The best mysteries on Netflix right now
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The number of new mysteries on Netflix in September doesn’t even need a full hand to count them. There’s only one, Wicked Little Letters, which is far from the traditional murder mystery that fans are used to seeing on the streamer. Mystery has never been Netflix’s most dominant genre, but even neglected categories like fantasy tend to get more than one new movie a month.
Since there isn’t much to work with for now, our only other addition to the list of the best mysteries on Netflix right now is the Italian thriller Vanished in the Night. You can find the rest of our selections below as we collectively try to solve the enigma of why there aren’t more mysteries on Netflix.
Need more Netflix in your life? Check out our roundups of the best movies on Netflix and the best shows on Netflix as well.
Wicked Little Letters (2023) [New]
Metacritic: 58%
IMDb: 7.0/10
Rated: R
Duration: 100m
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Stars: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan
Directed by: Thea Sharrock
The stakes of the mystery in Wicked Little Letters may be small, but the freedom of a single mother depends on the outcome. Set over a century ago during the women’s suffragette movement, an unmarried older woman, Edith Swan (Olivia Colman), has been the target of a series of hateful letters. Edith’s overbearing father, Edward Swan (Timothy Spall), accuses her former friend, Rose Gooding (Men’s Jessie Buckley), of orchestrating the campaign.
With Rose locked up and unable to post bail, PC Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) is the only one among the police who believes she may be innocent. But, proving innocence and exposing the real writer will take the help of Rose’s closest friends.
Vanished into the Night (2024) [New]
IMDb: 5.2/10
Duration: 93m
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Drama
Stars: Riccardo Scamarcio, Annabelle Wallis, Massimiliano Gallo
Directed by: Renato De Maria
Vanished Into the Night is an Italian mystery thriller that features Riccardo Scamarcio as Pietro and Annabelle Wallis as Elena, a married couple who are working their way through a divorce. The only thing that unites them is the love they share for their children. When the kids are abducted from Pietro’s home, Elena pushes him to do anything to get them back.
When a ransom demand arrives, Pietro risks his life and his freedom by doing a job for a sketchy friend to raise the money. However, Pietro begins to suspect that the abduction was pulled off by someone he knows.
Colors of Evil: Red (2024)
IMDb: 6.3/10
Duration: 112m
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Action, Mystery
Stars: Jakub Giersza?, Maja Ostaszewska, Zofia Jastrz?bska
Directed by: Adrian Panek
In the Polish thriller Colors of Evil: Red, a popular local bartender, Monika Bogucka (Zofia Jastrzebska), has been brutally murdered. And whoever the killer was couldn’t resist mutilating her as well. The news shatters Monika’s mother, Judge Helena Bogucka (Maja Ostaszewski), and she soon has reasons to suspect that the criminal connections of her husband, Roman (Andrzej Zieliński), may have links to their daughter’s murder.
Leopold Bilski (Jakub Giersza?) leads the investigation into Monkia’s death, and he makes the connection between this case and a murder from years earlier. As Leopold and Helena continue to search for answers, their own lives become endangered when they attract the wrong kind of attention from the criminal element.
A Simple Favor (2018)
Metacritic: 67%
IMDb: 6.8/10
Rated: R
Duration: 118m
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding
Directed by: Paul Feig
What is the simple favor mentioned in this film’s title? Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) asks her new best friend, Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), to babysit her child while Emily’s husband, Sean Townsend (Henry Golding), is out of town. From there, A Simple Favor throws Stephanie into a world of intrigue when Emily doesn’t show up to collect her son, leaving the former with a lot of questions.
When Emily turns up dead, Stephanie and Sean become closer. But the more that Stephanie looks into Emily’s life, the less sense it makes. And Stephanie is forced to wonder if she even knew Emily at all, and if her death was more than just a tragic event.
The Little Things (2021)
Metacritic: 54%
IMDb: 6.4/10
Rated: R
Duration: 128m
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Stars: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Murders are nothing new in Los Angeles, but Detective Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) is about to get in over his head while trying to solve one in The Little Things. While investigating his latest case, Baxter is accompanied by Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon (Gladiator 2‘s Denzel Washington), who notices disturbing similarities between the current victim and a serial killer investigation that he couldn’t close years ago.
Baxter is soon drawn into Deacon’s overwhelming obsession with solving the case and exposing the killer. The suspect they settle on is Albert Sparma (former Joker Jared Leto). Sparma may or may not be the killer, but he loves playing mind games with both Deacon and Baxter. Is Sparma guilty? Or have Deacon and Baxter gone off the deep end?
