Top 250 Movies Like My Roommate Is A Detective

A list of the best movies similar to My Roommate is a Detective. If you liked My Roommate is a Detective then you may also like: Zero Effect, X Marks the Spot, Up for Murder, Upperworld, Whispering Smith Vs. Scotland Yard and many more great movies featured on this list.

Shanghai, 1927. A deduction genius pairs up with a detective and a newspaper reporter to solve mysterious cases.

Zero Effect

Daryl Zero is a private investigator and—along with his assistant, Steve Arlo—he solves impossible crimes and puzzles. Although Daryl's a master investigator, he doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not working; he has no social skills, writes bad music and drives Steve crazy.

X Marks the Spot

The story begins in 1923 where after an accident, a newspaper reporter needs to raise $5,000 to pay for an operation, otherwise his young sister will be crippled for life. The desperate reporter is finally able to get the cash from a shady acquaintance, Riggs. Eight years later in New York, circumstances conspire to place the reporter as the number one suspect in the murder of a showgirl. With no witness or alibi, the reporter devises a plan to smoke out the real culprit. A meeting is arranged under the cover of night and to the surprise of both men, the murderer is Riggs. Out of gratitude for past generosity to his sister, the reporter agrees not to expose Riggs, however unwittingly leads the police to him! Riggs is found guilty, and a dramatic scene in the courthouse ensues.

Up for Murder

Young reporter accidentially kills his newspaper's editor in a fight over the publisher's mistress, who is also the paper's society editor.

Upperworld

A railroad tycoon, disillusioned with his marriage, starts seeing a showgirl. Things go agreeably until the woman's manager decides to blackmail the millionaire.

Whistling in Brooklyn

Radio crime show host "The Fox" finds himself on the trail of a serial killer while a suspect himself.

The Woman Condemned

When a radio star is found murdered in her home, everyone assumes that the mysterious young woman discovered with her is the culprit — everyone, that is, but newspaper reporter Jerry Beall, who sets out to prove her innocence.

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Nancy Drew, a smart high schooler with a penchant for keen observation and deduction, stumbles upon the haunting of a local home. A bit of an outsider struggling to fit into her new surroundings, Nancy and her pals set out to solve the mystery, make new friends, and establish their place in the community

Night Editor

A daily news editor recalls a married detective and the deadly woman behind his downfall.

The Night Strangler

After being run out of Las Vegas, reporter Carl Kolchak heads for Seattle and another reporting job with the local paper. It's not long before he is on the trail of another string of bizarre murders. It seems that every 21 years, for the past century, a killer kills a certain number of people, drains them of their blood and then disappears into the night. Kolchak is on his trail, but can he stop him?

The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu

The sinister Dr. Fu Manchu returns to destroy the people he holds responsible for the death of his family.

Rogues' Gallery

Reporter Patsy Reynolds and photographer Eddie Porter are assigned to interview John Foster, head of the Emmerson Foundation regarding a listening device the organization is working on. Foster evades them and they to the lab to see Professor Reynolds, the real inventor. Soon, they are involved in several shootings, blueprints that change hands several times, a corpse in their car that appears and disappears a few times, the loss of their jobs and several people who either think they are killers or candidates for being killed.

Jailbreak

A reporter gets himself sent to prison so he can solve a murder behind bars.

Just Off Broadway

Private detective Michael Shayne is on the case again, but this time he's stuck on a jury for a murder trial. So, what does he do? Why, he skips out on sequestration in order to solve the case himself!

The Kid Detective

A once-celebrated kid detective, now 31, continues to solve the same trivial mysteries between hangovers and bouts of self-pity. Until a naive client brings him his first 'adult' case, to find out who brutally murdered her boyfriend.

After Office Hours

A managing editor sends a socialite reporter to spy on her boyfriend, mixed up in murder.

