Murder mysteries is one of my favorite genres both in movies/series and in books. I feel like detective stories can rarely disappoint: even if it’s not a good one, the tension of the mystery keeps you going as you want to find out who’s the villain of the story.

For this post I decided to share some of the crime series that I’ve seen and truly enjoyed. They’re all short, so you can binge watch them in a day.

p.s. since we’re talking about detective series I feel obligated to mention two of my all time favorite shows that didn’t make it in this list simply because I already talked about them in a different post. And those are “Sherlock” by BBC and “Only Murders in the Building”. If you haven’t seen those, I truly recommend watching them as well.

1. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (2024-)

If you love a good young adult detective story that is filled with mystery and coziness at the same time, then look no further. This show tells the story of a student who wants to investigate an old case of a girl, that had been murdered years ago, for her school project. When she starts receiving threats warning her to stop, she realizes that she’s on the right track. The story takes place in a small English town that has the most gorgeous sceneries, which is always a nice bonus for me.

2. And Then There Were None (2015)

You probably know the plot of Agatha Christie’s most famous work, so I’m not going to bore you with it again. I am quite skeptical when it comes to adaptations of my favorite novels, but this was a really good one that managed to keep the tension you feel throughout the whole story. There were some slight changes and additions in the series but in general I find it a very decent show. The best part is that it only has 3 episodes, so you can easily finish it off in one evening.

3. A Man on the Inside (2024-)

This one is a must-watch for those of you who don’t really enjoy too serious and brutal detective stories. It reminds me a little of “Only Murder in the Building” with its light and comedic vibes. The show is about a pensioner who, after loosing his wife, doesn’t know what to do with all his free time. So he starts working as a secret agent to solve crimes. It is filled with humor and lots of bittersweet moments, so it’s really an emotional roller coaster. The second season of the series just aired a few days ago, and I can’t wait to watch it.

4. The Afterparty (2022-2023)

This show has two seasons but they aren’t connected to each other, so you can watch only the first one. It’s about a school reunion that goes terribly wrong when one of the guests gets murdered during the afterparty. The fun part of the series is that each episode tells the perspective of one of the guests who tells the detective their version of what was going on that evening. Hence why each episode has a different style (one of them even has cartoonish moments) based on the character telling their story. The second season is about a murder that happens during a wedding but that’s all I can say about it cause I haven’t watched it yet.

5. The Perfect Couple (2024-)

A wealthy family, that only cares about money, their image and status, gets together to celebrate the wedding of their youngest son. But a murder comes in the way and it starts unraveling all the dirty secrets of each family member. Turns out that the perfect family straight from a magazine cover isn’t that perfect in real life. Even though the show has been renewed, the second season will tell about a different family, so this is a finished story and doesn’t end with a cliffhanger that will make you wonder what’s going to happen next.

6. Sherlock and Daughter (2025-)

While most of the adaptations about the most prominent detective try to stay true to their original, this one shows the story from a new angle. As you can guess from the title, in this version Sherlock has a lost daughter who inherited her father’s love for solving mysteries. After loosing her mother Holmes-Junior comes to London to find Sherlock and try to solve the case of her mother’s murder and John Watson’s disappearance. I really enjoyed watching it, as despite the new interpretation, it managed to preserve the familiar and lovely atmosphere of those old times. Also somehow it reminded me of BBC’s “Sherlock”, so I felt like going back to the world I knew and loved.

7. The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (2019)

A famous writer gets arrested for the murder of a teenage girl he was secretly in a relationship with before her disappearance. But did he really kill the girl or was he simply framed for a crime he didn’t commit? His former student makes his own investigation to find out the truth about his teacher. What I loved the most about this show (besides the incredible atmosphere of a small seaside town) is that you really don’t know whom to believe until the very end – the writer, who’s swearing that he’s innocent, or the apparent facts that say otherwise. In most detective stories you instantly know that the main suspect isn’t guilty. But that’s not the case in here. So you don’t really know what to expect.