Novels like A Murder Buried at the Waterworks for Twenty Years
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Murder Buried at the Waterworks for Twenty Years, best match first.
- 151 Forty-Eight Thousand Years Old 四万八千岁 (Mystery + adventure + ensemble cast) (Urban riddles, ancient Shu ciphers, three bound together, talent as a curse) In the ancient city of the wilderness of Shu, a divine stone fell from the sky, unleashing an ancestral curse that would span generations. In the modern city of Haiyao, eye doctor Pei Zhouyong and Qin Zong, matriarch of the Qin family, have their lives entangled with a divine relic because of their Zan clan bloodline. A headless corpse brings them together with Ren Zili, a blind 35Reads7.9Score414d adds
- 152 The Murderer 杀人鬼 The Qiuchuan family is a wealthy and prestigious household. Lately, threatening letters marked with triangles have been appearing around the family, warning that disaster is about to strike. Detectives, police, and prosecutors gather to uncover the secret behind the letters, but the murderous game has already begun! 512Reads9.4Score—14d adds
- 153 The Screen Was Full of Comments! I Thought They Were All Gossip 满屏弹幕！我以为全是八卦 No Romance + Golden Finger + Crime Solving Shanghai, 1985. Nineteen-year-old Chen Yang is a contract worker handling household registration at a local police station, the kind who got the job through connections. She has a secret: she can see other people's “juicy gossip.” Any cheating, embezzling, or concealing of one's identity from the past seven days pops up as subtitles in brackets. The System has one fatal bug: it mistakes spy meetings for “dating.” So she thinks she's catching cheating me 721Reads6.6Score10514d adds
- 154 Turning Back to the Case, Part Two: 100 Criminal Investigation Cases 回头是案第二部100宗刑侦命案 [Fictionalized adaptation inspired by real cases]+ [Short-form case investigations]+ [Fast-paced deduction] One hundred criminal investigation cases unfold, with bizarre motives and horrific crime scenes. Was it a deadly affair, or jealousy that drove someone to murder? The ugliest aspects of human nature often come from those closest to us. Join criminal investigator Fang Yi and policewoman Su Yao as they uncover the truth behind these tragedies. 7kReads7.6Score69614d adds
- 155 The Man in the Case 装在套子里的人 [Horror + Supernatural + Mystery + Adventure + Wild Imagination + Crime-Solving + Yin-Yang and Feng Shui] By a twist of fate, the criminal investigation squad led by Li Wei is paired with their archenemy Ouyang to solve cases. After a series of shocking major crimes, their terrifying ordeals turn the two former enemies into partners who would risk their lives for each other. Just when everyone thinks it is finally over, an even greater nightmare is only beginning... [The Hanger Murders] [A Ghost 1.6kReads8.4Score27114d adds
- 156 The Shadow Serpent Mystery 影蛇谜局 The Shadow Serpent Mystery 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 157 The Cases of Judge Shi 施公案 The novel tells the story of the honest official Shi Shilun during the Kangxi era, who, aided by Huang Tianba and other heroes of the martial world, roots out corrupt officials, solves cases, and captures bandits. 2Reads8.4Score114d adds
- 158 Murder Case: The Mystery of Death 凶案：死亡之谜 [A brilliant detective captain VS a host of highly intelligent murderers] When I thought this was an ordinary murder case, I discovered that the killer had led me astray. When I thought I had arrested the killer, I discovered he was nothing more than a scapegoat. When I thought I was close to the truth, I discovered the killer had committed suicide. When I thought the case had been hastily wrapped up, I discovered that the real killer was actually... 21Reads—Score—14d adds
- 159 Dark City Police: A Mysterious Case 暗城公安：悬疑迷案 Three days before the wedding, Wang Hao found his fiancée Li Yanchen’s body in a demolition zone. The ring was still there. She was already cold. He refused to look the other way and insisted on investigating the case himself. He was determined to tear the truth wide open, even if it meant turning the whole Dark City upside down. 9Reads—Score19514d adds
- 160 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