And Then There Were None

Ten strangers are summoned to a remote island and while they are waiting for the mysterious host to appear, a recording levels serious accusations at each of the guests. Soon they start being murdered, one by one. As the survivors try to keep their wits, they reach a disturbing conclusion: one of them must be the killer.

Behind the Mask

Falsely accused of murdering a crooked newspaper reporter, suave detective Lamont Cranston -- aka the Shadow -- vows to track down the real killer.

Swept Under

Meet Morgan. At first glance, she's just your average cleaning lady. She has no problem getting her hands dirty, which is a good thing considering it's not fancy houses she cleans for a living - it's gruesome crime scenes. It's at one of these scenes that Morgan discovers a key piece of evidence overlooked by the forensics team. This, and her knack for reading blood splatter, catch Nick's attention, a newbie detective working the case. The pair soon become unofficial partners on what's become a stream of related murders and the closer they get to solving the mystery the closer they get to each other. But while they succeed in getting a confession from their primary suspect, their feelings for each other risk blinding them to the truth and they find themselves dangerously close to the real killer.

Get a Clue

A wealthy student with too much fashion sense, her equally rich friends, and her rival/superior from the school paper work together to solve the case when their teacher goes missing.

The Mangler

When an accident involving a folding machine at an old laundry happens, detective John Hunton investigates. While he tries to solve the mystery, Bill Gartley, the owner, wants to find new victims for his machine.

The Murder Man

Steve Grey, reporter for the Daily Star, has a habit of scooping all the other papers in town. When Henry Mander is investigated for the murder of his shady business partner, Grey is one step ahead of the police to the extent that he often dictates his story in advance of its actual occurrence. He leads the police through an 'open and shut' case resulting in Mander being tried, convicted and sentenced to death. Columnist Mary Shannon is in love with Steve but she sees him struggle greatly with his last story before Mander's execution. When she starts typing out the story from his recorded dictation, she realizes why.

Undersea Girl

A woman reporter, a navy investigator, and a heavyset police detective come across a gang which scuttled a ship in order to loot her later, underwater, for a Navy money consignment.

The Mad Doctor

A reporter sleuths the mystery behind an oft-married Viennese doctor whose wives met mysterious fates.

Apology for Murder

Head over heels in love with a stern and cold older businessman's young wife, a reporter is seduced into conspiring to murder him so she can inherit his estate, while pinning the murder on another businessman.

Murder on the Orient Express

Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.

Motherless Brooklyn

New York City, 1957. Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, tries to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend, armed only with vague clues and the strength of his obsessive mind.

Freeze Frame

Sean Veil is an ultra paranoid murder suspect who takes to filming himself round the clock to provide an alibi, just in case he's ever accused of another crime. Problems arise however when the police do come calling and the one tape that can prove his innocence has mysteriously disappeared.

The Gore Gore Girls

A ditsy reporter enlists the help of a sleazy private eye to solve a series of gory killings of female strippers at a Chicago nightclub.

Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen

Famous detective Charlie Chan is called out of retirement to help a San Francisco detective solve a mysterious series of murders. With his bumbling grandson as his sidekick, Chan also encounters an old nemesis known as the Dragon Queen who is the prime suspect.

Scandal Sheet

A tabloid editor assigns a young reporter to solve a murder the editor committed himself.

Scared Stiff

A meek reporter happens upon a murder, an escaped gangster and a stolen jade chess set.

Seven Keys to Baldpate

A writer, looking for some peace and quiet in order to finish a novel, takes a room at the Baldpate Inn. However, peace and quiet are the last things he gets, as there are some very strange goings-on at the establishment.

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

Concerned about his friend's cocaine use, Dr. Watson tricks Sherlock Holmes into travelling to Vienna, where Holmes enters the care of Sigmund Freud. Freud attempts to solve the mysteries of Holmes' subconscious, while Holmes devotes himself to solving a mystery involving the kidnapping of Lola Deveraux.

Stolen

A detective becomes obsessed with solving a child's 50-year-old murder, uncovering striking similarities between the case and his son's disappearance.

