What is so compelling about a small-town mystery? These cosy, idyllic places seem more likely to be featured in a Hallmark movie than in an episode of Crime Junkie. Small communities, mom-and-pop stores, quirky traditions, and usually located far enough off the beaten track to make visitors feel like they’ve escaped the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Sounds like a dreamy weekend getaway with the girls, or the picturesque backdrop to a lovers’ retreat, right?
Of course, it’s exactly these things that make small towns the perfect setting for deliciously creepy mysteries or terribly wicked crimes—what better place to set a suspenseful story than in a remote location where the locals keep a close eye on newcomers, everyone knows each other’s business, and they’re all hiding a few unnerving customs and rituals?
In my debut novel, The Wolf Tree, the tiny island of Eilean Eadar isn’t appearing on any must staylists; thrown way off the west coast of Scotland, battered by storms and ravaged by the elements, and largely forgotten by the mainland, this island and its people know how harsh life can be—and how harsh they have to be to survive. But the outside world comes knocking when a local teenager is found dead at the base of the island’s decommissioned lighthouse—a landmark steeped in infamy due to the disappearance of its final three keepers more than a century earlier—and DIs Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart are dispatched from Glasgow to investigate.In classic small-town suspense fashion, George and Richie must race against a ticking clock to discover what secrets lie beneath the rugged beauty of Eilean Eadar – and hopefully solve not one, but two mysteries.
Here are 7 suspenseful books set in small towns, because when everyone knows everyone, secrets are hard to keep, and trust becomes a dangerous game. These seemingly idyllic places—where gossip spreads like wildfire—are perfect breeding grounds for shocking betrayals, unexpected twists, and chilling revelations.
Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor
When twelve-year-old Esther vanishes on her walk home from school in a small, close-knit town in rural Australia, the community is thrust into a whirlwind of suspicion and sorrow. Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels arrives to investigate during the hottest spring in decades, while Esther’s best friend, Ronnie, is determined to find her. And as the story unravels, it seems like everyone in town is hiding something about what really happened to Esther.
Stillwater by Melissa Lenhardt
Former FBI agent Jack McBride relocates with his teenage son to Stillwater, Texas – an attempt to escape suspicions surrounding his wife’s disappearance. Expecting a quiet job as Chief of Police in a low-crime town, Jack instead finds himself investigating a staged murder-suicide and a decades-old skeleton, sparking the first crime wave in thirty years. He seeks help from a respected local with a scandalous past, and as they grow closer despite town disapproval, the pair uncover deep, interlinked secrets from both cases that have the potential to devastate the town.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
After a brief stint in a psychiatric hospital, reporter Camille Preaker is handed a daunting assignment: she must return to her small hometown to report on the unsolved murder of a young girl and the disappearance of another. Camille hasn’t been home in years, and has had very little contact with her neurotic, hypochondriac mother and her enigmatic and beautiful thirteen-year-old half-sister. Staying in her old room in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille must piece together her own psychological puzzle if she is to uncover the truth about what is happening to the young women in her home town.
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Best friends Lucy and Savvy were once the shining stars of their small Texas town; but everything changed in an instant when Lucy was found wandering the streets covered in Savvy’s blood. Years later, and with no memory of that night and having started anew in LA, Lucy is drawn back home because a true crime podcast, Listen for the Lie, plans to investigate Savvy’s murder. With a charismatic host at the helm, Lucy must confront her past to uncover the truth about her friend’s death … even if it means discovering her own guilt.
Scrublands by Chris Hammer
In the drought-stricken Australian town of Riversend, a young priest’s shocking act of violence leaves five parishioners dead. A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives to investigate the tragedy’s anniversary. As he delves into the town’s secrets, Martin discovers discrepancies in the accepted narrative and faces a new, sensational development that thrusts him into the national spotlight. Battling his own demons, Martin risks everything to uncover a darker, more complex truth, while powerful forces work to keep the town’s secrets buried.
All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
Ten years after her best friend Corinne vanished without a trace, Nicolette Farrell returns to her rural hometown to care for her ailing father, only to find herself entangled in the unresolved mystery. The old investigation, which scrutinised Nic and her inner circle, resurfaces with new urgency when Annaleise, Nic’s younger neighbor and alibi from the night Corinne disappeared, also goes missing. Narrated in reverse from the day Annaleise vanishes, Nic’s quest to uncover the truth exposes startling revelations about her family, friends, and the real events of that fateful night a decade ago.
The Dry by Jane Harper
In the midst of a terrible drought in rural Australia, Federal Agent Aaron Falk is summoned to his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Two decades earlier, Luke provided Aaron with an alibi when Aaron was accused of a terrible crime. But now, more than one person knows that this alibi was a lie, and Luke is dead. With the help of a local detective, Aaron questions what really happened to Luke – which stirs up secrets that have haunted the community since Aaron left town.
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