Novels like The Dead Speak: Cases from Harbor City
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Dead Speak: Cases from Harbor City, best match first.
- 51 Detective Jia 贾案侦探 [Mystery + detective + case-solving + deduction + no System + mind-bending cases + steadily unfolding plot] A locked-room murder leads to an antiques donation case from years ago. A ruthless killer lurking in the shadows carefully assassinates the people who know what the police have discovered, cutting off every lead. But evidence of a crime never disappears, and the law's net may be wide, but no criminal can slip through forever. 26Reads—Score—14d adds
- 52 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 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 53 Criminal Investigation: The Truth About Murder 刑侦：杀人真相 [Mystery + Deduction + Therapist + Case-of-the-Week Mysteries + Serial Killings + High-IQ Crimes + Forensics + Revenge Plot + Bizarre Tales + Light Horror + Suitable for the Easily Frightened] You can skip romance, but you have to read about a case every day. When in love, you take your clothes off one piece at a time. When it's over, you stab one knife at a time. When in love, you stay together forever. When it's over, you hide a corpse in a trunk. When in love, you're stuck together every day. 6.9kReads7.2Score36914d adds
- 54 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
- 55 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 19Reads—Score—14d adds
- 56 Psychological Showdown 心理暗战 What is human nature? Gaozi said, “Eating and sex are human nature.” The essence of humanity is morality: what makes us human is mastering our instincts. Human nature is driven by desire: when we lose our essence, we become beasts. “Preserve heavenly principle, extinguish human desire.” “Preserve benevolence and righteousness, extinguish the appetite.” When long years of dark thoughts and spiritual torment wear away at a person, their natural instincts erase their social nature, turning them int 2Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 57 Major Crimes: The Mystery Behind Massacres and Torture 重案组：灭门、虐杀背后之谜 A campus romance sparks a bloody massacre. What did the killer mean by leaving seven blood-red characters on the wall? A refined psychiatrist repeatedly violates his beautiful patients, while a ruthless serial killer hides profound affection behind his brutal murders. When legal punishment and psychological desire cannot be brought into balance, must human lives be sacrificed to bridge the gap? This world is nothing like a yin-yang fish: things are never simply black and white. 1Reads9.2Score—14d adds
- 58 Urban Crime Buster: Extracting Beast Genes 都市悍警：百兽基因提取 Three years undercover brought loneliness and isolation, partings in life and death, tender affections, and cold-blooded slaughter. After returning to city life, Gao Han awakens the ability to extract animal genes. Starting as an ordinary criminal investigator, he steadily becomes a hard-hitting cop. Fugitive thug: Stay back! I have a gun. Gao Han: I’ll bet the bullets 10.2kReads8.5Score88014d adds
- 59 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 227Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 60 True Crime Records 罪案实录 The Nanda dismemberment case, the psychological experiments, the Eight Immortals Restaurant family massacre, the bombing cases: one horrifying, unbelievable case after another. This book focuses on unsolved cold cases dating back to the founding of the People's Republic of China, retracing the investigations from the perspective of a special task force. There is no paranormal activity and no sensational action, only the real process of solving cases. You can take part and enjoy the search for th 31Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 61 The Corpse Case Squad 尸案组 The living can lie, but corpses cannot. A corpse’s silent language is the key to solving murder cases. A dismembered body in a display window, a missing black swan, a murder with no corpse... Every strange case I’ve solved began with a body. 680Reads5.9Score10814d adds
- 62 The Twenty Years That Were Stolen 被偷走的二十年 (No System, no golden finger, no harem, and not a power fantasy) The story of an ordinary man’s rise in a city ruled by political intrigue. Su Huan’s father spent twenty years imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, while the Luo family, led by Luo Jiayin, seized all his assets. Su Huan learns the truth shortly before his father’s death and begins matching wits with Luo Jiayin. 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 63 Jade Joy 瑾忻 A collision of art and reason, a criminal investigation story that begins with a blind date. He Lanxin is set up by her family on a blind date with Gu Jinzhi, the captain of a criminal investigation team. She resists the idea but remains polite. Gu Jinzhi has been “ordered” by his superior to show up. Even in casual clothes, his upright bearing and exhaustion are hard to hide. His mind is on an unsolved case, and he has no interest in the blind date. The date goes nowhere, but the abyss that fol 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 64 The Huazhuang River Mystery 花庄河迷案 (No romance) (No angst) (No sweetness). Read with caution if that bothers you. A father and son reunite after years apart. A carefully plotted murder, over two decades of hatred: it all unfolds at a school with more than a century of history. As the saying goes, “No one knows a century-old school until a case breaks, then the whole world hears of it.” In this story, you’ll find yourself and me, along with human nature that is impossible to see through or explain. 38Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 Shadow of Justice 刑影不离 Standalone cases + mystery and deduction Bi Ran, a talented rookie fresh out of police academy, offends He Jing, the “Living Yama” captain of the criminal investigation squad, with his impulsive candor on his very first day reporting for duty. He thinks his career is over, only for He Jing to recruit him as his personal apprentice. As the “old fossil” and the “new generation” clash day and night, the two become partners who can’t stand each other but can’t do without each other. Together, they s 103Reads—Score—14d adds
