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It’s been 24 years since the first season of the reality survival show Survivor aired. I remember tuning in with my parents to the finale; we were all curious as to what the fuss was all about. Unfortunately, the finale didn’t make much sense to my family and me since we hadn’t seen any other episodes. Little did we know that this new format, the reality show, would take off.
Over the years, many people predicted that the reality show would fade away or be sued into oblivion for damage and death. (The popular theory was that someone would die or be seriously injured on the X-Factor and that would be that). And yet, it’s 2024 and reality television is going strong. Now it’s more than just survival shows and includes everything from baking and cooking shows to fashion and dating shows.
And reality shows are the perfect place to set a crime. Passions run high as everyone fights figuratively and literally for a winning spot. Who doesn’t appreciate the heightened drama, whether it’s two characters getting into a slugfest or the shocking Baked Alaska incident. (IYKYK).
So here’s a list of eight mysteries and thrillers centered around reality shows.
The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell
As a huge fan of the Great British Baking Show, I had to start with a baking reality show-themed mystery. Known as America’s Grandmother and the owner of a sprawling estate, celebrity baker Betsy Martin is the perfect host for “Bake Week.” Each summer, six intrepid bakers face off in a series of baking challenges everyday day until one is crowned the winner. But this year, the magic of the show is off. Betsy is fuming because the show insists on adding another judge and someone is sabotaging the bakes. And then someone is kicked off the show for good…
The Great British Bump Off Written by John Allison and Art by Max Sarin
Yes, I had to include a comic version of a reality TV baking show with murder. It’s even more a satire of the show. Labeled the “Quirky one,” Shauna Wickle just wants to win the baking competition and charm the nation. But when the annoying entitled contestant ends up dead, likely from poison, she finds herself having to survive in the competition so she can get to the bottom of the murder.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez? By Claire Jiménez
In this debut novel told from the perspectives of different characters, sisters Jessica and Nina, are watching a reality TV show called “Catfight” when one of the competitors looks familiar. Too familiar. One of the women, named Ruby, looks like their sister Ruthy who disappeared 12 years ago. Seeking closure and a hopeful reunion with their long-lost sister, Jessica and Nina drive out to find out the truth.
Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop By Emmeline Duncan
Halloween bookshop? New cozy mystery series? Yes, please. It’s Halloween in Elyan Hollow, Oregon, which means it’s the busy season. There’s the Spooky Season Literary Festival, the big Halloween Fair, and a reality TV ghost-hunting show traveling around town. Bailey Briggs is finding herself a bit run off her feet, running the literary festival, taking over her grandmother’s bookshop, Lazy Bones Books, and finding time to do her writing/drawing. So when she stumbles onto a body and finds herself at the center of the police investigation, now she’s gotta add solving a murder to her list.
A Matter of Malice by Thomas King
While we’ve covered more cheery types of reality shows, this one focuses on the genre of reality show cold cases. Former policeman Thumps DreadfulWater’s luck has not been good; everything in his life has gone missing or gotten worse. A reality TV show called “Malice Aforethought” has come to town and asks for his help to solve a cold case. They want to investigate the death of a young woman who was ruled an accident. He’s not particularly keen to work on the case, predating his time as a detective, but when presented with the opportunity to get information on another case troubling Thumps, he agrees. But when the producer is found dead in exactly the same way that the young woman she was investigating had died, now Thumps is no longer just dealing with a cold case. It’s the fourth book in the Thumps DreadfulWater eight-book series.
All This & More by Peng Shepherd
It’s part thriller and part Select Your Own Adventure story all in one. Everyone wants to be on the reality show All This and More. Using quantum technology, the contestants get to rewrite their own lives, revisiting pivotal choices that could change their lives for the better. But only one person gets to partake. So when Marsh, a divorced stay at home mom, finds herself the contestant on season 3, she now has the chance to undo some of her regrets. But something is off in the season. Will Marsh make the choices to get her life the way she wants it, or will the snags keep her from having all that and more?
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
While some folks like the lighter side of reality TV, this book looks at the dark side: making people fight for their freedom. Considered by The New York Times as one of the best books of 2023, Chain-Gang focuses on two stars, Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxx” Stacker, of the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment (CAPE). They fight other prisoners on a reality show, ostensibly for freedom. Can they find a way to defy the dehumanizing games? It’s labeled dystopian, but I do fear that someone might actually try to make this a real thing in the not-so-distant future.
Renovated to Death by Frank Anthony Polito
It’s another cozy around another genre of reality shows: home makeovers. Domestic partners Peter “P.J.” Penwell and actor J.P. Broadway met great success with the first season of the show Domestic Partners, which focused on the renovation of their home. In Season 2, they are focusing on a Tudor Revival house owned by twin brothers. But there’s more to fix than just the home, when one of the twins is found murdered. With a long list of suspects, J.P. and P.J. have to figure out who wanted the man dead. It’s the first in the two book series (so far) of the Domestic Partners in Crime series.
Now, all we have to do is set up challenges for the eight books to find out which is the best mystery/thriller around. Or you can read more social commentary in mysteries and thrillers in my list on high tech mysteries when social media turns deadly, or this list on dramatic novels about reality tv.
