordinary tea drinkers and offers a taste of life in all its variety. By night, it lights a solitary lamp for those shrouded in darkness. Whether it’s a bizarre disappearance, a business conspiracy, or a long-buried cold ca 1.8kReads8.4Score16114d adds
- 7 The Case of the Eroding Color 色蚀谜案 A Case of Sensual Corruption 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 The Court of Causality: Fatal Percentage 因果律庭：致命百分比 I’m Alan Wexler, a former causality investigator and now a down-at-the-heels detective. My daily routine is watching people at the “Court of Causality” argue themselves hoarse over trivial nonsense. For example, when a piece of cheese goes missing, they’ll blame the boss, a robot, a dog, even the constants of the universe! Then I get dragged into Alex’s death case, and all five unlucky nodes insist they’re innocent. Fine, looks like I’ll have to step in again and find the one truly guilty “cause 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 The Gray Border 灰色边界 A: Adjudication R: Revenge L: Law Enforcer There are no perfectly just verdicts in this world. Only by walking the line at the edge of the law can one execute true demons. No one wants to walk a tightrope, especially when the abyss below is deep enough to swallow everything. A and L should never move along the same straight line, but only where their paths cross can the sins of the heart be cleansed. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 A Chain of Mysteries 谜案连环 [Crime investigation and deduction + no female lead + episodic stories + light romance] In a corner stands an exquisite, beautiful ice sculpture, but it is made of a corpse. An anime character who seems to have stepped out of another dimension, yet has no breath left. And a blonde beauty asleep on a bench who just won't wake up... What connection do they share? Why did the killer do this? What secrets lie behind it all? The clues they uncover all seem to point to the unsolved case from seven yea 1.3kReads—Score10214d adds
- 11 You Were Supposed to Take the Arts Exam, So Why Did You End Up in Criminal Investigation? 让你艺考，你考到刑侦去了？ Li Guan has a secret: everyone looks like an old person to him. People say it’s hard to paint skin and harder still to capture the bones beneath. For him, it’s the other way around. The pretty campus belle looks like an old woman, and a strapping young man looks like an old man, making it remarkably easy for him to draw bones and muscles. He thought he would spend his life this way, different from others but otherwise uneventful. Then a young, handsome female classmate showed up, and with her ca 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 You Were Supposed to Catch Pickpockets, So Why Did You Catch a Wanted Criminal? 让你去反扒，你顺手抓个通缉犯？ [System] [Power Fantasy] [One Female Lead] [Mystery] After drinking too much, Zhang Chen accidentally transmigrated to a parallel world several years in the past. By chance, he became an auxiliary police officer in Dong City. He also awakened the Famous Police System, and from that day on, Dong City gained a legendary figure. On his first day on the job, the anti-pickpocketing squad took him along on an operation, and he accidentally caught a wanted criminal. The officers who heard the news were 96Reads6.0Score—14d adds
- 13 Casebook of the Strange 【诡案笔录】 A mysterious criminal organization calls its members judges, hiding in the dark corners of the city! Executioners carry out ancient punishments, trying to teach the world a lesson through bloody, brutal executions! What lies behind it all? Behind these strange and bizarre murders, is it the devil within, or a righteous revenge? All names in the cases are pseudonyms! Everyone is welcome to read and enjoy: Case Files of the Bizarre. 206Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 14 That Day, I Got a Call from a Classmate Who Had Died 那天，我接到了死去同学的电话 Months after a female classmate died in an accident, Su Mu unexpectedly received a phone call from her. In the midst of his terror, he had no idea this was the beginning of a series of bizarre and horrifying events. 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 15 The Blue-Eroded Script 蓝蚀字 When art becomes a murder weapon, poison flows through the pigments. This is a manhunt spanning chemistry, art, and criminal investigation. Poison can be sealed inside ancient pigment recipes; crimes can be concealed in the brushwork of paintings handed down through generations. When the final piece falls into place, will you see the complete picture of the truth, or another carefully painted disguise? 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 16 The Silent Relic 圣物无言 Sullivan is an Irish archaeologist. A graduate of the University College Dublin Department of Archaeology, she could take carbon-14 samples at twelve and spent an entire summer at fifteen in the passageways of Newgrange. She should have been digging at Celtic sites, but an organization called the “Recorders' Guild” recruited her after reading her paper, “Materials and Chronology of Medieval Relics.” The Guild has only one rule: record the truth, and never interfere. She has traveled across Europ 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 The Germaphobic Detective Is Dragged into a Mechanical Killing Trap by His Mad-Dog Deputy 洁癖探长被疯狗副手拽入机械杀阵 A fastidious detective is dragged into a mechanical killing trap by his rabid deputy. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 18 The Haunting of the New Home 搬家诡事 [Mystery + Thriller + Supernatural + Horror + No Female Lead + Smart Protagonist] His name was Yi Jibo. After he was wrongfully imprisoned, his mother fell ill and died. To pay off his gambling debts, his father sold her ashes to the Japanese through a crematorium driver. To get his mother's ashes back, Yi Jibo went to work at a Japanese funeral home. And so he burned Japanese corpses while searching for his mother's ashes… 19Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 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—14d adds