- 66 Homicide 他杀Homicide [The sharp-tongued, calculating psychological expert Xia Linyuan X the funny, adorable forensic assistant Cheng Xue] (Don’t read this if you’re looking for a sweet romance!) Every bizarre murder case here raises questions about human nature that deserve deep reflection. Is the truth really what we imagine it to be? Through silent testimony and traces left in the heart, the main cast gradually lifts the veil on each mystery, exploring the secrets of human nature and the boundaries between love an 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 67 Tales of the Tang Mysteries: Forensic Doctor Di Wanli 唐诡录：法医狄万里 Di Wanli is a top modern forensic science student and a direct descendant of Di Renjie, with a natural talent for solving cases. After an accidental laboratory incident, he carries all his modern forensic knowledge with him, including DNA testing, bloodstain analysis, toxicology, and facial reconstruction, as his soul travels back to the Wu Zhou era in 690 AD. He becomes a marginalized branch member of the Di clan. At the time, ruthless officials like Lai Junchen and Zhou Xing are running rampan 56Reads—Score—14d adds
- 68 The Great Chun Case of Vindication 大淳昭雪记 A touch of wuxia, with a strong focus on solving mysteries. [Physically frail but sharp-witted male detective] X [Brilliant female commander who can really fight] The Great Chun dynasty is flourishing under Emperor Shi, with prosperity everywhere. Yet beneath the stone bricks of this thriving dynasty, undercurrents continue to churn. There is nothing new under the sun, and innocent people are always wrongly put to death. Sun Xu is a private legal adviser with no official post. True to his name, 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 69 Guess Who I Am??? 猜猜我是谁？？？ My name is Lin Jue. I’m face-blind and can’t remember people’s faces. On my eighteenth birthday, I woke up after a car accident to find that the world had changed. On the day I returned to school, a second “me” showed up in class. He had the same name, the same surname, and the same face. His shadow couldn’t keep up with him. I had a people-identification guide, and a forty-third name had appeared in it. The mirror my mother gave me cracked, and the version of me inside was smiling. I’m no longe 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 70 The Mad Detective 狂探 This is the story of Zhao Shun, an ordinary police officer who, through extraordinary perseverance, overcomes the mental and psychological hurdles that defeat many others in the force. He uncovers evidence of a company’s economic crimes and ultimately brings the criminals to justice. By revealing every facet of the characters, the novel portrays personalities that are complex and richly layered, breaking away from some of the genre’s conventions to create a police officer who feels real and has —Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 71 At Midnight Every Day, Someone Disappears from the City 每天零点，城市少一个人 [Mystery and wild ideas + urban supernatural powers + no System + one heroine + ensemble cast] Linjiang City has a rule no one knows about: every day at midnight, one person disappears from the city. They don't die. They're erased completely. They vanish from photographs and records, and even their parents forget they ever gave birth to them. The only person who can still remember the vanished is Zhou Wang, who restores memorial portraits at a funeral home. At exactly midnight, a portrait of an 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 72 The Scapegoat on the Autopsy Table 解剖台上的替罪羊 The Scapegoat on the Autopsy Table 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 73 They All Want Him Dead 他们都想他死 In the eighteenth year of the Republic, on a stormy night in Jiangzhou, the richest man in the city, Mo Gui'nian, was found brutally murdered in his own study, stabbed thirteen times. Inside the sealed mansion, there were seven suspects: the four concubines each had their own schemes, the young master and young mistress hid murderous intentions, and both the steward and the captain of the guards had their own agendas. Everyone had a secret. Everyone wanted someone dead. The only perfect alibi co —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 74 My Ex Is a Spy 我的前任是间谍 After Graduation, I Became a CEO Thanks to Penny Stocks, and My Ex-Girlfriends' Conglomerate Came Looking for Trouble After being dumped 20 times, Niu Youai unexpectedly discovered that the penny stocks he had bought in college had soared in value. Even more unexpectedly, infighting among the shareholders of the listed company led them to appoint him, a minor shareholder with just 1% of the shares, as CEO. On his first day at work, Niu Youai spotted eight familiar names on the employee roster. T —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 