All Good Things (2010)
Metacritic: 57%
IMDb: 6.3/10
Rated: R
Duration: 101m
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella
Directed by: Andrew Jarecki
The Fall Guy‘s Ryan Gosling may be the big attraction for All Good Things, but this film actually has a connection to the true life crime that inspired it. Following its release, director Andrew Jarecki was contacted by Robert Durst, the potential murderer loosely played by Gosling in the film, and agreed to make on-camera interviews for HBO’s The Jinx, which ultimately landed Durst behind bars.
The names have been changed for the film, so Gosling’s character is David Marks instead of Robert Durst. In the ‘70s, David marries Katie McCarthy (Kirsten Dunst), and they try to make a life together. When their relationship sours and Katie disappears, suspicion falls on David even though no charges are filed. Then, several years later, another woman close to David meets a similar fate.
The Postcard Killings (2020)
Metacritic: 29%
IMDb: 5.8/10
Rated: R
Duration: 101m
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Stars: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Famke Janssen, Cush Jumbo
Directed by: Danis Tanovi?
The Walking Dead’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan headlines this adaptation of James Patterson and Liza Marklund’s The Postcard Killers, which was retitled The Postcard Killings for the big screen. Morgan plays Jacob Kanon, a New York City police detective who is devastated when his adult daughter and her fiancé are murdered in Europe in an elaborate and deliberate fashion.
While struggling to contain his grief, Jacob learns that the killer or killers have been striking all over Europe. Despite lacking jurisdiction, Jacob takes it upon himself to find his daughter’s murderers, with the help of crime reporter Désirée “Dessie” Lombard (Désirée “Dessie” Lombard) and even some remote assistance from his wife, Valerie Kanon (Famke Janssen).
Reptile (2023)
Metacritic: 52%
IMDb: 6.8/10
Rated: R
Duration: 136m
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Stars: Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone
Directed by: Grant Singer
Like many mysteries, Reptile opens with the discovery of a dead body. In this film, the victim is Summer Elswick (Matilda Lutz). And between Summer’s boyfriend, Will Grady (Justin Timberlake), her estranged husband, Sam Gifford (Karl Glusman), and Eli Phillips (Michael Pitt), there’s no shortage of suspects.
Detective Tom Nichols (Benicio del Toro) has had to solve plenty of murders before. But Tom finds this case particularly challenging because the clues lead him to people he knows and works with. The rot goes deep in this police department, and Tom’s life is about to be turned upside down.
The Weekend Away (2022)
Metacritic: 51%
IMDb: 5.7/10
Duration: 90m
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Stars: Leighton Meester, Christina Wolfe, Ziad Bakri
Directed by: Kim Farrant
The Weekend Away starts with a girls weekend gone wrong, as Beth (Leighton Meester) awakens without clear memories of what happened to her the night before. More alarmingly, Beth’s friend, Kate (Christina Wolfe), is missing without a trace. Beth’s husband, Rob (Luke Norris), is surprisingly unmoved by her panic. So Beth turns to a local cab driver, Zain (Ziad Bakri), to help her piece together the previous night’s events.
But when Kate’s body finally turns up, Beth and Zain are both considered suspects by the police. And that’s not the only unpleasant surprise waiting for Beth as she attempts to discover who killed her friend.
Missing (2023)
Metacritic: 66%
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 111m
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Stars: Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung
Directed by: Nicholas D. Johnson, Will Merrick
June Allen (Storm Reid) lives through her worst nightmare in Missing. When June’s mother, Grace (Nia Long), and her boyfriend, Kevin (Ken Leung), go missing in Columbia, June is forced to launch her own investigation from the safety of her own computer. A man named Javier (Joaquim de Almeida) is able to assist June remotely, but she soon learns that Kevin has a very questionable past, and June isn’t nearly as safe as she thought she was. To find her mother, June will first have to save herself.
In for a Murder (2021)
IMDb: 5.4/10
Duration: 104m
Genre: Crime, Comedy, Science Fiction
Stars: Pawe? Domaga?a, Piotr Adamczyk, Przemys?aw Bluszcz
Directed by: Piotr Mularuk
If you don’t speak Polish, then you should be glad to hear that In For a Murder has an English dub. Anna Smolowik headlines the film as Magda Borowska, a mother and a true crime fan who gave up on her dreams a long time ago. But when a dead young woman is found in town, Magda is taken aback when she realizes that the girl was wearing the same necklace that her friend, Weronika Bielecka (Emma Giegzno), wore before she disappeared years ago.