- 161 The Luqiao Murders 陆桥谋杀案 A classic of the inverted detective story. Four devotees of Sherlock Holmes consider Holmes a fool! In their eyes, if a corpse appeared before them, any one of them could do a better job than Holmes. One day, a body tumbles from a railway bridge beside a golf course, and the four “Sherlocks” rush to the scene... Anonymous letters containing nothing but numbers, a possible locked-room mystery, timetable deduction, alibis created deliberately or otherwise, coded messages... The “Four Great Detecti 45Reads9.2Score—14d adds
- 162 The Dragon Map’s Divine Detective Cases 龙图神断公案 A high-energy cut of Bao Zheng solving cases. The mastermind behind the civet-cat-for-the-crown-prince plot, a terrifying scene as a black basin cries out for justice, impostors trading identities as the top scholar… A Northern Song version of Medical Examiner Qin Ming meets Today's Legal Report. When the executioner's blade falls, demons flee! The Kaifeng F4 squad is ready for action! 3Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 163 The Rookie Captain Is Surrounded by Criminal Investigation Experts 菜鸟队长身边全是刑侦高手 Good news: I transmigrated. Bad news: This is a world with an extremely high crime rate. San Kou County: the story of Captain Chen Fan and his ace teammates!!!!!! 575Reads8.5Score12614d adds
- 164 I Am a Detective: Giving Qin Chuan a Helping Hand 2 我是刑警：助秦川一臂之力2 A sequel fanfic to I Am a Police Officer, and the only one of its kind! Inspired by real criminal investigation cases, with high-stakes mysteries solved one episode at a time. There’s never a dull moment, and every twist is explosive! A veteran detective returns to the crime scene, and new cold cases keep piling up. Can you follow them through the fog and uncover the truth from the smallest clues? 853Reads—Score—14d adds
- 165 Neon Tokyo: The Faceless Man 霓虹东京：无脸男 A dead man’s body is discovered in an apartment in Tokyo. What makes the scene horrifying is that the skin has been expertly cut from his face. Yet on the low table beside him sits his black wallet. The identification inside, along with confirmation from the apartment’s landlord, establishes his identity as Zhang Benyazhi, a Japanese national and employee of a multinational company. If his identity is clear, why did the killer murder him? Meanwhile, Zhang Zicheng, a Chinese woman who worked at t 84Reads—Score—14d adds
- 166 The Crime-Hunting Trio: An Unsolved Vendetta, a Deadly Gambit 猎罪铁三角：宿仇悬案，以命赴局 The ultimate crime-solving team is ready to roll: A hard-nosed female team leader, a young psychology prodigy, a criminal investigation king, a search specialist, a computer whiz, a highly personable cleaner, and a theatrical security guard! Unsolved cases that have piled up for thirty years keep landing on their desks, and the team tackles them with all kinds of methods: Reconstructing crime scenes with AI, Werewolf-style psychological deduction, hypnotic mind-reading, and designing custom murd 1.2kReads—Score20014d adds
- 167 An Investigation into the Three Great Unsolved Cases of the Early Qing 清初三大疑案考实 A Critical Examination of the Three Great Mysteries of the Early Qing is composed of three parts: A Critical Examination of the Empress Dowager's Alleged Marriage, A Critical Examination of Emperor Shunzhi's Alleged Monastic Vows, and A Critical Examination of Emperor Yongzheng's Accession to the Throne. With a historian's rigor, Mr. Meng Sen carefully investigates the three long-circulating mysteries of the empress dowager's alleged marriage, Shunzhi's alleged decision to become a monk, and Yon 2Reads8.7Score114d adds
- 168 Suspenseful Investigation 悬侦 The city is a vast chessboard, and all living beings are its pieces. He heard the sound of a chess piece falling: a taunt from hell, and a death knell leading to the truth. Every cold case has an ending. He used the dead as a mirror to reconstruct the sins of the living, and the chess game as a ruse to conceal a heart that devoured people. 823Reads—Score—14d adds
- 169 Perfect Punishment 完美罪罚 When the bones begin to speak, the truth sinks into even deeper darkness. Forensic pathologist Xu Yanwu believes firmly that “bones never lie; only the truth is beyond deception.” In 1996, in Canghai City, a skeleton sealed away for fifteen years leads to a secret mark bearing the code name “451.” From a bizarre sudden death at a state-owned factory to a “ghost” terrorizing the entire city, a mysterious organization known as the “Judge” quietly emerges behind a series of seemingly unrelated mur 52Reads—Score—14d adds