The Trespasser

Stevie Carson, a newspaper reporter, and Danny Butler, the "morgue" manager on the same newspaper, set out to track down the killer of a colleague, a book-reviewer who was involved with a group of rare book forgers and whose sister has been convinced her editor-fiance, Bill Monroe, killed him.

The Turning Point

Special prosecutor John Conroy hopes to combat organized crime in his city and appoints his cop father Matt as chief investigator. John doesn't understand why Matt is reluctant, but cynical reporter Jerry McKibbon thinks he knows: he's seen Matt with mob lieutenant Harrigan. Jerry's friendship with John is tested by the question of what to do about Matt, and by his attraction to John's girl Amanda. Meanwhile, the threatened racketeers adopt increasingly violent means of defense.

A Shriek in the Night

Rival newspaper reporters Pat Morgan and Ted Rand find themselves unraveling the mystery behind the death of a millionaire philanthropist who fell from his penthouse balcony. When it is discovered that the plunge was not an accident, the building's residents come under suspicion. Soon, the body count begins to mount as three more murders occur by strangulation.

Big Brown Eyes

Sassy manicurist Eve Fallon is recruited as an even more brassy reporter and she helps police detective boyfriend Danny Barr break a jewel theft ring and solve the murder of a baby.

Fly Away Baby

Torchy Blane solves a murder and smuggling case during a round-the-world flight.

Man From Headquarters

A police reporter solves a murder case in Chicago, then moves on to St. Louis-but not voluntarily, since he has been kidnapped by the minions of the Windy City gang leader against whom he is scheduled to testify.

A Scream in the Dark

A detective tries to prove that a woman is killing her spouses with a spiked umbrella.

Blackmailer

Dinner party guests become murder suspects when an extortionist they all hated turns up dead.

Murder Is My Business

Michael Shayne is a private detective who is disliked greatly by Pete Rafferty, local chief of police detectives. Rafferty notifies the newspaper press that he is going to close Shayne's agency, just as Michael is about to be hired by the wealthy Eleanor Ramsey, who is being blackmailed. She is the stepmother of what she considers to be two grown-up brats, Dorothy and Ernest, and she considers their father to be of little value to the world himself. They all conspire to get their hands on her money, even to the extent of attempting to hire Shayne to frame an insurance robbery. Mrs. Ramsey is murdered, and Rafferty is trying to pin the killing on Shayne, despite the fact that suspicion points to Buell Renslow, brother of the slain woman. Shayne's secretary, the fetching Phyllis Hamilton, decides to do a little detective work to help her boss.

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

A young doctor is determined to expose the killer when a surgeon is found stabbed to death in a hospital elevator.

Who Is Hope Schuyler?

A girl reporter is trying to tack down the lady-in-the-title, as a key witness in a graft trial, which involves three murder and that many failed attempts. A prosecuting attorney in the district attorneys office is aiding her in solving the mystery of the missing lady.

The Secrets of Wu Sin

A murder mystery about the smuggling of illegal Chinese aliens into America through Chinatown.

The Invisible Killer

Reporter Sue Walker has too much inside information on the local gambling rackets to suit her sweetheart, Detective Lieutenant Jerry Brown, chief of the police Homicide Squad. When the call comes in that there has been a killing at Lefty Ross' place, a notorious gambling joint, Jerry is peeved when Sue beats him there. He discovers that gambler Jimmy Clark was killed as he answered a telephone call, and his body is riddled with bullets but Jerry can't find any weapon. Sue is amazed to see Gloria Cunningham there. Gloria's father is one of the town's leading reformers and she is engaged to District Attorney Richard Sutton. Ross decides to give Sutton all the information he needs and makes an appointment to go to Sutton's home. Once there, Ross is called to the telephone before he can give any information, and is killed in the same mysterious manner as Jimmy Clark.