Determined to know if the girl is somehow linked to Weronika, Magda embarks on her own investigation, much to the annoyance of her ex, Commissioner Jacek Sikora (Pawel Domagala). And while Magda’s family mocks her amateur detective routine, the danger she uncovers is all too real.
No One Gets Out Alive (2021)
Metacritic: 43%
IMDb: 5.3/10
Rated: R
Duration: 85m
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Stars: Cristina Rodlo, Marc Menchaca, David Figlioli
Directed by: Santiago Menghini
No One Gets Out Alive blends mystery and horror as it puts the audience in the shoes of Ambar (Cristina Rodlo), an undocumented Mexican immigrant who has few options in the U.S.
After finding a place to stay courtesy of her landlord, Red (Marc Menchaca), Ambar is unnerved by Red’s unhinged brother, Becker (David Figlioli). More alarmingly, Ambar witnesses several ghostly women in the house and becomes convinced that it is haunted. But given her situation, Ambar has no choice but to stay until it becomes too late to run.
Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)
Rated: R
Duration: 129m
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Action, Drama
Stars: Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis
Directed by: Jamie Payne
Serving as a cinematic follow-up to the Luther series, Luther: The Fallen Sun follows the titular detective on an all-new adventure. After a stint behind bars, Luther is forced to plan a prison break when elusive serial killer David Robey (Andy Serkis) starts hunting people down. As the clock starts ticking and the bodies start piling up, Luther must make a series of harrowing decisions to track down and eliminate his foe before his evildoing becomes totally unstoppable.
For those dedicated viewers of the episodic run, The Fallen Sun plays like a silver screen extension of the series which precedes it. Gripping from start to finish, it’s not exactly changing the genre in any way, but The Fallen Sun certainly delivers an exceptional story with great characters.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 140m
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Comedy
Stars: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe
Directed by: Rian Johnson
With the original Knives Out becoming a smashing success, it was inevitable that we’d be getting a second helping. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery serves as a direct sequel to the original Rian Johnson film, with private eye Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returning once again for an all-new dose of murder and mayhem. This time, the setting is a remote Greek island where a group of friends are convening for a get-together. But when one of them ends up dead, it’s unclear exactly who to point the finger at. Glass Onion is must-watch fun from one frame to the next, as Johnson proves that the whodunit formula is here to stay, and best served alongside immense A-list talents.
The Pale Blue Eye (2022)
Rated: R
Duration: 130m
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Stars: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Lucy Boynton
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Christian Bale and writer-director Scott Cooper unite once again for the latter’s latest feature, The Pale Blue Eye. Bale stars as Augustus Landor, an 1830s New York detective who is tasked with investigating a horrific murder at the United States Military Academy. Hoping to gain intel from a devoutly silent bunch of cadets, Landor takes on an assistant for the homicide case — a disillusioned recruit named Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling).
Together, the hardened vet and aspiring poet follow a series of leads that seem to point toward an especially sinister kind of black magic as the culprit. While Bale may be the reason we arrive to the film, the performance that will bewilder most viewers is that of Harry Melling, who delivers a defiant take on the classic American writer.
Enola Holmes 2 (2022)
Metacritic: 58%
IMDb: 7.8/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 129m
Genre: Mystery, Adventure, Crime
Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Louis Partridge
Directed by: Harry Bradbeer
The game is afoot again! Millie Bobby Brown returns as Enola Holmes, still basking in the victory of solving her first case and ready to open her own agency — which of course, doesn’t seem to generate much business. Eventually, Enola is tasked with finding the sister of a matchstick girl, which leads her into a world more dangerous than she could’ve ever expected. It’s a fun mystery to ride along with, although it doesn’t always have the magic of the first installment.
Murder Mystery (2019)
Metacritic: 38%
IMDb: 6/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 97m
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Luke Evans
Directed by: Kyle Newacheck
Adam Sandler’s Netflix-exclusive movies are admittedly an acquired taste, but Murder Mystery is arguably the best of them. Police officer Nick Spitz (Adam Sandler) takes his wife, Audrey (Jennifer Aniston), on a trip to Europe, which quickly gets sidetracked by a billionaire whose uncle is killed in their midst. As the Americans in the situation, the blame quickly falls on Nick and Audrey, who set out to prove their innocence. While not breaking any narrative ground, the dynamic between Sandler and Aniston is solid as ever, a reminder of when they both owned the comedy scene. For those who couldn’t get enough of the caper, a sequel is on the way.