75 Major Crime Tracker 重案追踪 This book compiles some of the most shocking, suspenseful, and complex real criminal cases in China in recent years. Presented as documentary-style fiction, it probes the motives behind the crimes, vividly recreates how they unfolded, and offers an in-depth examination of the criminals' psychology, piecing together the full truth behind each baffling and complicated case. As a model record of crime, this book offers an authoritative reference for the study of criminal behavior. —Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 76 The Million-Dollar Cash Heist 百万现钞大劫案 The train rolled slowly into Lijiang Station. The modern electric locomotive produced neither smoke nor noise as it gradually released a trainload of passengers. Zhuang Ge was one of them. Dressed neatly and carrying a leather suitcase, he headed for the exit. Years ago, the truth behind a major cash robbery was buried beneath the shifting tides of time. Now, an inexplicable kidnapping has brought it to the surface once more. Criminals must eventually be caught, and murderers must pay with their 8Reads9.1Score—14d adds
- 77 Echoes of Blood 血字残响 A plain silver band links a bloody, unsolved case spanning twenty-seven years. A family slaughtered on a rainy night, power that reaches the heavens, and a revenge plot that leaves him transformed from victim to prisoner. Fine scratches serve as evidence, skin flakes as proof. Every crime hidden in the darkness will eventually be exposed in the sunlight. The last echoes of blood-written words fade, and justice finally finds its way home. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 78 The Victim Is to Blame 被害者有罪论 Some cases are based on real cases, including the Father’s Love arc in Volume One, the Anti-Drug Police arc in Volume Two, and the Married Couple arc in Volume Five, among others. Amid the teeming masses, evil keeps rearing its head: A father and son die together, yet their portraits were prepared a month earlier. What was the killer’s motive? A woman’s body is found on the street late at night, and countless citizens take her to court. But when her true identity is revealed, everyone is left —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 79 I Became a Legend in the Police Force to Save My Sister! 为救妹妹，我成警界传说！ 2Reads7.3Score214d adds
- 80 The Killer Breathes in the Dark 凶手在暗处呼吸 "Ahem, ahem, ahem!" Lin Yu waved his hand and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lin Yu, the owner of a detective agency. My main line of work is taking on clients and helping them solve cases! The cases are all kinds of strange. I've heard of things you haven't, and seen things you haven't. You might think a case is far away, but sometimes the culprit is right beside you. And is it science or the supernatural? That's something I can't decide either! But I've always wanted to find the answ —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 81 The Forensic Pathologist's Return 法医归途 (Mostly adapted from real cases. Each case stands alone. No dragging things out, no formulaic plots, no System, no mindless characters, and not a power fantasy. Readers who may be bothered by this, please proceed with caution.) My name is Tang Bei, and I’m a forensic pathologist. Every case is etched in my memory. The Dissolved Body in the Unfinished Building... The Poisoning for Revenge... The Murderous Love Affair and Dismemberment... I don’t know how much longer these stories will continue. B 1.5kReads—Score16814d adds
- 82 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
- 83 Urban Legend: Rewinding Time 都市传说：时光回溯 [The earlier chapters lay the groundwork. If that is not to your taste, you can start from Chapter 9, where the first case begins. Thanks for reading!] At the turn of the millennium, three boys make a vow: they will transmigrate through time, return to the past, and change themselves. Twenty years later, several strange cases all point to an organization called Sù. Turning back time and defying fate: is it a blessing or a curse? A string of bizarre murders begins with an urban legend. The met —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 84 A Survival Guide to the Blind-Box Life Under Seattle's Bridges 西雅图桥洞盲盒生存指南 Seattle, a steel jungle folded beneath the weight of capital. In hillside mansions, the plutocrats party through the night. Beneath the bridges, nameless bodies are tossed into the dark every day like industrial waste. Desperate for money, North American student Lu Di takes a low-level night-shift gig collecting bodies for the King County Medical Examiner's Office, just to stay alive. While everyone else avoids crime scenes, he sees them as untapped gold mines beyond the reach of the law. With 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 85 The Root of Sin 心罪源 Greed, desire, hatred, loathing, envy, jealousy... These are all the roots of human crime. The human heart is unfathomable; people can commit crimes over the smallest things. Yi Kai studied criminal psychology, but ended up making a living as a detective. An accidental car crash gave him astonishing powers of observation and perception. A chance encounter led Police Captain Xiang Tiange to recognize his abilities and put him to work. From then on, he embarked on a battle of wits against criminal 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 86 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
