Master of locked-door thrillers, Ruth Ware, is back with a fast-paced game of cat and mouse set in a luxurious ski chalet high in the French Alps. When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other. But when a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world, survival trumps synergy. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further…one by one.
Some tropes, no matter how many times you read them, never get old. At the top of that list for me is the type of mystery that finds itself at a remote location with bodies piling up, one by one. That particular mystery flavor is embodied, of course, in Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. But there are plenty more where that came from, including these eight read-alikes.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Foley has carved out a niche as a modern heir to Christie’s locked-room mysteries. Her latest novel finds guests gathered for a wedding on an island off the Irish coast. It’s a luxe affair, but opulence and glamour don’t mean much when a dead body appears.
They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall
If you’re looking for a perfect And Then There Were None read-alike, look no further than this modern (not exclusively white!) homage to the original. Seven strangers arrive at a private island off of Mexico, only to find that they’ve been invited there for a nefarious reason.
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
Say it with me: Agatha Christie in spaaaaace. A spaceship carrying colonists from a ravaged Earth is crewed by clones who regenerate routinely as the years pass. The mystery arrives when the six clones wake up with no memories of what or who killed their previous incarnations.
The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
Originally published in 1987, The Decagon House Murders is a love letter to Golden Age mysteries. Members of a university mystery club (they use pseudonyms like Ellery, Agatha, and Carr) set off for a weekend on a remote island with a troubling history. Death follows them. A new paperback release is coming next year, but you may be able to find used copies before then.
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
A cozy weekend at a lodge in the Catskills takes a dark turn when a blizzard rolls in. With the electricity (and, by extension, the outside world) cut off by the storm, one guest turns up murdered—followed soon enough by another.
The Dying Game by Åsa Avdic
What if And Then There Were None were crossed with an episode of Black Mirror? In a dystopian future, seven Swedes have been brought to an island for a “competition.” Anna isn’t one of the participants; she’s part of the experiment. When she fakes her own death, she’s to observe how the other six react. Then things go sideways.
The Black Jersey by Jorge Zepeda Patterson
This is a fast-paced murder mystery, and for good reason: the deadly shenanigans take place on the Tour de France. The elite competition takes a nasty turn when someone starts picking off riders with bizarre “accidents.”
Murder in the Crooked House by Sōji Shimada
This Japanese classic has been translated into English only recently, but mystery lovers should rejoice. Eccentric millionaire Kozaburo Hamamoto invites eight guests to stay at his snowbound bizarro mansion. The events that follow, much like the estate, make up a funhouse mirror maze.
Want more Agatha Christie recommendations or locked-room mysteries? Try these from Book Riot.
- 6 Classic Books to Read (or Re-Read!) If You Love Locked Room Mysteries
- 12 Recent Locked Room Mysteries for Fans of Escape Rooms
- Quiz: What Locked Room Mystery Should You Read?
- Your Ultimate Guide to the Best Agatha Christie Books
- 10 Mystery and Thriller Authors Like Agatha Christie
- Reading Pathways: Where to Start with Agatha Christie