Spenser Confidential (2020)
Metacritic: 49%
IMDb: 6.2/10
Rated: R
Duration: 110m
Genre: Comedy, Action, Thriller
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin
Directed by: Peter Berg
Another entry in a prominent Netflix genre: the action-comedy-mystery. Mark Wahlberg plays Officer Spenser, a jailed cop who begins to investigate the murder of a police captain he was previously convicted of assaulting. The film cares plenty about its mystery, but it probably cares more about its action sequences, many revolving around a flashy yellow Corvette. The buddy-cop dynamic shared with Winston Duke is also a memorable combination. Like any half-decent Netflix film, Spenser Confidential also has a sequel en route.
A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)
Metacritic: 57%
IMDb: 6.5/10
Rated: R
Duration: 114m
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Stars: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour
Directed by: Scott Frank
This movie could succinctly be described as Liam Neeson doing Liam Neeson things. Neeson plays Matt Scudder, a former NYPD detective serving as an unlicensed private detective, trying to solve the kidnapping and murder of a drug trafficker’s wife. As Scudder searches for answers, he proves to be unafraid of potentially crossing the line between criminal and compliant. The film can be as cliche as it gets, but Neeson embodies the noir of the whole thing well. The film is a gritty slow burn coming from Scott Frank, known for films such as Out of Sight and Minority Report.
In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
Metacritic: 48%
IMDb: 6.2/10
Duration: 115m
Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars: Boyd Holbrook, Cleopatra Coleman, Michael C. Hall
Directed by: Jim Mickle
There’s a female serial killer on the loose in the film, In the Shadow of the Moon. But Detective Thomas Lockhart (Boyd Holbrook) can’t wrap his head around how the killer, Rya (Cleopatra Coleman), survived her own death only to reappear seemingly the same nearly a decade later. Naveen Rao (Rudi Dharmalingam) has a wild theory about Rya’s murders and the true agenda behind her actions. But it will cost Thomas everything he holds dear to get to the bottom of this case. And he won’t like what he finds when he uncovers the truth.
Forgotten (2017)
IMDb: 7.5/10
Duration: 108m
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Drama, Horror, Crime
Stars: Kang Ha-neul, Kim Moo-yul, Moon Sung-keun
Directed by: Jang Hang-jun
In the Korean thriller, Forgotten, Kang Ha-neul stars as Jin-seok, a young man living with his family in 1997. After moving into a new home, Jin witnesses the abduction of his brother, Yoo-seok (Kim Mu-yeol). Nineteen days later, Yoo is seemingly returned unharmed. And yet Jin becomes convinced that not only is his brother an impersonator, but so are their parents. Jin’s attempt to go for help leads to another shocking twist that completely destroys his world. There’s been a crime committed, but who is responsible and how is Jin connected to it?
Your Son (2018)
IMDb: 6.1/10
Duration: 103m
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Stars: Jose Coronado, Pol Monen, Ana Wagener
Directed by: Miguel ángel Vivas
Within the film Your Son, Jaime Jimenez (Jose Coronado) is a doctor whose gifts make him a marvelous surgeon. But those wondrous abilities fail Jaime when his own son, Marcos (Pol Monen), is brought into the operating room after suffering nearly life-threatening injuries. Jaime soon learns that Marcos was brutally beaten outside of a nightclub, and he turns vigilante in his quest to find the perpetrators and to get his revenge. Along the way, Jaime alienates his wife, Carmen (Ana Wagener), and their daughter, Sara (Asia Ortega), while slowly losing his moral compass and the qualities that made him a good man.
Fractured (2019)
Metacritic: 36%
IMDb: 6.4/10
Rated: R
Duration: 99m
Genre: Thriller
Stars: Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky
Directed by: Brad Anderson
In Fractured, Sam Worthington stars as Ray Monroe with Lily Rabe as his wife, Joanne Monroe. While traveling with their daughter, Peri (Lucy Capri), Ray and Lily’s relationship problems lead to an argument and a potentially dangerous accident. At the hospital, Ray becomes suspicious when the staff seems eager to sign Peri up as an organ donor. And his suspicions seem well founded when both Peri and Joanne disappear at the hospital without a trace. The answers lie somewhere within, but even Ray’s not sure of what he saw or what he should do next.