The Famous Ferguson Case

A foreword warns against the peril of yellow journalism, and the story illustrates it by following events in the upstate New York town of Cornwall after prominant financier George Ferguson is killed. Two types of New York City journalists descend on Cornwall, one interested in facts, the other in getting sensational "news". Mrs. Ferguson is known to have been friendly with a local banker. The Fergusons quarrel the evening he is killed (by "burglars", his wife tells the police later), and she is arrested, spurred on by the "bad" journalists, who also manage to badger the banker's wife into the hospital. Meanwhile, young Bruce Foster runs the Cornwall Courier, and shows the big city reporters how to dig out real news while they attempt to subvert justice for their own ends.

Charlie Chan in Shanghai

When a prominent official is murdered at a banquet honoring Charle Chan, the detective and son Lee team up to expose an opium-smuggling ring.

Midnight Intruder

A former actor poses as the son of a wealthy man and gets involved in a murder in which the real son is the suspect.

A Twist of Faith

Vancouver Police Detective Henry Smith is one of those investigating the murder of Roman Catholic Father Martin, who was crucified in his own church.

Wedding Planner Mystery

Wedding Planner Mystery follows the exploits of a quirky but lovable event planner who makes murder as fun as can be. Homicide doesn't follow our heroine; she seeks it out. Using her circle of contacts, her friendship with a reporter and the same research skills that enable her to plan distinctive events - if an unsolved murder occurs in Seattle, Carnegie will find out about it.

The Benson Murder Case

A ruthless, crooked stockbroker is murdered at his luxurious country estate, and detective Philo Vance just happens to be there; he decides to find out who killed him.

Brenda Starr, Reporter

Reporter Brenda Starr (Joan Woodbury) and her photographer Chuck Allen (Syd Saylor) get involved in a search for the loot from a payroll robbery. Cliffhanging action and adventure and a fair amount of comic relief follow them at every turn.

The Glass Alibi

Eying a large inheritance, a reporter marries a rich woman with failing health. When she begins feeling healthy after the wedding, the reporter takes drastic measures to make sure his wife dies.

The Mysterious Miss X

After being mistaken for Scotland Yard detectives, two vaudevillians (Michael Whalen, Chick Chandler) try to solve a murder in a Midwestern town.

Blonde for a Day

Hugh Beaumont stars as detective "Michael Shayne" in this 1946 B-film.

Deadline for Murder

A favor for an old friend leads a Los Angeles gambler (Kent Taylor) into a dangerous search for a missing document.

Legion of Terror

Two newly-appointed postal inspectors, Frank Marshall and 'Slim" Hewitt, set out to track down the sender of a time-bomb to a U. S. Senator and, during their investigation, run across a hooded organization that is terrorizing an American city. They also meet Don Foster, who is loud in his condemnation of the terrorists, and his sister, Nancy, who fears for her brother's life.

Criminal Investigator

A reporter investigates the murder of a showgirl, who was the widow of a millionaire. While digging in to the mysterious murder of a showgirl (Vivian Wilcox), intrepid reporter Bob Martin (Robert Lowery) uncovers a connection between that case and another one he's been working on. An inmate (Lawrence Creighton) holds the key to the crime, but there's one problem: He's deaf and mute. Meanwhile, the murderers (Jan Wiley and Charlie Hall) appear to be working for a very powerful person.

Mysterious Crossing

While crossing on the train ferry to New Orleans, roving reporter Addison Francis Murphy borrows money from singing hillbilly "Carolina," then loses it all in a crap game. Outside on deck, Murphy sees two men shaking hands, and after he looks away, hears a splash of water and discovers both men have disappeared...

Headline Hunters

A rookie reporter in pursuit of an expose gets tangled up with big-time mobsters.

Double Alibi

A man's ex-wife is found murdered, and he finds himself to be the prime suspect.

