Mystery Name Generator
Titles and case names for whodunits, thrillers and cozy mysteries
Generate mystery names for novels, short stories, films, podcasts and games: atmospheric titles like The Vanishing at Hollow Creek, case names like The Affair of the Copper Key, and enigmatic sleuths and strangers to populate them. Covers golden-age whodunits, cozy mysteries, noir, psychological suspense and gothic puzzles.
About mystery names
A mystery name has to promise a puzzle without solving it. The strongest titles in the genre pair a crime word or a sense of absence (murder, death, vanishing, missing, silence, secret) with a specific, concrete place or object: Death on the Nile, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl. The place does the atmospheric work: a country house, a sleeper train, a lighthouse, a locked archive or a quiet coastal village tells the reader what kind of mystery they are in before the first page.
Sub-genres have their own naming dialects. Golden-age and cozy mysteries favour The [Noun] Affair, The Case of the [Adjective] [Object] and place names that sound like an English county map. Noir titles are short, blunt and often a single loaded word or phrase: The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, Double Indemnity. Psychological suspense leans on pronouns and domestic unease: The Woman in the Window, Before I Go to Sleep, What She Knew. Gothic mysteries reach for houses, portraits, inheritances and things buried.
This list mixes all of those registers, plus case names for detective series and a set of enigmatic character names for the strangers, sleuths and suspects who walk into them. Pick the title that fits your setting, then check it is not already a recent bestseller.
How to choose mystery names
- Anchor the title in one concrete, specific thing: a place, an object or a time (The Clockmaker's Daughter, Murder at the Vicarage) rather than an abstract noun alone.
- Match the rhythm to the sub-genre: long, place-rich titles for cozies and golden-age puzzles; two or three blunt words for noir; pronoun-led titles for psychological suspense.
- For a series, give every book the same frame (The [Something] Affair, A [Season] for Murder) so readers recognise it on a shelf, but change the key word each time.
- Say the title aloud and check it does not give away the twist. Who and what are fine; how and why should stay hidden.
- Before committing, search the title on Amazon, Goodreads and IMDb. Mystery titles are reused constantly and you do not want to share one with a current bestseller.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good mystery title?
A good mystery title combines a hint of crime or absence with a specific, evocative setting or object, and leaves a question open. The Vanishing at Hollow Creek tells you what happened and where, but not who or why, which is exactly the gap a reader wants to close.
Can I use these names for a mystery novel, podcast or game?
Yes. Titles are not protected by copyright, so you can use any of these for a book, screenplay, podcast, murder-mystery party, escape room or video game. Just search first so you do not clash with a well-known existing work in the same genre.
What is the difference between a cozy mystery title and a thriller title?
Cozy titles are warm, often punny and rooted in a small community or hobby (A Fatal Batch, Murder at the Knitting Circle). Thriller titles are tense and urgent, usually shorter, and often use pronouns or commands (Don't Look Back, The One Who Knows).
Does this generator include character names as well as titles?
Yes. Alongside titles and case names there is a set of enigmatic character names, suitable for the mysterious stranger, the amateur sleuth or the suspect with something to hide. For full casts of detectives, suspects and victims, see the Murder Mystery and Detective name generators.
