8400+ Mystery Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. No need to go out hunting for clues — you’ve solved the puzzle of where to find the newest mystery short stories just by landing on this page.

🏆 Winning stories

“inspirAItion” by Derrick M Domican

🏆 Winner of Contest #266

08:50:05.000:RequestGeneratedHey Phaedra, can you give me a recipe for vegan lasagne with a rich, creamy bechamel sauce?08:50:05.005: ResponseDispatched++Certainly! For a delicious vegan lasagne, you'll need lasagne noodles, marinara sauce, vegan ricotta, and a homemade bechamel sauce. Here's the recipe and step-by-step instructions, Michael!++08:50:05.012:RequestGeneratedPhaedra, how do I fix a leaky faucet?08:50:05.020: ResponseDispatched ++Here’s a step-by-step guide to get that faucet fixed. Grab a wrench and some plumber’s tap...

151 likes 184 comments 184

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“Seven Hundred and Thirty Days” by Danielle LeBlanc

🏆 Winner of Contest #252

My eyes felt like galaxies—holding the swirling glow of countless memories—as I took in our childhood home. Its siding looked like remnants of driftwood after a bonfire. I swore I smelled the smoky char of pine creep into my nostrils. It’s wild how the past stays with you like that. It can feel more visceral and real than the tangible things right in front of you. “Jesus, it feels like just yesterday.” I placed a trembling hand over my heart, struggling to steady my breath.My brother, Perry, pulled me into a tight embrace, his strength ...

147 likes 141 comments 141

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“The Party” by K.A. Murray

🏆 Winner of Contest #244

My phone buzzed. I rolled over to look at the text my cousin Maya had just sent. Can you send photo you took of all the girls in costume last night? xoxo My head was throbbing. Hanging out with Maya was fun, but she was eight years younger than me and she and her friends loved to do shots. I needed to stick with beer only if I didn’t want the hangover. That’s what I'd do next time. I opened my photos app to find the picture Maya had requested. It was a group shot I had no memory of taking. It wasn’t everyone who’d been at the party - just th...

162 likes 111 comments 111

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“The House That Watched Back” by K. Klein

Submitted to Contest #281

Content Warning: This story contains depictions of fire, family conflict, and themes of voodoo/black magic. It also touches on themes of grief and loss and features a character implied to have mental health struggles. Reader discretion is advised. The doorbell wouldn't shut up, its ring cutting through Mariah Carey's voice blasting from our ancient stereo – the one with the broken volume button that only plays at full blast or dead silence. I felt it before I even touched the brass doorknob, its cold surface sending goosebumps up my arm – yo...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Beneath the Bitter Roots” by Laya Alix

Submitted to Contest #281

Nico stared in confusion at the small vial of black powder in his trembling hand, turning it over in the dim light. Then he looked at the crumpled sheet of paper shoved in his other hand. “It is the gift of life. You must keep it safe, especially from the doctor.” He nodded slowly as he looked up, meeting the Herbalist’s gaze. She smiled back at him with a hint of sadness on her face. “They will come for it. When the others need it, you will know what to do. Now go! There is no time.” With a final, lingering glance Nico slipped into the d...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Pendulum Swing” by Ava Jaggars

Submitted to Contest #281

Tick, tick, tick. The party started at eight-thirty, but nobody could recall when the man arrived. The lady with the pink boa, quite extravagant for such an occasion, swore she saw him dance in. He swept through the double doors, she said, with a flourish so dramatic it must have been rehearsed.  Surprisingly, this grand gesture had drawn no attention besides her curious eyes. The lady with the pink boa had noticed other people at the party too, for she had a knack for noticing things. Not the things most people paid attention to. No, h...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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✍️ All stories

“Ghosts of Winter Future” by John Rafanelli

Submitted to Contest #281

** Sensitive language, and harm to children. ‘Winterfest’ was always a special holiday for the people of Augusta Cove, Long Island. A small bay town, where everyone knows everyone, all their happy memories along with all of their dark secrets. The yearly festival was a great place to set aside your grievances, and enjoy the magical winter holiday together, as a community.  December 19th, 1999, may be one of the town's most memorable holiday festivals, and not for a good reason. It was the day Rory Falco was murdered. The town spent th...