Shimmer Lake (2017)
Metacritic: 6%
IMDb: 6.3/10
Duration: 83m
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Stars: Rainn Wilson, Benjamin Walker, John Michael Higgins
Directed by: Oren Uziel
Events are not necessarily what they appear to be in Shimmer Lake, a rare mystery that unfolds in reverse. That means we see the ending of the story before we understand how it relates to the main characters, and who is pulling the strings. Andy Sikes (Rainn Wilson) and his friends, Chris Morrow (Mark Rendall) and Ed Burton (Wyatt Russell), plot a bank robbery and blackmail Judge Brad Dawkins (John Michael Higgins) to get access to the money. This puts the trio in direct opposition to Andy’s brother, Zeke Sikes (Benjamin Walker), and nearly everyone involved in the crime is dying under very suspicious circumstances.
The Legacy of the Bones (2019)
IMDb: 6.3/10
Duration: 119m
Genre: Thriller, Crime
Stars: Marta Etura, Elvira Mínguez, Francesc Orella, Miren Gaztanaga, Marta Larralde
Directed by: Fernando González Molina
The Legacy of the Bones is the middle chapter of the Spanish-language Baztán Trilogy, which started with The Invisible Guardian and ended with Offering to the Storm (both of which are also on Netflix). But if you’re willing to read subtitles, then you don’t have any reason to be intimidated by this largely stand-alone movie. All you really need to know is that Amaia Salazar (Marta Etura) is a detective who is married to James (Benn Northover), and she’s just given birth to their son, Ibai. Upon returning to active duty, Amaia is assigned to investigate a series of shocking suicides that are somehow connected. Unfortunately for Amaia, this mystery hits very close to home for her, as she discovers that her mother, Rosario (Miren Gaztanaga), is involved in a way that she could never have predicted.
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)
Metacritic: 68%
IMDb: 4.6/10
Duration: 89m
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Stars: Ruth Wilson, Paula Prentiss, Bob Balaban
Directed by: Oz Perkins
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is a ghost story … or perhaps Lily Saylor (Ruth Wilson) is just losing her mind. After being hired as a live-in nurse, Lily finds herself taking care of Iris Blum (Paula Prentiss), a world-famous horror novelist whose mind has largely been lost to dementia. Almost immediately, Lily begins noticing strange and unusual things happening in the house. She also suspects that the protagonist of Iris’ most popular novel, Polly Parsons (Lucy Boynton), may have been a real person — and a very real ghost. But who killed Polly? And why does her spirit linger?
Enola Holmes (2020)
Metacritic: 68%
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 123m
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Adventure
Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin
Directed by: Harry Bradbeer
Teenager Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) is the exceptional younger sister of world-renowned detective Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill). When her mother disappears on Enola’s 16th birthday, the intelligent youth uses all of her mystery-solving abilities to track down the Holmes matriarch, all while unearthing a deeper conspiracy at play in Victorian-era London. Featuring a stellar lead performance from Brown as the titular character, Enola Holmes is a quick-on-its-feet adaptation of the first book in author Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes Mysteries series. The sequel is finally here, too.
Earthquake Bird (2019)
Metacritic: 51%
IMDb: 5.9/10
Rated: R
Duration: 107m
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Stars: Alicia Vikander, Riley Keough, Naoki Kobayashi
Directed by: Wash Westmoreland
Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander) is an American translator working at a Japanese manufacturing company. Suspected of foul play when her expat friend Lily (Riley Keough) goes missing, Lucy is questioned by authorities. But as the third person in a love triangle with Lily and a local photographer, Teiji Matsuda (Naoki Kobayashi), Lucy believes the latter to be at fault for Lily’s disappearance, a theory she’ll have a more-than-difficult time selling to Japanese law enforcement. A fine blend of mystery, melodrama, and thriller elements, Earthquake Bird is a Netflix exclusive, and a polished one at that. Slightly formulaic, its lack of groundbreaking originality is made up for by the acting chops of both Vikander and Keough.
Lost Girls (2020)
Metacritic: 67%
IMDb: 6.1/10
Rated: R
Duration: 95m
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, History
Stars: Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie, Lola Kirke
Directed by: Liz Garbus
Based on a true and long-spanning unsolved crime, Lost Girls stars Amy Ryan as Mari Gilbert, the mother of teenager Shannan Gilbert (Sarah Wisser). When her child goes missing, Mari urges Long Island authorities to track down the girl. Taking matters into her own hands, Mari discovers that her daughter’s whereabouts may be linked to a series of unsolved cases involving a number of murdered sex workers. A moody narrative that negates over-sensationalizing the crime that inspired it in favor of authentic character work, Lost Girls leans on the strength of its small ensemble cast and Liz Garbus’ minimalist directing style to ensnare, enrage, and devastate us.