- 170 Case Files: A Collection of Dark, Suspenseful, and Terrifying Short Stories 诡案录：暗夜悬疑惊悚短篇集 In the rearview mirror on a rainy night, his missing ex-wife’s reflection overlaps with a victim from a serial dismemberment case. Beside the stitches in the emergency room, a stranger’s tattoo bears the same blood-written code found on the wall when his sister disappeared. In a locked room at a rain-lashed manor, a photograph of his late father turns up in an enemy’s files. The massacre that wiped out an entire family twenty years ago was only the beginning of a deadly game… A series of bizarr 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 171 Wind in the Dead of Night: Suspects Know They’re in for Trouble When They Meet Me 暗夜有风：嫌疑人遇到我自认倒霉 The world has both light and darkness, and the line between good and evil can be crossed in an instant. What is the line you won't cross? Where does the abyss begin? And who is the prey? Let rookie cop Chu Feng tell you the truth... 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 172 The Benson Murders 班森杀人事件 Late one night, a wealthy businessman is shot dead while reading at home! Vance, who has never investigated a case before, is persuaded by the prosecutor to take on the task of solving the murder! All six suspects have alibis! So who is lying?! Just as the police are at a loss, the inexperienced detective finds an entirely different way forward. But can the killer really be found by deducing their personality and behavioral traits? 36Reads9.1Score—14d adds
- 173 Code of the Killer 逐凶密码 130Reads9.3Score—14d adds
- 174 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
- 175 Dear Detective (Two-Book Set) 亲爱的推理家(全二册) Dear Detective (Book One): Shen Xisheng, 19, a prodigy detective with perfect looks, perfect observational skills, and perfect deductive ability. Yin Chenxia, 29, a popular novelist with off-the-charts homebody tendencies, off-the-charts aloofness, and detective skills... that are unfathomable. Shen Xisheng has been a devoted superfan of his older half-brother Yin Chenxia since childhood. Hoping to get his brother’s attention, Shen became a fairly well-known detective while attending high school 54Reads9.4Score1614d adds
- 176 The Time-Traveling Crime Casebook 超时空罪案事件簿 To save my critically ill girlfriend, I accidentally activated a mission System. Every time I travel to a crime scene, I take on a completely new identity at random. A female corpse case from the Tang dynasty, a locked-room mystery from the Republican era, an AI murder case... I can trade points for wishes. The stranger the case, the greater the reward. I thought I was a crime-solving genius, until the System’s final message appeared: “Your girlfriend’s illness is actually connected to you...” 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 177 Detective Di Renjie: The Golden Flower Pursues the Dragon 神探狄仁杰之金花逐龙 Di Renjie, Li Yuanfang, and his disciple Su Wuming pit their wits against the Lord of the Golden Flower Token. Every time, they come this close to success, only for Empress Wu Zetian to intervene... Before he dies, Di Renjie entrusts all the evidence to Su Wuming. In the end... The twists never stop, and you can never guess who is good and who is a mole... 1.4kReads7.2Score11114d adds
- 178 I Can See Criminal Suspects 我能看到犯罪嫌疑人 Zhang Chi, an outstanding detective in 2025, is reborn in 2000, just as he graduates from the police academy. He had expected to join the city bureau’s criminal investigation team, but instead he was assigned to a suburban police station. After activating the System, he rises from disappointment and uses the System and his knowledge of the future to become a legendary detective! 567Reads6.8Score10114d adds
- 179 The Truth Buried by Time 被岁月掩埋的真相 The Truth Buried by Time 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 180 Cold Case Executioner 旧案行刑官 Police Captain Ji Xiao launches a livestreamed investigation to restore public trust, but the scene of a series of murders bears a secret code shared only by him and his older brother, Ji Lin, in childhood. As the whole internet calls for the “Shadowblade Killer” to be executed, forensic pathologist Chen Yan’s abnormal autopsy report, policewoman Zhou Yutang’s encrypted notes, and editor-in-chief Lin Zhao’s manipulation of public opinion gradually peel back the truth buried for ten years. The ki 10Reads—Score14914d adds