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All 500 mystery names
A: 44 names
- A Body at Bluewater Bay
- A Body in the Bell Foundry
- A Candle for the Drowned
- A Cold Supper
- A Corpse at Coldmere
- A Corpse at the Cake Stall
- A Dangerous Inheritance
- A Death at Dunholm
- A Death in Fen Country
- A Fatal Batch
- A Funeral in Foxhollow
- A Game of Solitaire
- A Grave in the Orchard
- A Killing at Copperfield
A, continued
- A Killing in Kettlebridge
- A Kiss Before Midnight
- A Lantern in the Lych Gate
- A Lie Told Twice
- A Murder of Crows
- A Pinch of Poison
- A Quiet Word with the Vicar
- A Receipt from the Crown Hotel
- A Reckoning at Rowan Cross
- A Rumour of Poison
- A Scandal at Sandhurst
- A Secret at Starling Hall
- A Shot in the Fog
- A Skeleton in the Study
- A Spoonful of Arsenic
A, continued
- A Spot of Bother at the Tea Room
- A Stranger's Grave
- A Study in Ashes
- A Tea Party with Murder
- A Telegram Too Late
- A Wedding at Willowmere
- A Winter's Alibi
- After the Party
- All the Locked Doors
- An Absence at Ashby
- Applause for a Corpse
- Arsenic and Old Letters
- Ashes of the Evening Post
- Ashes on the Doorstep
- Ask the Dead at Dunwich
B: 14 names
- Bad Money
- Before She Knew
- Behind Closed Curtains
- Behind the Green Door
- Bitter Almonds
- Blackmail at Briar Lodge
- Blackout on Baker Row
- Blind Corner
- Blind Man's Bluff
- Blood on the Frost
- Bones Beneath the Ballroom
- Bones Under the Bandstand
- Bourbon and Lies
- Buttercream and Blackmail
C: 10 names
- Cheap Flowers
- Cinnamon and Cyanide
- Clues in the Crossword
- Cold Cash
- Cold Harbour
- Cracks in the Portrait
- Crimson Lake
- Crossing the Salt Marsh
- Crows over Gallows Hill
- Curtains for Mrs. Mallory
D: 28 names
- Dark Water Rising
- Darkness at Dunmore
- Dead Letter Office
- Dead Men Don't Bake
- Dead Reckoning
- Death Among the Dahlias
- Death Among the Stacks
- Death at the Crossroads Inn
- Death at the Dig
- Death at the Dower House
- Death Calls at Crane Court
- Death Comes to Ashford Hall
- Death in a Rented Room
- Death in the Orchid Tent
D, continued
- Death of a Bellringer
- Death of a Lighthouse Keeper
- Death of a Quiet Man
- Death on Lantern Street
- Death Takes the Night Boat
- Death Visits the Dog Show
- Death Wears a Veil
- Deception at Deepwell
- Dirty Snow
- Don't Look in the Cellar
- Don't Trust the Nanny
- Double Cross at the Coral Room
- Dr. Ravel and the Nightingale
- Dust on the Mantelpiece
E: 8 names
- Echoes in the Courtyard
- Eight Bells and a Body
- Encore in Blood
- Evensong for a Killer
- Every Window Faces the Sea
- Everyone Is Lying
- Everything She Told Me
- Exit Stage Murder
F: 13 names
- Farewell, Lorraine
- Fatal Fudge
- Felix Amberly and the Broken Clock
- Final Act at the Alhambra
- Fire at the Mill
- Five Days at Rookhaven
- Fog Over Ludlow Street
- Footfalls in the Fog
- Footprints at the Ferry Steps
- Footprints in the Ash
- Footsteps on the Landing
- Fortune's Fool
- Four Candles for Clara
G: 4 names
- Gaslight at Grimsby Yard
- Ghosts of the Gaslight
- Gone by Morning
- Gutter Roses
H: 6 names
- He Said She Said
- Heat Lightning
- Her Last Voicemail
- Her Name Was Not Eleanor
- Honey, I Found a Body
- Hush Money
I: 2 names
- I Know What You Buried
- Inspector Hale and the Drowned Man
K: 2 names
- Killer Frosting
- Knuckle City