- 20 The Detective's Notebook 推理笔记 A collection of original short mystery stories! A collection of original short mystery stories! A collection of original short mystery stories! (Important things are said three times.) Each volume is a standalone short story, so feel free to skip around! Hope you enjoy! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 Don't Talk to the Comments 不要和弹幕说话 [Horror + Supernatural + Mystery + Mind-Bending + Anthology (first four volumes complete) + Dread That Gets Under Your Skin + Not for the Fainthearted + The Villain Is the Smartest Character in the Book + Growing Female Lead + No System, No Cheats, Plot-Driven] Have you ever replied to a historical comment on a video, even just for fun? Hu Jia accidentally comes across a web series from ten years ago. It depicts a real case from that same year, but its ending is completely different from what 19Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 22 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
- 23 The Friendship-Wrecking Game 友裂游戏 [Murder game + mystery detective + frail and disabled characters + mind-bending + Hong Kong Island] Werewolf + rule-based horror + survival death game + cooperative survival + infinite flow. Deception is a merciless game, and friendship falling apart is the price of playing. After attending Bingzai's birthday party, my friends and I were forced into a deadly game that pitted us against one another. To survive, everyone became a liar, scheming against each other, fighting for their lives, and ki —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 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
- 25 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
- 26 The Shen Family Daughter Clause 沈氏女儿条款 In the depths of winter by the sea, due diligence tears open a breach in the Shen Group. An intern named Li Li joins the risk-control team, but her goal has nothing to do with her resume: she wants to find her adoptive father, Li Shouyi, who has been missing for three years. All she has is an iron box, a string of numbers, a key, and an old index deliberately "sealed away." The deeper she digs, the more she realizes she hasn't stumbled upon a family matter, but an old ledger written into proced 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 27 Hong Kong’s Ten Great Mysteries 香港十大奇案 This book focuses on ten notorious violent crimes that took place in Hong Kong during the last century. Together, they are known as the “Ten Great Hong Kong Cases.” The book explores the cases’ impact on society and the lives of the main figures, including why the perpetrators committed their crimes. By objectively analyzing public opinion and presenting my own views, it seeks to faithfully reconstruct the circumstances and nature of all ten cases. Drawing on the facts and looking at them from b 3.1kReads8.2Score51914d adds
- 28 The Letter 字母 A university campus should be full of youthful energy and an inviting place to be, but its peace was shattered that day. A body in the restroom marked the beginning of this deadly contest. A ghost armed with a blade leaves one student after another as a restless spirit. Every crime scene is shrouded in an unspeakable eeriness... What happened on that rainy night? The past does not fade with the wind. It stays buried in people's hearts forever. Human nature is evil from the start... Dark currents 147Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 29 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. 717Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 30 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… 56Reads5.8Score—14d adds
- 31 Reconstructing the Crime Scene: I Can See the Erased Traces 重构现场：我能看见被擦掉的痕迹 [Criminal investigations + trace evidence deduction + cold case pursuit + episodic cases + master-apprentice legacy] Seven years after leaving frontline work, trace examiner Lu Chuan is called back to the scene by a suspicious case on a rainy night. Everyone thinks it is just an ordinary accident. But Lu Chuan crouches down, takes one look at the gray marks on the soles of the shoes, and realizes something is wrong. The trail of mud on the ground is broken, the scuff marks by the window are 115Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 Traces of Guilt 罪迹 Humans are the world’s most complex tangle of contradictions; lies are the warm womb in which evil is born. A man whose heart was cut out while he was still alive, a woman submerged in a blood-filled bathtub, a corpse chewed beyond recognition... Could these eerie crime scenes be the killer’s arena? What lies behind these baffling cases? A victim who foresaw their own attack, a hacker lurking in the shadows, twisted family bonds and love... Who is the true source of the evil? When night falls, c 153Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 33 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
