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Belmont Shore, Long Beach, California, January 2024
The perfect summer vacation is here, and there’s no better time to catch up on mysteries, whether you’re at the beach or by the lake. There’s an almost magical, macabre desire that overcomes mystery readers when they need to unwind. The right book can make a good vacation great. What’s the appeal of murder when you’re trying to relax? Perhaps your trip isn’t going as well as you’d hoped. The kids are fighting, the resort’s main pool is closed, your partner insisted on bringing along the in-laws. This vacation isn’t what you planned, but look on the bright side. No one is drowning you in the hot tub, pushing you off the sailboat, or knifing you on a pleasant hike. The view from your hotel room isn’t what you were expecting, but at least you’re not being strangled under the pier. It could always be worse, right?
So how do authors and screenwriters use a vacation scenario to their advantage when planning a murder? A common storyline in both the mystery and horror genres involves characters pulling up roots and relocating. Mystery writers love to tap into this underlying unease regarding change, utilizing it to amplify fear and uncertainty with their main characters. This same method is used with a murder mystery set on a vacation. Similarly to relocating, a vacation in the unknown can trigger anxiety, and mystery writers love to manipulate this feeling. In a vacation thriller, characters are trying to relax, but an event prevents it from happening. Sure, the characters are in a beach house or lakeside cabin, but that doesn’t prevent death and tragedy from occurring. To do that, you’d need to eliminate outside influences entirely, except that, as every good mystery writer knows, that leads to an even better scenario: the locked room mystery!
So if you’re looking to escape, whether it’s in a book, a show or a movie, here’s a curated list of crime fiction in a vacation setting. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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The White Lotus, three seasons, twenty-two episodes total, Rated TV-MA, currently streaming on Max in the States, Prime Video in the U.K., Crave in Canada, Foxtel Now in Australia
Nothing screams murderous holiday quite like HBO’s The White Lotus. The dark comedy, brimming with satire and social commentary, delves into the complex relationships of the resort’s affluential guests and its employees. Each season is set at a different location of The White Lotus luxury resort chain, with the first season in Hawaii, the second in Italy and its most recent season in Thailand. It’s a critics’ favorite during awards season, with multiple Emmys and Golden Globes to its credit, primarily due to creator Mike White’s writing and directing and a talented cast, including Jennifer Coolidge, who took home both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her S1 and S2 performances. The third season includes Patrick Schwarzenegger, Parker Posey, Sam Rockwell and Walton Goggins, who gives a powerful performance guaranteed to land him an Emmy.
The Last Time I Lied By Riley Sager (available through Dutton Press)
This is the perfect beach read! Three girls go missing at a summer camp, and the lone survivor is a camper, Emma Davis, who sleepily witnessed her friends sneaking out in the night, never to be seen again. Emma returns fifteen years later to try to gain closure and resolve her survivor’s guilt; however, something is not quite right at Camp Nightingale, and she soon realizes there could be more to the mystery than just a missing persons case.
Us, available on Fandango At Home, Prime Video, Row8 and Apple TV in the States; Prime Video worldwide
In 2019, Jordan Peele, fresh off his critically-acclaimed horror masterpiece Get Out, released this blockbuster through his production company, Monkeypaw Productions. Lupita Nyong’o is Adelaide Wilson, traveling with her family to their Santa Cruz cabin for their annual summer vacation. When they arrive, an experience in Addy’s childhood haunts her, creeping up in memories during their stay. Here’s where I purposefully become vague so I don’t spoil anything for you in case you haven’t seen it. This film is chock full of symbolism, social insight and stellar acting, all accompanied by an impactful score and soundtrack. Peele knows how to flawlessly juxtapose societal fear and terror against a seemingly normal, typical environment. This veers more toward horror with a dark comedic edge than mystery (although there’s plenty of murder in this one!) but failing to mention this film would be robbing you of one of the most memorable movies of the past decade.
