From Page To Screen: New Adaptations Of Popular Mystery Novels

The Best Thrillers and Whodunits In Crime Fiction Coming To A Screen Near You

Welcome to a brand new edition of Only Murders In The Inbox! If you’re a regular reader, thanks for returning, I appreciate you. If you’re only just now joining us, hello, we’re happy to have you! Every week, OMITI covers murder mysteries in literature and entertainment. We delve into the ways the Mystery genre is significant in pop culture. You’ll also find curated suggestions and lists here so if you’re looking for a particular type of book, movie or series, I’ve got you! If you’d like to support my writing, please sign up for a paid monthly subscription, become a patron sleuth or gift a subscription to a friend. A monthly paid membership includes all archived editions of Only Murders In The Inbox, as well as exclusive editions, for less than the price of a latte. That works out to just sixty-two cents for each OMITI edition. I would love to have your support! Click this button to subscribe for free or upgrade to a paid subscription:

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From Page To Screen: New Adaptations Of Popular Mystery Novels

There are so many times when I finish a book, reading the final chapter and then giving it a satisfied thud closed, that I then pause and think, now this one would make a great movie. Last year when I was on a serious Ruth Ware kick, reading her thrillers in quick succession thanks to my best friend, I had this exact thought about The Woman In Cabin 10. I’m excited to tell you this murder mystery is heading to Netflix with Keira Knightley in the lead role!

Are you curious to know if your favorite crime thriller is in the pipeline for adaptation to the big or small screen? Or are you wondering which bestselling murder mysteries have been picked up by major studios and streaming services? Here’s a list of popular works soon to be adapted into major motion pictures or television series. As of this writing, no murder mystery on this list has a set-in-stone release date yet; make sure you’re subscribed to Only Murders for updates as they’re announced!

Image Courtesy of Grand Central Publishing

Verity By Colleen Hoover

This 2018 bestselling romantic thriller is in the works to be a new feature length film with Amazon MGM Studios with Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund on board to produce. Hillary Seitz (Insomnia) is currently writing the script. Verity was self-published before being acquired by Grand Central Publishing in 2021 and has sold more than two million copies in twenty languages. In Verity, Lowen Ashleigh is a writer drawn into the world of famous author Verity Crawford and her husband, Jeremy. Lowen has been hired to finish a series of novels that Verity can no longer write because of an injury from a car accident. While sorting through papers in Verity’s office, Lowen discovers a hidden autobiography with chilling confessions, including details about the death of Jeremy and Verity’s daughter. This discovery is complicated by Lowen developing feelings for Jeremy; how easy would it be to let this book of sordid secrets accidentally fall into his hands so he could see who his injured wife really is? Would he be able to continue to love Verity then, or would he see Lowen in a different light?

Lisa Jewell photo by Andrew Whitton; Images Courtesy of Atria Books

None Of This Is True By Lisa Jewell

This edgy psychological thriller optioned by Netflix is finally in the works. In this story, two women bump into each other on their 45th birthdays, which happens to be the same day. Alix Summer is a famous podcaster and, when she meets Josie Fair, they hit it off, realizing they were even born in the same hospital. As their similarities compound and their friendship grows, the story takes on a dark and troubling tone akin to Single White Female. The screenplay is written by Eleanor Burgess, who wrote episodes of Perry Mason and co-produced Interview With the Vampire.  

Image Courtesy Of Flatiron Books

His & Hers and Sometimes I Lie By Alice Feeney

If you’re an Alice Feeney fan, I’ve got good news for you; not one, but two novels by Feeney are in the works right now. His & Hers is currently filming and set as a six-episode limited series on Netflix starring Tessa Thompson & Jon Bernthal. In this murder mystery, Anna Thompson is a recluse, an investigative journalist who’s taken a step back from her career, until she hears about a murder in her hometown. Detective Jack Harper is caught off guard by Anna and her interest in the case; Anna’s curiosity raises suspicions and doubts about what her involvement really is with this death.