- 181 Tracking the Black Zone 黑域追踪 A sweeping crime thriller about combating organized crime. All stories in this book are fictionalized adaptations of real cases and events. Names and places have been changed; any similarities are purely coincidental. A cold case has been pursued for ten years, and at last the gray sky screen over Linjiang is torn open. The corrupt empire collapses, and the protectors behind it fall from power. Detective Zheng Xiaotian wins the battle, yet chooses to leave the front line. His departure tells eve 54Reads—Score—14d adds
- 182 The Bad Kids: Bloodshed in Northern Myanmar 边水往事：血色缅北 Here, they traffic drugs, murder people, trade in organs, commit fraud… They stop at nothing. I went from an eagerly anticipated honeymoon to falling into the hands of a criminal syndicate in northern Myanmar, and began a perilous struggle to survive. In the syndicate, I started out as a “piglet” and carefully worked my way up until I became the boss’s second-in-command. Facing this vast criminal organization, I had to struggle not only on the edge between morality and survival, but also with a —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 183 His Black-Gold Empire 他的黑金帝国 On the blood, tears, and lives of countless ordinary people, he swiftly built his own empire of wealth. His insane, colossal profits became a nightmare for 390,000 people. Behind the lavish mansions and luxury cars lay the financial ruin of thousands upon thousands of people. The gleam of 304 jin of gold cannot conceal the victims' final accusations, made with their lives. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 184 Blood Night 血夜 Night of Blood —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 185 One Gunshot, and My Eight-Year Flight Began 一声枪响，我开始了八年逃亡 Bang! A deafening gunshot shattered the peaceful night sky over Zhuzhou. Lin Zeyu gripped the gun, still smoking in his hand. He knew that from this moment on, his life had plunged once more into a dark abyss. And it had all begun with a choice that seemed ordinary, yet was steeped in tragedy. 19Reads—Score—14d adds
- 186 Death of the Other Woman: 27 Stabs That Drove Her to the Brink 第三者之死：被逼至绝路的27刀 Beside the supermarket shelves in the early hours, a bloodied fruit knife clattered to the floor. When He Wenling plunged the knife into her husband’s mistress, the security camera caught her twisted smile. This housewife, whom the neighbors had mocked for being “too useless to keep a man,” had finally torn the smug, pretty face of Li Xiaoyun apart with her own hands. No one understood why, a year after her divorce, she had suddenly murdered her ex-husband’s new lover. Until the police opened he 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 187 Judge Dee Case Files: The Lakeside Case 狄公案·湖滨案 [High suspense, nonstop twists, and ancient-style detective stories] Di Renjie, county magistrate of Hanyuan, attends a banquet aboard a pleasure boat. What should have been an elegant evening becomes the scene of a locked-room murder. Beneath the moonlit sky, at the heart of the lake, the music suddenly stops, and a woman’s corpse surfaces. Then an unsolved chess game from seventy years ago reappears, a bride mysteriously “comes back to life” on her wedding night, a carpenter is found dead in a 16Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 188 Case Files of a Palace Eunuch in the Great Yin Dynasty 大殷女宦寻案录 [Historical mystery + woman disguised as a man + two formidable leads and an ensemble cast + court intrigue + bickering enemies] Song Sanchun is the number-one menace in the imperial intelligence agency. In public, she’s a malicious, crafty little eunuch: if she can frame someone, she won’t fight them head-on; if she can silence them, she won’t waste words. In private, she’s the sole survivor of a family massacre, carrying three years of blood debt. She serves her superior as a blade, a shield, 49Reads—Score—14d adds
- 189 A Heart Stirs in the Moonlight 趁月色心动 [Detective Captain VS Surgeon, crime-solving + sweet romance, reunion after a long separation, rekindled love] [Xu Wanning's Version] When Xu Wanning sees Chen Zheng again, ten years have passed. He is a detective captain, while she is a murder suspect. “I didn't kill her. She framed me by taking her own life.” “What terrible thing did you do to make someone frame you by killing herself?” She returns to the country to uncover the truth about a fire from ten years ago, but one suspicious clue aft 3kReads8.8Score37514d adds
