Holiday Gifts Every Mystery Reader Will Adore

Mystery readers are an elusive sort. They look like you and me, and yet they have a superhuman ability to inhale mystery novels within minutes, and to correctly guess the killer in every episode of Monk or Law and Order. You buy them a hefty crime thriller to read with an intricately twisted plot, and two hours later they're handing you your book back, claiming that they called the ending from page five. So what do you get for a mystery reader who's pretty much read every mystery? Here are a few gifts to keep your favorite mystery reader happily hunting for clues.

Now let me be straight with you: chances are, your mystery reader friend already owns the BBC's Sherlock on Blu-ray and DVD (or Murder She Wrote, if the mystery reader is your parent and/or aunt). They already have all of Agatha Christie's books in a boxed set, and possibly even the complete collection of Hardy Boys novels. They don't need any more historical fiction on Jack the Ripper. You want to give your favorite mystery reader a mysterious gift that they won't see coming from a mile away.

Hardy Boys, $16, Amazon

So check out these weird and wonderful presents that are perfect for any die-hard mystery fan:

1. Nancy Drew Wrapped Pencil Set

Nancy Drew Wrapped Pencil Set, $10, Etsy

For many mystery readers, Nancy Drew was their first literary detective. These handmade pencils are wrapped with real pages from Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, and they're perfect for writing, sketching, or jotting down clues.

2. Sherlock Holmes Phone Case

Sherlock Holmes Phone Case, $10, Etsy

Every mystery reader knows the address 221B Baker Street. Most of Sherlock Holmes' adventures begin just behind this door, and now your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy can be fitted with this brilliant Sherlock-inspired phone case (Sherlock's study not included).

3. Psycho Bookends

Psycho Bookends, $65, Etsy

The shower scene in Psycho is one of the most chilling moments in all of literature and cinema—and now it can be immortalized on your bookshelf! Your mystery reader can keep all of their favorite thrillers safely between these handmade silhouettes of poor Mary being butchered in the shower.

4. Murder Mystery Party Game

Murder Mystery Party: Wine and Murder, $16, Amazon

Why not take murder mysteries from the page to your real-life dining room? With a murder mystery party game, you can force your friends to act out a "real" murder mystery over dinner. The kit comes with character booklets, name tags, party invitations, party planning instructions and, of course, crime scene clues.

5. Deerstalker Hat

Deerstalker Hat, $20, Amazon

Look, I know that Sherlock Holmes doesn't exactly wear this hat in the books... but it's so iconic a look that mystery readers will get hyped about it anyway (and it's even potentially a nice hat, if you can pull it off).

6. Nancy Drew Purse

Nancy Drew Handbag, $45, Etsy

Say what you want about the Nancy Drew novels, but those covers are classic. This purse is made from an actual vintage Nancy Drew hardcover, featuring Nancy hanging out with an old clock or something. It makes for a stunning statement piece for any literary ensemble.

7. Hercule Poirot Poster

Hercule Poirot Poster, $5, Etsy

Sherlock and Nancy aren't the only great literary detectives out there. Give Agatha Christie's Hercule a shout out with this classy minimalist poster, reading: "IT IS THE LITTLE GREY CELLS, MON AMI, ON WHICH ONE MUST RELY."

8. Blind Date Book

Blind Date Book, $10, Etsy

How about giving your mystery reader a book that is also a mystery? Simply choose a genre and a complementary hot beverage, and send your friend on a blind date with a book. Blind Date Book Co. wraps books in plain brown paper, with just four words of description, so you never know quite what you're about to read.

9. Women Crime Writers Collection

Women Crime Writers, $58 Amazon

Why give someone one mystery novel when you can give them eight? This boxed collection features eight different suspense novels from the 1940s and '50s, all written by women. Explore the gutsy lady crime writers who paved the way for the suspenseful mystery thrillers of today.

10. Sherlock Holmes Book Scarf

Sherlock Holmes Book Scarf, $48, Etsy

If the deerstalker hat is a little too much of a look, check out this lovely infinity scarf printed with passages from the Sherlock Holmes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles. It's sure to keep readers warm on the chilly English moors.

11. Appetite for Murder: A Mystery Lover's Cookbook by Kathy Borich

Appetite for Murder, $15, Amazon

Ever wished to share tea and biscuits with Miss Marple? Or supper with Holmes and Watson? Appetite for Murder brings your favorite mystery novels straight into your kitchen, with clever recipes and profiles on the great detectives of literature (and what they would eat).

12. Magnifying Glass Necklace

Magnifying Glass Necklace, $14, Etsy

Need some help looking for clues? This magnifying glass necklace is stylish and useful, if you find yourself frequently dusting for fingerprints (it also works on novels with small print). It's a subtle nod to the mystery genre, without going full deerstalker-and-pipe.

13. Sherlock's Study Candle

Sherlock's Study Book Lovers' Soy Candle, $18, Amazon

All good sleuths need a good candle for unwinding after successfully cracking a case. This soy candle will immerse you in the scents of 221B Baker Street, so you, too, can enjoy the scent of pipe tobacco and old books.

14. Vintage Penguin Crime Books

Vintage Penguin Crime Books, $5, Etsy

Sure, your mystery loving friend has read mystery books... but do they own a complete set of vintage green Penguin crime books to make their bookshelves look extra cultured? No. No, they do not. And at $4.53 each, these books are a steal.

15. The Mystery Experiences Company

The Mystery Experiences Company Subscription, $30, Mystery Experiences

At the end of the day, every mystery reader has one thing in common... they secretly want to be a detective and maybe also have a crime-solving animal sidekick. The Mystery Experiences Company can't help with that second part, but they will send you a subscription box with clues to solve an original mystery every month. The subscriptions sell out fast due to popularity, but The Mystery Experiences Company is constantly adding new mysteries to their repertoire, many of them inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe and other mystery greats.

Images: BBC