L: 6 names
- Last Orders at the Drowned Man
- Lavender, Lemon and Larceny
- Letters to the Drowned
- Lies at Lowood
- Little Deaths in Bramble Lane
- Low Tide
M: 31 names
- Madame Zara Reads the Cards
- Miss Aldous Investigates
- Mr. Quill and the Burnt Letter
- Murder After the Curtain Call
- Murder at Foxglove Farm
- Murder at Half Past Nine
- Murder at Low Tide
- Murder at Monkshood
- Murder at the Farmers' Market
- Murder at the Greenhouse Ball
M, continued
- Murder at the Knitting Circle
- Murder at the Lantern Festival
- Murder at the Matinee
- Murder at the Ninth Hole
- Murder at the Print Shop
- Murder at the Regatta
- Murder at the Spa Hotel
- Murder at the Winter Fair
- Murder Before Matins
- Murder by the Book
M, continued
- Murder in a Minor Key
- Murder in Gaslight Alley
- Murder in the Glasshouse
- Murder Most Ordinary
- Murder on Chalk Street
- Murder on Gull Island
- Murder on Kelpie Island
- Murder on the Midnight Ferry
- Murder on the Moorland Line
- Murder on the Night Mail
- Murder Under Glass
N: 9 names
- Night Train to Estrella
- Nightfall at Greyfriars
- Nine Lives on Pilgrim Street
- Ninety Steps to Nowhere
- No Trace of Marian Hale
- No Witnesses
- Nobody Cries in Harbor City
- Nobody Leaves Wrenfield
- Nothing Stays Buried
O: 2 names
- One Bullet Short
- One Last Case for Inspector Vale
P: 3 names
- Payback on Pier Nine
- Peril at the Pumpkin Patch
- Postcards from a Dead Woman
R: 3 names
- Rain on Cutler's Wharf
- Red Herrings at the Regatta
- Rivermouth
S: 24 names
- Scarlet and Smoke
- Secrets Beneath the Chapel Floor
- Secrets in the Soot
- Secrets of Stillwater Lodge
- Secrets of the Silver Birch
- Sergeant Pryce and the Missing Bride
- Seven Stairs Down
- Shadows on Saltmarsh Road
- Shadows Over the Salt Works
- She Was Here Yesterday
- Silence at Blackwater Abbey
- Silent Partners
S, continued
- Sister Margaret's Last Case
- Six Suspects at Sorrel Lane
- Sleep No More at Harrow
- Sleeping Dogs at Wolfe Manor
- Smoke Gets in Your Alibi
- Snow on the Sundial
- Somebody's Lying at Lark Hall
- Someone Else's Wife
- Still Life with Poison
- Still Waters at Marlow
- Stitches and Suspects
- Strangers at the Crossing
T: 274 names
- Tell No One Else
- Ten Miles from Nowhere
- The Abbot's Riddle
- The Adventure of the Absent Tenant
- The Adventure of the Frozen Clock
- The Adventure of the Hollow Oak
- The Affair of the Copper Key
- The Alibi Club
- The Amber Room Conspiracy
- The Anchor Room
- The Apothecary's Ledger
- The Auction House Affair
- The Banker's Bargain
- The Beekeeper's Lie
T, continued
- The Bell Tower Witness
- The Big Silence
- The Bitter End
- The Black Swan Affair
- The Bloody Thumbprint
- The Blue Lantern Murders
- The Body in the Boathouse
- The Bone Orchard
- The Bookshop Cat Mysteries
- The Boy in the Attic Window
- The Bridge at Midnight
- The Burnt Letters
- The Business of the Brass Button
- The Candle Maker's Window
T, continued
- The Candlelit Confession
- The Carnival of Secrets
- The Cartographer's Daughter
- The Case of the Borrowed Face
- The Case of the Crooked Candle
- The Case of the Empty Aviary
- The Case of the Forgotten Bride
- The Case of the Missing Heir
- The Case of the Painted Lady
- The Case of the Seventh Key
- The Case of the Silent Bell
- The Case of the Vanished Violin
- The Case of the Wandering Widow