Girl on the Spot

Eleven Gilbert & Sullivan numbers are melded within the murder-mystery plot of "Girl on the Spot", with a result that either G&S and/or the plot are always seemingly on stage-wait or in the wings awaiting a cue. Lois Collier is the girl-on-the-spot of the title because she was on the scene of a murder. The police conclude she didn't do it and they use her to set a trap for the real killer, a G&S addict, by financing a Broadway production starring Collier.

The Fatal Mistake

After being fired from his job on the Evening Star newspaper, cub reporter Jack Darwin (William Fairbanks) , with the help of an undercover police woman, Ethel Bennett (Eva Novak), prevents the theft of the valuable Riko jewels. Jack gets his job back...and marries Ethel.

The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire

The scene of the crime is Whitechapel, the same London district notorious for the recent attacks of Jack the Ripper. Three monks are found dead, the apparent victims of a vampire - now, someone else is out for blood. Or is it something else? As bizarre events unfold, the answer is left to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to find.

The Killing Mind

Isobel Neiman, a former FBI agent turned cop, is assigned to catch a ballerina's murderer, but runs into resistance by fellow cops who don't think a woman detective can handle the case.

The Julius House: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

Aurora Teagarden is a beautiful young librarian with a passion for solving murders. After an exhaustive search for the perfect home, Aurora finally purchases her dream house, unaware of its murky history. As she prepares to move in, Aurora discovers that the family who once lived there mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

Hornet's Nest

Set in Charlotte, N.C., the story opens with everyone desperate to solve the latest crisis: a serial killer is specializing in out-of-town businessmen. Hammer and West make the murder investigation their top priority. But West is less than pleased when Hammer pairs her up with Brazil, a cub reporter assigned to cover the police department.

The Mystery Man

Hard-boiled newspaper reporter Larry Doyle (Robert Armstrong) goes a bit too far in celebrating a work bonus and wakes up on a train bound for St. Louis with only a buck on his person. To remedy the problem, Doyle pawns the revolver he's carrying. When the gun is subsequently used in a murder, Doyle's problems only multiply. In the meantime, he's also fallen in love with a comely stranger (Maxine Doyle) he convinced to impersonate his wife.

Shanghai Chest

Charlie attempts to solve a triple murder in which a dead man's finger prints show up at all three murder sites, and all three victims were connected with the conviction and execution of an evidently innocent man.

Alibi for Murder

A radio commentator named Perry Travis fancies himself a brilliant amateur detective. The cops wish he’d stick to his microphone and let them do the detecting. This proves impossible when a famed scientist is murdered in Perry’s studio, right in the middle of the interview. All evidence points to Perry, and he sets out to clear his name before the Shadow-like villain roaming the hallways of the radio station gets away with murder.

Murder Among Friends

A society doctor helps an insurance-company file clerk check deaths related to a big policy.

The Midnight Patrol

A cub reporter rashly makes a promise to solve a murder mystery within 24 hours, then must make good on his boast.

The Spider

Lowe plays Chatrand the Great, a magician with great hypnotic and magical powers. During his evening performance at an upscale theater, a murder occurs. A hand wearing a sinister spider ring raises a revolver, the lights go out, and a shot rings out! When the lights come on, the body of a patron is lying on the floor, dying. Who is the mysterious killer? What is the strange secret of Lowe’s clairvoyant, amnesia-plagued assistant? After the police restrain the audience from leaving, Lowe uses his magical powers to help expose the killer. Watch for the terrific séance scene where weird ghost-like creatures float above the stage.

The Circus Queen Murder

Suave, lip-reading DA Thatcher Colt plans to get away from the big city for a while. So he and his secretary, Miss Kelly hop on a train for an Upstate NY town called Gilead. They expect a calm oasis, but when a small time circus rolls into town they soon find themselves caught up in a sordid tale of marital infidelity, murder, cruelty to animals, and cannibalism.

Chick Carter, Detective

Detective Chick Carter (Lyle Talbot)finds himself on his most exciting case when Sherry Martin (Julie Gibson), a singer at the Century Club, reports the robbery of the famous Blue Diamond, owned by Joe Carney (Charles King), the owner of the nightclub.