- 190 A Man's Criminal Psychology Files 1 男子犯罪心理档案1 [Delving into the causes of crime + analyzing criminal psychology + investigating the truth behind crimes] Who quietly cleans up the evidence in the dead of night? Who hides body after body in places no one would think to look? And who, looking back on the past from behind prison walls, murmurs, “I didn't have to kill…”? A baby in a refrigerator, an unidentified body encased in a concrete wall, an unsolved case with no answers… Each case is horrifying, yet gives us pause for thought. When a kill 190Reads9.1Score—14d adds
- 191 The Unknown Cause of His Death 他的不明死因 When faced with other people’s misfortune, most of us choose silence, compromise, or forgetfulness. The pressures of life, family ties, and fear of unknown risks make most of us hesitate. This is not cowardice, but a practical consideration. The sacrifices behind going to any lengths are often ones ordinary people can hardly imagine, let alone bear. Three years after the previous secretary of Shengjie Group died by suicide, Wan Sen, who also worked as a secretary, fell from the top floor. The of 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 192 Judge Dee Case Files: Chaoyun Temple 狄公案：朝云观 While returning home with his family, the famed detective Di Gong is caught in a violent storm. Their carriage is wrecked, forcing them to seek shelter at the mist-shrouded Chaoyun Temple. The temple is celebrating its founding anniversary. Pilgrims fill the grounds, and a theater troupe takes the stage. It all seems lively and festive, yet something sinister lurks beneath the surface. Late that night, Di Gong looks out his window and catches sight of a burly man in an iron helmet in the opposit 7Reads8.6Score314d adds
- 193 The Nonconsecutive Murders 不连续杀人事件 In the summer of 1947, scholars, poets, authors, painters, doctors, actors, and others gather to escape the heat at the mountain villa of the great poet Utagawa Kazuma. A shadow of death falls over the place, and people begin dying one after another. Were they all killed by the same murderer, or did different people commit the crimes? Was this a serial murder case, or a series of unrelated killings that only seem connected because they happened one after another? There is only one truth. Who is 151Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 194 True Crime Files 真实罪案录 No more talk, let’s get straight to the cases... The most horrifying family massacre; A couple dismembered; A string of murders involving silver; Brutal bandits, demons, kings of murder... Over 100 true crime stories... (Some people in this book are referred to by aliases.) 12.6kReads8.8Score76314d adds
- 195 Fireflies Illuminate the Hidden Crickets 浮萤照潜蛩 (Early on) Mystery and crime novelist (later) criminal investigation consultant: Shen Xuexian vs. criminal investigation captain: Wan Ming A popular idol dies mysteriously on a film set, and the scene is exactly as described in the script. Shen Xuexian, a mystery novelist, is taken in for questioning by the police at her new book signing. She never imagined that selling the rights to her novel would land her in a police station. Getting caught up in a murder on a film set and taken in to assist 399Reads8.7Score10314d adds
- 196 Funeral Affairs Master: I Can Solve Cases Too 白事先生：我也会破案 My childhood friend got caught soliciting sex. There’s no problem with me bailing him out, right? But what’s the deal with making a funeral director like me the head of a special investigation team? All I want is to focus on making money, but the appearance of a confession letter completely changed my life, and nearly got me killed (Chapter 164). For personal and professional reasons alike, Chou Wan, I’m going to catch you... This is a traditional detective novel, not a power fantasy. The pacing 36Reads—Score—14d adds
- 197 The Anti-Fraud Auditor: Exposing Every Money Scam 反诈审计师：看穿一切金钱谎言 Former Big Four auditor × specially appointed economic-crime consultant × anti-fraud trio Wielding data like a sword, we see through every financial lie The day I was fired by the Big Four, I thought my career was over for good. I was framed, blacklisted, and shut out by the entire industry, all because I refused to sign a fraudulent audit report. My partner slammed fabricated workpapers onto the table, and HR marked me “not eligible for rehire” in the industry system. Overnight, I went from 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 198 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—14d adds
- 199 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
- 200 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