- 87 The Knockout: Major Crimes Squad 狂飙：重案中队 [Criminal investigations, case-solving, manhunts, and the daily life of detectives, with no supernatural elements] An Zhen, a detective with the Criminal Investigation Corps, is parachuted in as an instructor for the Major Crimes Squad. He has a superhuman memory possessed by only a handful of people in the entire world. In the squad's daily work, he cracks drug cases, hunts down criminals, and takes on criminal gangs, solving one case after another while doggedly uncovering the truth behind mys 595Reads—Score11014d adds
- 88 The Chaser 追赶者 “Solving a case is like putting together a puzzle. The hardest and most crucial part is often finding the last one or two pieces.” [Standalone cases + criminal investigation + rigorous deduction + no romance] A massive meteor shower is on its way, and a group of enthusiasts gather at a campsite on the outskirts of the city to watch the stars. In the dead of night, a scream rings out. A man has been stabbed to death. The caller tells the police that they may have killed him. But his habit of usin 95Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 89 Salvation in the Torrential Rain 暴雨救赎 [No System, no golden finger, no romance, mystery + deduction + main plot + standalone cases] Some people receive WeChat messages from their future selves. Some act in a feel-good web short drama and end up dead at the scene. Some think they can sit back and watch the drama unfold after mouthing off online, unaware that someone is watching them from the shadows... In this world, there are always people who use terrifying methods beyond ordinary understanding to murder their fellow human beings. 113Reads—Score—14d adds
- 90 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
- 91 An Angel Bearing the Burden 负重前行的天使 Book tags: Brain-teasers, deduction, mystery, supernatural, crime-solving, fresh, plot, mansion, unsolved cases, bizarre, mountain village, criminal investigation, police, strange events, disappearances, conspiracies, horror, urban legends, suspense, intelligence, online, passionate, serious, urban, novel, drug trafficking, undercover Book description: 99 grisly crime scenes that push the limits of the mind. 108 classified police files from the Public Security Department, never before mad —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 92 Zhu Yuanzhang's Iron-Fisted War on Corruption 朱元璋铁腕反腐 Born into a farming family, Zhu Chongba was left without money to bury his parents when famine struck. Zhu Liujiu’s father, a fellow villager, paid for the land and helped build a grave and erect a headstone for them. To survive, Zhu Chongba became a monk. Later, he joined Guo Zixing’s forces, became a soldier, and fought against the Yuan dynasty. Gradually, he rose to become a regional warlord and eventually united the country. In the early Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the fou 1.8kReads7.2Score10214d adds
- 93 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
- 94 Dragon Nation: The Buried Truth 龙国：被埋藏的真相 [Mystery + deduction + mind-bending + fictional + one heroine + no System + no transmigration] Amid the neon lights and shadows of Longguo’s Magic City stands an unremarkable detective agency. Its owner, Wu Feng, is only twenty-three, yet he has already become an “urban legend” feared throughout eastern China. He wears his signature black long gown and a dark fedora. His eyes are as sharp as a scalpel, able to cut through the most convincing lies and disguises. With five times the learning abili —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 95 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—14d adds
- 96 Immortal Constable Yang Biao, Bringer of Justice 仙警杨彪，罪恶终结者 Immortal Cop Yang Biao, heir to Yang Jian’s legacy, sweeps through drug-trafficking syndicates, organ-trafficking rings, telecom fraud gangs, money-laundering operations, terrorist groups, arms-smuggling rings, and more with the force of thunder. He vows to wipe out the forces of darkness and uphold justice in the human world! 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 97 The Long Night Dawns: Silent Testimony 长夜将明：无声的证词 [Mind-bending mystery | Case-by-case investigations | Hard-core criminal investigations | High-stakes twists | A tender-hearted police team] The long night looms like a mountain, and mist engulfs the city. When every clue points to the person who seems least likely to be guilty, Leng Hanzhou is forced to make the hardest choice, on the fine line between justice and the law. Because some silent testimony has always been hidden in the darkest depths of human nature. Ningzhou, a prosperous economic 851Reads—Score10514d adds
- 98 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
- 99 The Thousand-Year-Old Detective 千岁神探 During the Song Dynasty, the Six Fan Gate. At the summit of the Tianshan Mountains, he attains immortality. Demons and monsters all fear him. Dynasties rise and fall, and everyone else is just a passerby. A thousand years rush past. He is merely a visitor to the halls of power. He once discussed old cases with Bao Zheng and often examined corpses with Song Ci. Across a thousand years, he writes the chronicles of history. A single lifetime spent seeking the truth. He is the greatest martial artis 22Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 100 A Ghost's Greeting 幽灵的问候 A threatening letter from a mysterious ghost. An opening line that foretells murder. A man who came back from the dead seven years ago. A string of killings in the city center, full of baffling locked-room mysteries. What is the truth? Join the great detective Xia Luoke as he investigates! 1Reads—Score—14d adds