Image Courtesy Of Flatiron Books

Then there’s Feeney’s Sometimes I Lie, the series which has been on the backburner for some time now. In 2019, it was optioned by Ellen DeGeneres and Warner Bros. as a mini-series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. When development stagnated and the option lapsed, Netflix and Tommy Harper stepped in, an EP with credits that include Tim Burton’s Netflix series Wednesday, the Star Trek reboot films, Top Gun: Maverick and most recently, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Screenwriters Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies) and Caryl Lewis (Hinterland) are writing the series. Premise-wise, the murder mystery is similar to one of Netflix’s current successes, Don’t Move, a horror movie about a paralyzed woman. In Sometimes I Lie, Amber Reynolds lies in a waking coma, unsure about what happened, but with a strong suspicion her husband was involved.

Images Courtesy of Netflix and Simon & Schuster

The Woman In Cabin 10 By Ruth Ware

This is the one I’m looking forward to the most! Netflix was fortunate to land Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Pride & Prejudice) as the lead in this Ruth Ware adaptation of the murder mystery, The Woman In Cabin 10. Knightley plays Laura “Lo” Blacklock, a journalist recovering from a traumatic incident, who goes on a cruise and witnesses a woman being thrown overboard. The only problem is, no one is missing from the ship’s manifest and no one has seen the passenger Lo thinks exists. This is a spin on the classic murder mystery, The Lady Vanishes. This film also stars Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential, The Hurt Locker) and Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso, The Fall Guy). Director Simon Stone co-wrote the script with Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse.

If you love murder mysteries set on vacation, be sure to read this edition of Only Murders In The Inbox:

Image Courtesy Of Harper Collins

The Guest List By Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley’s page-turner, The Guest List, is being adapted into a limited television series for Hulu. This atmospheric murder mystery is set at a wedding on an island off the coast of Ireland, and has plot similarities to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, as each guest has a secret they’re hoping the other guests never learn, and they’re being picked off one by one. Showrunner Liz Tigelaar has multiple successes under her belt with Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club selections, including Little Fires Everywhere and Tiny Beautiful Things, so this adaptation sounds especially promising. Tigelaar is also adapting the immensely popular Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, for Netflix.

Image Courtesy Of Penguin Random House

The House Across The Lake and The Last Time I Lied By Riley Sager

Riley Sager is on a roll. In addition to his instant bestselling novel In The Middle Of The Night, he also has two screen adaptations in the works: The House Across The Lake as a film for Netflix, and The Last Time I Lied as a limited television series for Amazon MGM Studios.

In The House Across The Lake, Casey Fletcher is a widowed actress who’s trying to escape bad press when she takes refuge in her Vermont lake home. While there, she becomes fascinated with the couple who live across the lake — a model and her tech bro husband. When the model suddenly goes missing, Casey is convinced her husband is involved but she doesn’t know how to prove it. This nail biter hit the shelves last year and soon will be a feature length film on Netflix.

Image Courtesy Of Penguin Random House

The Last Time I Lied is a creepy secrets-of-the-past thriller that centers on a painting instructor who returns to a summer camp where three girls disappeared fifteen years earlier. As she’s facing her survivor’s guilt head on, she realizes the closure she needs is dependent on solving the mystery, so she goes on the hunt for answers — with scary consequences.

Additional Novels Hitting The Screen Soon

Behind Closed Doors By B.A. Paris; A Flicker In The Dark By Stacy Willingham; The Silent Patient By Alex Michaelides; The God Of The Woods By Liz Moore

Sources

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-woman-in-cabin-10-release-date-photos-news

https://deadline.com/2024/06/none-of-this-is-true-movie-netflix-lisa-jewell-1235834478/

https://people.com/none-of-this-is-true-author-lisa-jewell-creepy-inspiration-exclusive-7642442

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/verity-colleen-hoover-film-amazon-mgm-1235988994/amp/

https://deadline.com/2024/09/tom-harper-matt-charman-developing-sometimes-i-lie-tv-adaptation-1236086062/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/hulu-liz-tigelaar-adapting-the-guest-list-exclusive-1235625029/amp/

https://deadline.com/2024/05/we-were-liars-amazon-series-cast-liars-emily-alyn-lind-1235944607/

Song of the Day: “Murder City” by Green Day