- The Cat Who Knew Too Much
- The Cellist Vanishes
T, continued
- The Chapel of Bones
- The Chessboard Murders
- The Cipher in the Hymnal
- The Cleric of Carrow Street
- The Clerk of the Dead Letters
- The Clockmaker's Secret
- The Coat Check Ticket
- The Coffin Ships
- The Collector's Cabinet
- The Coroner's Notebook
- The Corpse in the Conservatory
- The Crooked Mile
- The Crypt Beneath the Chapel
- The Cufflink in the Ash
T, continued
- The Curious Affair at Selby House
- The Dead Man's Ledger
- The Dead Room
- The Detective Who Came to Dinner
- The Devil's Chapel
- The Disappearance of Hester Moon
- The Dog That Didn't Bark at Bramley
- The Dressmaker's Needle
- The Drowned Bell
- The Drowning of Alderley
- The Elevator Stops at Nine
- The Eleventh Juror
- The Empty Chair
- The Empty Frame
- The Fen Witness
T, continued
- The Ferryman's Toll
- The Ferrymead Affair
- The Fifth Key
- The Final Bow at the Majestic
- The Fix Is In
- The Folded Map
- The Forger's Daughter
- The Fortune Teller's Tent
- The Fourth Envelope
- The Gallery Murders
- The Gambler's Widow
- The Garden Club Conspiracy
- The Ghost of Penhallow Light
- The Ghost Writer of Galloway
T, continued
- The Gilded Birdcage
- The Girl from the Lake House
- The Girl Who Wasn't There
- The Glass Coffin
- The Glass Key of Ravenhurst
- The Glove in the Glasshouse
- The Hangman's Almanac
- The Hatbox Affair
- The Headmaster's Keys
- The Heir Who Never Came Home
- The Hidden Staircase at Thorne
- The Hollow Crown Affair
- The Hound of Gorse Moor
- The Hour Before Dawn
T, continued
- The House with No Front Door
- The Husband Upstairs
- The Ice House Murders
- The Incident at Wintermoor
- The Inheritance of Ivy Cottage
- The Inspector Calls at Ravenholm
- The Iron Gate
- The Ironmonger's Wife
- The Jeweller's Vault
- The Judge's Daughter
- The Key to Marrowgate
- The Key Under the Mat
- The Lady in the Lift
- The Lady Vanishes Again
- The Lantern Room
T, continued
- The Last Cigarette
- The Last Honest Cop
- The Last Photograph of Lydia Payne
- The Last Train to Carrow
- The Last Will of Harriet Crane
- The Ledger of Lost Souls
- The Lighthouse Café Murders
- The Lighthouse Keeper's Ledger
- The Lipstick on the Cup
- The Locked Greenhouse
- The Locksmith's Daughter
- The Lodger at Number Six
- The Long Goodnight
- The Long Shadow of Harlow House
T, continued
- The Lost Diary of Agnes Thorne
- The Lost Hour at Hemlock Station
- The Lost Will of Silas Marrow
- The Magpie's Hoard
- The Man Who Missed the Ferry
- The Marsh House Letters
- The Matter of the Missing Nun
- The Midnight Gardener
- The Midnight Sun Murders
- The Midwife's Secret
- The Miller's Pond
- The Mirror Never Lies
- The Missing Hour
- The Missing Mapmaker
- The Moth Collector
T, continued
- The Mud on His Boots
- The Museum After Hours
- The Mysterious Affair at Skelton
- The Mystery of Harrowgate Hall
- The Mystery of the Blue Carriage
- The Mystery of the Mill Pond
- The Night Porter's Confession
- The Night the Clocks Stopped
- The Night Visitor of Caddon Lane
- The Night Watchman's Lantern
- The Ninth Bell Tolls
- The Ninth Passenger
- The Nuns of Netherfield
- The Nursery Rhyme Murders
T, continued
- The Orchard Wall
- The Orchid House Murders
- The Other Mrs. Kemp
- The Oyster Bar Conspiracy
- The Pale Horse Inn
- The Paper Trail
