The five best murder mystery adaptations to watch on Netflix
The thing about a good murder mystery is that it never goes out of style, whether it’s in the literary world or beyond. Although on Netflix, you’ll find many such adaptations that stick with you long after the credits roll, believe it or not, there’s no better time than in the fall to catch up with them after all.
As the dew sets on the leaves and the chills begin to crack through the windows, the cravings for a Netflix watchlist that complements the weather grow ever more.
While October might be the designated spooky season, horror was never really limited to jump scares and apparitions alone. Consequently, to get this October going, we have a catalogue of whodunits that’s complete with the wildest twists and turns.
But in a few cases, they might also bring laughter on their coattails. So, get ready for a binge marathon unlike any other with the five best murder mystery adaptations to watch on Netflix right now.
The five best murder mystery adaptations to binge right now
The Thursday Murder Club (Chris Columbus, 2025)
Many assume that comedy and crime can never go hand-in-hand. But The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix flips the script on those presumptions single-handedly as the best cosy whodunit of the year. Based on Richard Osman’s 2020 novel, the film is star-studded with Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie.
The Netflix adaptation tells the story of four elderly sleuths from the Coopers Chase retirement community who form the Thursday Murder Club. They routinely meet each other every week to discuss cold cases plaguing the town. But when the murders start happening too close to their home, they inadvertently find themselves entangled, unaware that the mysteries hold answers for more than they had bargained.
The Woman in Cabin 10 (Simon Stone, 2025)
Released just last Friday on Netflix, The Woman in Cabin 10 is a hard-hitting psychological thriller, adapted from Ruth Ware’s 2016 novel. Starring Keira Knightley, the Netflix film pans its focus on investigative journalist Laura during her recovery from the traumatic episodes of a high-profile case that ended fatally for one of her leads. Determined to take a break from the serious cases, she accepts an invitation to cover the story for a luxury yacht, Aurora Borealis, owned by the influential Richard Bullmer and Anne Bullmer.
On the first night of the yacht’s maiden voyage, she wakes up to the sound of a kerfuffle followed by a loud splash, convinced that the woman in cabin 10 had been thrown overboard. However, when she informs people on board about the incident, along with the working crew on the ship, nobody believes her, in turn, leaving them to question her credibility and if she’s in the right state of mind.
Fool Me Once (David Moore and Nimer Rashed, 2024)
Netflix’s partnership with Harlan Coben has been fruitful in giving viewers the most spine-tingling murder mystery adaptations of all time. One of them is undoubtedly Fool Me Once, which Danny Brocklehurst adapted from his 2016 novel for Netflix. The Netflix thriller series follows an ex-military pilot, Maya Stern, still grappling with the murder of her husband, Joe Burkett, with whom she shares a young daughter and also her sister, causing her to succumb to PTSD.
She installs a nanny camera in her house to keep an eye on her daughter. But what she sees on the camera completely turns her world upside down: her late husband conversing with their baby.
The Pale Blue Eye (Scott Cooper, 2022)
Set in 1830, The Pale Blue Eye tells the story of an alcoholic retired detective, Augustus Landor, portrayed by Christian Bale. The Netflix mystery thriller film is based on Louis Bayard’s 2006 novel, centring on the sleuth who is called to investigate an alarming series of murders at the West Point Military School, with the help of a quick-witted military cadet, Edgar Allan Poe, long before the future author becomes a household name for his tales of terror.
Steeped in multiple layers of twists that will make your brain run dry, The Pale Blue Eye is undeniably one of the best murder mystery adaptations that Netflix has to offer. So much so that even the star of the film didn’t see the plot twist awaiting the gothic thriller.
The Woman in the Window (Joe Wright, 2021)
To wrap up the murder mystery marathon on Netflix, the last pick that we vouch for is The Woman in the Window, based on A.J. Finn’s 2018 novel. The psychological thriller follows an agoraphobic child psychologist, Anna Fox, played by Amy Adams, who spies on her neighbours from her second-story window while she remains housebound.
This also includes her new neighbour, who has just moved in with his teenage son. While she also grows close to his mother, who occasionally visits the Russell family, one night she watches her being stabbed to death from across the street. Even though she rings the police, they don’t really believe her, leaving Anna to start her own investigation from the boundaries of her four walls.