Let's Play: How To Make An Ominous-Sounding Mystery Title

Posted by Marie on April 2, 2018
Goodreads Mystery & Thriller Week 2018

Mystery & Thriller Week is sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio. Enjoy the suspense on audio.

Mainstream mystery titles have the uncanny ability to turn the ordinary into the ominous. Like a macabre version of Mad Libs, sometimes all a title needs is a combination of a person and a place to achieve maximum foreboding. The Body in the Library, The Couple Next Door, and The Woman in the Window are all prime examples of this. And if you want to turn the terror up a notch, you can never go wrong with adding the word "girl" to let readers know that trouble isn't too far away.

The rules to this game are simple: Match your birth month and birth date to the chart below. Then stand back for that spine-tingling (or snicker-inducing) effect. Who knows? Your title could be the next big name in the mystery genre!



What's your bestselling mystery title? Share it with us in the comments!


Comments Showing 1,151-1,200 of 1,633 (1633 new)


message 1151: by Angie (new)

Angie Death at the all-night diner


message 1152: by Remley (new)

Remley The shadow at the car dealership


message 1153: by Alison (new)

Alison The Widow at the Car Wash


message 1154: by Mackenzie (new)

Mackenzie Blackwood Death at the Car Wash

Sounds like a newspaper headline


message 1155: by Isabelle (new)

Isabelle Koester The Body on the Fire Escape

...shoot


message 1156: by Katie (last edited Apr 06, 2018 11:19AM) (new)

Katie Pagan The Woman in the Elevator

Reminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okslavo9mVQ


message 1157: by Julie (new)

Julie The Stranger in the Vitamin Aisle


message 1158: by Kaelyn (new)

Kaelyn The Stalker in the Meat Locker
like what would they even stalk? the t-bone steak?


message 1159: by Judy (new)

Judy Death Under the Stairs


message 1160: by John (new)

John Hatley The Imposter on the Cruise Ship


message 1161: by Etienne (new)

Etienne Death at the Car Dealership

That sound so bad... I don't think I would read this one! haha


message 1162: by Zoe (new)

Zoe The Widow in the Warehouse


message 1163: by Hermioneginny (new)

Hermioneginny The Devil in the Warehouse


message 1164: by Matthew (new)

Matthew Evil at the Car Wash


message 1165: by Arpit (new)

Arpit Rastogi The stranger in the all night diner


message 1166: by Ariana (new)

Ariana Evil in the Panic Room.


message 1167: by Marina (new)

Marina I'm laughing so hard because I got "The Devil in the Botanical Garden", and my mind went straight to a Hades and Persephone retelling, and it's so perfect for me. Thank you Goodreads!


message 1168: by Lauryn (new)

Lauryn Trainor death on the midnight train....


message 1169: by Vanesa (new)

Vanesa The Body in the Casino


message 1170: by Erin (new)

Erin The Stranger in the All Night Diner


message 1171: by Kristal (new)

Kristal The stalker on the steamboat....sounds like a mystery set in the deep south in the 1870's!


message 1172: by Just (new)

Just Jenn The Liar in the Warehouse


message 1173: by Sarah (new)

Sarah The Stranger on the Steamboat! My kinda title! It's like Agatha Christie and Mark Twain had tea for the afternoon and did some brainstorming!


message 1174: by DragonBornFantasy (new)

DragonBornFantasy death in the meat locker...

I cried laughing


message 1175: by Jessica (new)

Jessica Hicks The Widow on Flight 42. I think I have a new book title alongside the other two books I'm working on ;)


message 1176: by Tilly (new)

Tilly The body in the swamp.


message 1177: by Shanice (new)

Shanice Higgins Death in the Emergency Room.

They didn't even try here lol


message 1178: by Ashley (new)

Ashley Evil on the Steamboat


message 1179: by Kaleb (new)

Kaleb Mehsi wrote: "The Body in the Fun House."

same


message 1180: by Vanessa (new)

Vanessa The body in the Elevator.
And no one knows what happened and where the killer went.


message 1181: by Kristin (new)

Kristin The Stalker in the Meat Locker


message 1182: by Misty (new)

Misty Boyd The Liar at the DMV !


message 1183: by Sue (new)

Sue The Widow in the Panic Room- it has a certain Movie of the week feel to it.


message 1184: by [deleted user] (new)

The Woman in the Swamp.

Uh-oh, not so sure about how that sounds...


message 1185: by G (new)

G Evil on the Cruise Ship


message 1186: by Gretchen (new)

Gretchen Mine sounds like a a Nancy Drew
The shadow at the DMV!


message 1187: by E.J. (new)

E.J. The Stalker on the Fire Escape

That sounds more like an actual concern than a book title...


message 1188: by Elīza (new)

Elīza Deģe The Stranger in the Meat Locker


message 1189: by Jenna (new)

Jenna Thatcher I get that there's a lot of angst at the DMV, but I'm pretty sure there's kind of a code where you just don't go killing people after they've waited in line for 2 days.


message 1190: by Jessmuhs (new)

Jessmuhs Murder in the Broomcloset


message 1191: by This Kooky Wildflower Loves a Little Tea and Books (last edited Apr 06, 2018 01:00PM) (new)

This Kooky Wildflower Loves a Little Tea and Books Evil at the DMV

Truer words.

Truer words.


message 1192: by Richard (new)

Richard Evil in the meat locker


message 1193: by nasam (new)

nasam The woman under the stairs


message 1194: by Beth (new)

Beth Death under the stairs


message 1195: by Sarah (new)

Sarah Death in the swamp


message 1196: by Patricia (new)

Patricia The Stalker in the elevator


NAT.orious reads ☾ The body in the abandoned theme park


message 1198: by Jordan (new)

Jordan The Woman at the Car Dealership

"I was told the undercoating would take care of these things," the woman intoned, pinching a folded receipt and passing it to Manuel. He checked the log. Purchased four days earlier. Slumping down to the pavement, he peered under the car at what looked like rust, too much, "I was down at the shore and let my son drive on the beach," she explained.

His phone buzzed with a coworker's email: the car's history. The wrong license plate appeared. Registration out of date. The old Chevy had been totaled in '95, but it was the wrong color. He blanched,

"I'll have to ask my manager," he muttered, rising and dusting off his pants. A minor click made him turn, eye the shiny metal tip protruding from behind her black purse. Her voice dipped,

"The keys, please. I think I know what's wrong."


message 1199: by Eeva (new)

Eeva Evil at the Two-Star Hotel. I'd read that.


message 1200: by Dominique (new)

Dominique The stranger in the All-night diner


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