- 34 A Chain of Crimes: A Twisted Mind 连环罪：心理有诡 A string of celebrity deaths leads the police to conclude, after a thorough investigation, that they were suicides! The truth is hard to conceal, and faint connections draw the police into a discreet investigation. Were they suicides or murders? Did they take their own lives, or were they killed? What lies behind the series of suicides? A conspiracy? A lure of profit? Or a cruel reality that left them powerless? Join us as we lift the veil of mystery and step into their twisted inner worlds... 117Reads7.6Score—14d adds
- 35 Rule Horror: The Eerie? Just Rations! 规则怪谈：诡异？口粮罢了！ Rule Horror has invaded? [Congratulations, you have become the new Chosen One of the Dragon Kingdom!] Congratulations, my ass! The Dragon Kingdom has lost nine times in a row. One more loss and the nation is wiped out. Sending a mentally ill man in to compete has to be a joke! Splurt! At the thought, Ji Yan suddenly slashed his own neck. Blood gushed like a spring! "I even killed myself, so why am I still in here!!! Oh no, it's dark! Hahaha, it's dark!" Crimson moonlight poured down. Ji Yan's il 83Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 The Prison of Extreme Punishment 极刑之狱 [Graphic crime investigation + a vomit-inducing masterpiece] The Gentle Chair, a sleep aid invented by a corrupt Ming official; a Pixiu treasure chest that can only be opened by sacrificing the Grave-Robbing Finger; a coffin-boat Gu child secretly admired by a top student; a sinister wine cup made from a woman's body! Come explore a series of bizarre, shadowy cases. 4.4kReads8.8Score56514d adds
- 37 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
- 38 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
- 39 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
- 40 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
- 41 Crime Scenes: The Cases That Shook the Nation 罪案现场，那些轰动全国的大案 This book is adapted from several real, high-profile criminal cases that once made headlines across the country. Baffling murders, shocking robberies, investigations into cold cases, manhunts spanning multiple provinces... Every case once stunned the nation; every crime concealed a truth unknown to the public. Told from a documentary perspective, this book reconstructs the crime scenes, investigative details, criminals' minds, and the full process of bringing them to justice. These stories are 77.6kReads8.8Score5.3k14d adds
- 42 Songs of the Underworld 冥歌 [Not a wish-fulfillment novel] It’s a tangled, lengthy story, not one about a loser turning his life around by fawning over women. [There is a heroine] I’m new to this, so I don’t understand why novels have to be tagged as having no heroine. To be honest, mine has one, though she doesn’t appear much. [Not necessarily funny] Hard to say. The author has a strange sense of humor. [Neurotic] The author is a little crazy, with a mind that keeps jumping around, so the plot can sometimes feel erratic. 1Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 43 Night Watch Detective 守夜刑警 Everyone on the Criminal Investigation Team says I'm cursed. Someone died in a case my father investigated, my mother died in front of a mirror, and even my partner nearly lost their life. Then I took on the dismemberment case. The victim had been cut into seven pieces, each incision dusted with sandalwood powder. The forensic pathologist said it was the work of a deranged killer. I said it wasn't. Because in the second-floor window at the crime scene, I saw a woman in a red dress. Rain passed s 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 The Prince of Winter X The Camellia Beauty X Romantic Love Poems 冬之王子X山茶花美人X浪漫情诗 Also known as: The Butterfly on the Hanging Lock This is a light-novel-style story set in a fictional world. In the city of Zhenye, the forces at play are tangled together, with undercurrents churning... The military, the underworld, the church! Poise, elegance, beauty! A meticulously plotted romantic mystery! A villainous, scheming heroine x a cold yet gentle hero. They dwell in darkness, loving and fighting each other, with no need for redemption! Told through a POV narrative style, similar to 4Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 45 Hello, Sunday! 你好呀，礼拜天！ This is a story about fate and human nature. Li Yang and the others accidentally create a “game.” Li Yang and other key figures are able to use it to transmigrate, discover fate, fight against fate, accept fate, and become part of it. Details bring about change; change comes at a cost; the cost leads to awakening; and awakening gives rise to new details. This is a logic-driven story with multiple parallel worlds. The numbered chapter titles refer to the contents of the game created by Li Yang an 2Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 46 Marks of Guilt 罪痕 Is there always evil behind every crime? Real cases reveal the truth about human nature. [Crime Investigation] [Not a Web Novel] [Not a Wish-Fulfillment Story] Strange and major cases, from human flesh takeout and a cat corpse found in a belly to a body hanging in Xian Lake, are uncovered one by one across the country. 2kReads8.7Score22314d adds
- 47 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 747Reads8.2Score12414d adds
- 48 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
- 49 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
- 50 Silent Screams: True Records of 101 Major Cases, Season One 无声尖叫：101宗大案要案记实录（第一季） 41Reads9.0Score—14d adds