- The Parlour Game
- The Parrot's Testimony
- The Pawnbroker's Window
- The Peculiar Death of a Piano Tuner
- The Perfect Neighbour
- The Pharmacist's Daughter
- The Photograph Lies
- The Poisoned Pen Society
- The Portrait in the East Wing
T, continued
- The Printer's Devil
- The Priory Murders
- The Problem of the Locked Chapel
- The Problem of the Painted Door
- The Puppet Master of Kessel
- The Puzzle of the Paper Boat
- The Question of the Crooked Will
- The Quiet Child
- The Quiet Room
- The Quiet Sisters
- The Quilting Bee Murders
- The Ravensby Inheritance
- The Reckoning at Redcliffe
- The Rector's Secret
T, continued
- The Reluctant Confession of Dr. Ash
- The Reluctant Witness
- The Riddle of Rook Tower
- The Riddle of the Copper Coin
- The Ring on the Wrong Finger
- The Rookwood Letters
- The Salt Cellar Murders
- The Sealed Letter
- The Sealed Room at Sumner Place
- The Seance at Saltram House
- The Second Confession
- The Second Daughter
- The Second Mrs. Halloran
- The Secret of Spindle Cove
T, continued
- The Secret of the Seventh Step
- The Secret of Wycombe Water
- The Seventh Floor
- The Seventh Letter
- The Shadow in the Snow
- The Shrouded Mirror
- The Sign of the Broken Lamp
- The Silence of Hartwood
- The Silent Organist
- The Silk Road Letters
- The Singular Matter of the Glass Eye
- The Sister I Never Had
- The Sleeping Sentinel
- The Smuggler's Cove
- The Snow Globe Murders
T, continued
- The Stationmaster's Wife
- The Stolen Aria
- The Strange Death of Abel Coy
- The Strange Guest of Ferncliffe
- The Stranger at Table Nine
- The Stranger in Our House
- The Suicide That Wasn't
- The Sundial Murders
- The Surgeon's Knot
- The Tapestry Room
- The Telegram from Vienna
- The Telephone Rang at Three
- The Tenant of Rook Lane
- The Tenth Witness
T, continued
- The Theft of the Thistle Brooch
- The Third Bullet
- The Thirteenth Guest
- The Tide Came In at Seven
- The Tin Star Murders
- The Tollkeeper's Silence
- The Train Ticket to Alderton
- The Trouble at Tollgate Farm
- The Twelfth Candle
- The Umbrella Left Behind
- The Understudy's Revenge
- The Unfinished Confession
- The Unopened Door
- The Unquiet Grave of Thomas Reed
- The Vanishing Act of Cora Lane
T, continued
- The Vanishing at Hollow Creek
- The Vanishing Bride of Langley
- The Veiled Lady of Vane Street
- The Vicar's Garden Party Murder
- The Violinist's Last Bow
- The Watchmaker's Apprentice
- The Wax Museum Murders
- The Weeping Stone
- The Wicked Widow of Wren Hall
- The Widow's Alibi
- The Wine Glass That Wasn't Washed
- The Witness in Grey
- The Woman in the Window Seat
- The Woman Who Saw Too Much
T, continued
- The Wreck of the Marguerite
- The Wren House Murders
- The Wrong Coffin at Wexham
- The Wrong Funeral
- The Wrong Man at Wexley
- The Wrong Side of Sunset
- The Yarn Shop Mystery
- Three Coins in the Well
- Three Keys and a Lie
- Three Tickets to Nowhere
- Tracks in the Snow
- Treachery at Twelve Oaks
- Trouble Is Her Middle Name
- Twelve Hours in Old Town
- Two Graves at Greyhaven
U: 1 name
- Under the Ferris Wheel
W: 16 names
- What Happened on Kestrel Street
- What Lies Under the Floorboards
- What the Gardener Saw
- What the Neighbours Heard
- Whatever Became of Mrs. Ludlow
- Whatever Happened to June Avery?
- Where the Road Ends
- Where the Swallows Don't Return