Inspired by one of the prompts of 2026’s Read Harder Challenge, I thought I’d list a handful of my favorite true crime and mystery book covers of 2025.
Book covers can start to blend together when there is a popular style of the moment, and sometimes, even though they’re intended to signify genre or subgenre to readers, they can also tip into making everything look the same. With that in mind, these are some of the covers that stood out to me this year. Bonus: they make nice front-facing books on a bookshelf.
All access members continue below for more mystery and true crime books with the best book covers.
The Hong Kong Widow by Kristen Loesch
Book design by Alison Cnockaert. Interior art by Jiksun Cheung.
This is a blend of gothic horror and historical fiction, with a past mystery and revenge. I first spotted it while quickly scrolling through catalogs to see if anything jumped out at me, and this cover absolutely did. It feels incredibly eerie while also being a beautiful portrait. Until you realize there’s no head. Where’s the head?! The gold frame really is a perfect final touch because you could hang this in a museum.
Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours
Cover by artist Taj Francis and designer Kerri Resnick.
I literally read this book knowing nothing about it because I loved the cover. I saw a cool teen girl and immediately wondered if she was listening to music, or a podcast, or tuning out the world. And then I noticed that the swirl around her has a menacing vibe that contrasts with her expression. Clearly, I wanted to know the contents of the book based on the story told on the cover. (I was highly rewarded.)
A Copycat Conundrum (The Misfits #2) by Lisa Yee, Dan Santat (illustrator)
Cover art and interior illustrations by Dan Santat.
Growing up, the Scholastic Book Fair was one of the greatest days of the year, and I can confidently say that this cover would have stopped me in my tracks and made me request my parents or abuelos buy it for me on Fair day. The action, the comedy, the fear of breaking something that is valuable in a museum—there’s an entire story in just one image!
If I was not already a fan after having read the first book in the series, this cover would have sold me on picking up the series.
Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf, and see 2025 and 2026 releases! Until next time, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Goodreads, Litsy, and Multitudes Contained.
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