Image Courtesy Of Britbox
Death In Paradise, (Fourteen seasons, around an hour each, 117 episodes total) available on Britbox, Hoopla, Apple TV and Fandango At Home in the States; Prime Video worldwide
If you need lighter fare, Death In Paradise is about as sunny as a murder mystery can get, with locked room mysteries set among the azure waves of the Caribbean. Guadeloupe serves as the fictitious island of Saint Marie, where Don Gilet (Eastenders) playing the new leading man, Detective Inspector Mervin WiIson. This marks the first time a person of color has stepped into the lead role of the long-running hit show, and Gilet might be my favorite lead detective yet! This cozy Caribbean whodunit is well-known for its locked room mysteries. There’s another series, Beyond Paradise, set in Devon, available on Britbox, and an additional one set in Australia, Return to Paradise, currently available through ABC iView in Australia and Britbox in the States.
Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie novel; Feature length film with Peter Ustinov (1982), One hour and fifty-seven minutes; television adaptation with David Suchet (2001), One hour and thirty-eight minutes, available on Acorn TV, Plex, Apple TV and Prime Video in the States and worldwide
This vacation mystery is so good, I recommend both the book and the movie! Poirot has been ordered by his doctor to take some time off work for his health, so he and Captain Hastings take a much-needed respite at a beachside retreat. Similarly to Miss Marple in The Caribbean Mystery, Poirot’s observations of his fellow guests soon unwittingly entangle him in a murder inquiry. As far as the book goes, it’s a classic mystery good on the third or even fourth read. As far as the film adaptations are concerned, if you prefer your Poirot funny and quirky, go with the Peter Ustinov version; if you want a Poirot truer to the text, go with David Suchet.
The Weekend Getaway, 1 hour, 31 minutes, rated TV-14, currently streaming on Netflix worldwide
New mom Beth is on her first ever weekend getaway since having her baby. She meets up with her best friend Kate in Croatia, a recent divorcee who loves to party and is trying to get Beth to relax during their vacation together. After a night out drinking, Beth awakens with no recollection of what happened the night before and finds Kate missing. Is the friendly taxi driver a stalker? Perhaps the introverted landlord is sketchy, or merely shy? And why can’t anyone help Beth figure out what’s going on?
Image Courtesy Of Netflix
Murder Mystery, 1 hr. and 38 minutes, Rated PG-13, currently streaming on Netflix worldwide
This guilty pleasure mystery-comedy stars Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston as married couple Nick and Audrey Spitz who are finally taking a long-overdue European vacation. On the flight over, Audrey (Aniston) rubs elbows with Charles Cavendish, a viscount from a wealthy family who invites the couple to join him on his yacht for the weekend during the Grand Prix. When a key player is murdered, Nick and Audrey become the prime suspects. This movie hits every cliche and whodunit trope in the book; however, Aniston and Sandler make it a fun ride with plenty of comedic entanglements. There’s a sequel, but skip it and stick to this one.
Image Courtesy Of Netflix
Travel writer Lo Blacklock just met the loveliest woman onboard a cruise in the North Sea. Then one night, there’s a struggle and a splash overboard and Lo is convinced this passenger was murdered. When she reports it, no one believes her, no one is missing from the passenger manifest and everyone around her begins treating her differently. This is one of Ruth Ware’s most popular bestsellers and echoes The Lady Vanishes (see below). You can find the adaptation of this novel on Netflix, starring Keira Knightley, but I recommend the book more. There’s also a second Lo Blacklock mystery, The Woman In Suite 11, on shelves now.
The Lady Vanishes (1938) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1 hr., 38 minutes long, currently streaming on Max, Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto TV and Hoopla in the States; Prime Video worldwide
This Hitchcock film is based on the book by Ethel Lina White, The Wheel Spins. Iris Carr is traveling home on a passenger train when she meets Miss Froy, a kind fellow Brit who assists Iris to the dining car for tea when she’s not feeling well. Iris, relieved to have made a friend on the train ride, drifts off to sleep once they return to the passenger car. However, when Iris awakens, she finds Miss Froy missing. She waits and, when Miss Froy fails to return, she inquires with the conductor who asks the other passengers, but they all say there was no such woman. Iris, frustrated, becomes determined to find her new friend no matter where it leads her. There’s also a clever interpretation of this story in an episode of Monk when the neurodivergent detective and Natalie are at a winery, Season Four, Episode Five, “Mr. Monk Gets Drunk.”
This OMITI edition ran in July 2024 and has been updated for 2026.
Song of the Day: “Vacation” by The Go-Gos
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