6 likes 1 comment 1

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“Sixty Years Ago, She Came” by Sandrine Boniface

Submitted to Contest #281

We can hear the wind howling—a mournful sound rattling the cabin’s windows. The fire in the earth paints an orange glow across the faces as the six friends huddle closer under the blankets.Outside, the snow is piling up heavily, a pristine blanket muffling the world.It is Christmas Eve, and Ethan and his friends, like every year, decided to celebrate Christmas with Ghost Stories.“OK,” Ethan started, “Did I already tell you about my grandmother, Rose?”“The one who was almost killed?” asked Lucie.“Yes,” Ethan continued, “I will tell you what h...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“The House That Watched Back” by K. Klein

Submitted to Contest #281

Content Warning: This story contains depictions of fire, family conflict, and themes of voodoo/black magic. It also touches on themes of grief and loss and features a character implied to have mental health struggles. Reader discretion is advised. The doorbell wouldn't shut up, its ring cutting through Mariah Carey's voice blasting from our ancient stereo – the one with the broken volume button that only plays at full blast or dead silence. I felt it before I even touched the brass doorknob, its cold surface sending goosebumps up my arm – yo...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Chill of the Unseen” by Brianne Knodel

Submitted to Contest #281

Note: There is a theme of death in this story. It’s the coldest day of the year. No one but her can feel the chill. The way it lodges itself deep inside her soul. The ominous feeling of dread. It’s the coldest day of the year, but it’s not actually cold outside. It’s her, not them. It’s the coldest day of the year—someone save her. Alora knew she was different. It’s not something she could explain but she knew. It’s the way shadows and lights played tricks on her that aren’t quite tricks making it look like creatures lurked there. Or ho...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“Dinner and Murder (Part I)” by Chris Ashline

Submitted to Contest #281

It was a cold stormy night. Alexander MacElroy had invited his family over for dinner and for an announcement involving the future of his company and a special arrangement for one of them in particular. He made his fortune in the manufacturing of light bulbs. He had always joked that it just an idea he had. The guests included his widowed sister Debra and her children Brian and Lilith. He still referred to them as children even though they were both well into their thirties. His company lawyer, Stephanie Livings...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Beneath the Bitter Roots” by Laya Alix

Submitted to Contest #281

Nico stared in confusion at the small vial of black powder in his trembling hand, turning it over in the dim light. Then he looked at the crumpled sheet of paper shoved in his other hand. “It is the gift of life. You must keep it safe, especially from the doctor.” He nodded slowly as he looked up, meeting the Herbalist’s gaze. She smiled back at him with a hint of sadness on her face. “They will come for it. When the others need it, you will know what to do. Now go! There is no time.” With a final, lingering glance Nico slipped into the d...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Party Crasher ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #281

“Come on Yvette, it’ll be fun!” Estrella shouted.  The blonde fae was grinning ear to ear as she danced in her sundress, her butterfly wings twitched in excitement and Yvette half expected to see her friend spin into the air like a helicopter. Yvette - her raven familiar perched on her shoulder - nervously ran her fingers through her brunette hair, a frown on her freckled face.  “I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to go to a party, Estrella.”  “PARTY TIME!” Cole called from her shoulder, Yvette put a hand to his beak...

5 likes 2 comments 2

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“Happy Horror Days” by Jerry Thomas

Submitted to Contest #281

It only took Brian a short while to jump over the fence—or, in more adequate terms, to slide over it. The snow had fallen for three straight weeks, a little here, a little there, but the cold temperatures—the coldest of the year so far—did not allow any of the white stuff to melt, and the accumulation was now over thirteen inches. to this date, nearly eight of the twenty-one days broke a low-temperature record. This unusual cold for the early part of December kept many inside their dwellings with the thermostat on high, a few logs in th...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Into the Deep Freeze” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #281

Prompt: Set your story during the coldest day of the year. Into the Deep Freeze Unquestionably, this was the coldest day I had ever experienced. I was literally chilled down to my bones.  I could not feel my hands nor my feet. Other nerves in my body, however, were actively feeling the frigid air. The cold pierced my face as though I was a pin cushion. I morphed into a human iceberg. What made matters worse, I was surrounded in darkness. Pitch black darkness. I quickly understood the meaning of th...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“Blind Date” by Júlio Miranda

Submitted to Contest #281

The taxi driver, who had been driving for two and a half blocks at very low speed, turning and craning his head and neck, paying attention to the house numbers, finally signaled to the right and parked next to the curb, in front of a mansion worthy of a Hollywood movie, in the most upscale neighborhood in the city. He disengaged the car and pulled the handbrake. “We’re here?” he turned and asked. “I sure hope so…” the passenger muttered, dumbfounded, his mouth already open before the words had even begun to come out. He didn’t look at the dr...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Pendulum Swing” by Ava Jaggars

Submitted to Contest #281

Tick, tick, tick. The party started at eight-thirty, but nobody could recall when the man arrived. The lady with the pink boa, quite extravagant for such an occasion, swore she saw him dance in. He swept through the double doors, she said, with a flourish so dramatic it must have been rehearsed.  Surprisingly, this grand gesture had drawn no attention besides her curious eyes. The lady with the pink boa had noticed other people at the party too, for she had a knack for noticing things. Not the things most people paid attention to. No, h...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Strangely Unforgettable ” by Chris Baum

Submitted to Contest #281

Strangely UnforgettableIt was a family Christmas Eve party that I would never forget, and not just because it was the coldest day of the year.My family always got together during Christmas Eve. We would each take turns on whose house we would visit. It was an annual tradition that never got missed, save for the first year Covid hit.It was my mom’s turn to host–G.G.’s place. My mom was one of the best cooks out of the bunch, in my opinion, which always made the holidays delightfully tasty. If you left G.G.’s place still hungry, it was your ow...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Mysterious Mr. X” by Christion Drake

Submitted to Contest #281

The evening sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow across the living room where two small beds were arranged with precision, each topped with mismatched blankets and an assortment of stuffed animals. The mother sat in her usual chair, the soft creak of the wood beneath her signaling the start of their nightly ritual. Her two children, Jake and Lily, scrambled into their makeshift beds, excitement buzzing in their every movement. “Tonight’s story is going to be… different,” the mother said, her voice unusually low, almost c...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“An Overcoat, a Flask, and a Crossbow” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #281

The sidestreets of Vulane were a tangled web of alleys and forgotten passages, a perfect maze for those who thrived in the shadows. Here, amidst the flickering glow of lanterns and the distant hum of the city’s opulent districts, sat a modest office between a baker and below an apothecary. The worn wooden slab above the door simply read:  “Uresh Greystone: Investigator.” Being an investigator in the City of Lies was like being a captain on a ship that had already sunk three times. Uresh was busy relighting candles in his shop when he st...

6 likes 2 comments 2

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“People Are Strange” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #281

People are strange. They really are. That’s why I’m drawn to them. What’s fascinating is that some of them are drawn to me too. It’s a match made in heaven. Only that’s a bit of a fib. Part of the strangeness of people is in the language they use. Half the time, they don’t really know what they mean. Sometimes they don’t mean anything at all. Sounds innocuous doesn’t it? But it’s a dangerous as hell. I like to visit during the Christmas holidays. Or the Holiday Season as it’s now called. A rebranding aimed at being inclusive, when all it rea...

8 likes 2 comments 2

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