Riding on Air

Smugglers are using a device for controlling airplanes in flight, and newspaper reporters from Chicago are vying for the story. Reporter Elmer Lane is out to scoop rival reporter Betty Harrison, and capture her heart in the process.

Scattergood Survives a Murder

Rural sage Scattergood Baines (Guy Kibbee) shows big-city newsman how to solve a mystery.

Lonely Street

Bubba Mabry, a gullible private detective, becomes the prime suspect in a tabloid reporter's murder after being hired to snoop on him by a mysterious celebrity.

Front Page Woman

Ace reporter Curt Devlin and fellow reporter Ellen Garfield love one another, but Curt believes women are "bum newspapermen". When a murder investigation ensues, the two compete every step of the way, determined to not be scooped by the other.

Go and Get It

Wrestling legend Bull Montana plays a murderous gorilla with a human brain transplant who is tracked by a feisty newspaper reporter.

The Riverside Murder

This is a great rainy day/night murder mystery in a mansion that all whodunit lovers will appreciate. A woman reporter helps an inspector solve the deaths of four financiers on the eve of a group shareout. Based on "Les Six Hommes Morts" (Editions du Masque) by Stanislas-André Steeman.

A Christmas Mystery

While searching through her late mothers attic, Rebecca uncovers sealed cards from a mysterious suitor that had been addressed to her widowed Mom over the past 12 Christmases. As she begins to wonder the identity of man, Rebecca hires a handsome, yet mysterious, detective to help solve the mystery behind the letters.

Dancing Trees

Martha (Katie Boland), 18, sees the world as animated and fun. She has a form of autism that means she is a mathematical genuis whilst incapable of looking after herself. Living in a dull routinewith her cousin Nicole (Brooke Burns), and mother Josephine (Amanda Tapping), she sees the good in everything and everyone. But suddenly, her mother is the casualty of a brutal crime before her eyes and Martha is sent to a foster home. Nicole is distraught and battle for custody of her cousin, but the police constantly block her requests. Finally, Detective Velez relents, on one condition: Martha must help solve the crime and find justice for her fallen mother.

Shadows Over Shanghai

A pilot carrying a valuable amulet is shot down over China by a ruthless Russian agent, who also wants the amulet.

Three Steps In The Dark

A rich but disliked elderly man invites his relatives to a family reunion at his home. Once the gathering is complete, he announces enigmatically that he intends to change his will before he dies. Before he can do this, he is murdered. His niece (Gynt), a detective story writer, has to put her theories into practice by solving a real-life murder mystery.

Undercover Kids

Nicole and Nelson are twins with psychic powers. On the first day of school everyone is talking about the recent vandalism at school. Nicole and Nelson decide to go undercover to find the culprit. The twins get child genius George & his high tech gadgets to help them solve the mystery. With the clock ticking, the kids race to break the case open before the big school board meeting where they must reveal the true person responsible for the vandalism. Will the Undercover Kids solve the crime before time runs out?

Mysterious Raiders

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, most of the people in the city contracted strange diseases. He Miao, who cares about the fate of the country, hopes that Zhang Xiaozhi will help him to get the treasure in the underwater underground palace. But several other forces started a big fight in order to obtain the treasures of the underground palace.

Kinematics Theory

Zhang Zhe, a genius student, and Zhang Nan, a handsome swimmer, couldn't understand each other. They did not expect to meet each other at the same university. Zhe is a mathematical genius, but has a social phobia; Nan is an athlete, but he hates being used as a racing machine by his father. The two men help each other by the means of mutual encouragement. Nan helps Zhe overcome his social fears while Zhe helps Nan find the real meaning of being an athlete. Prequel to "The Ambiguous Focus".

North of Shanghai

In this newspaper drama, a female reporter and a newsreel cameraman are both assigned to cover the Sino-Japanese war. They meet on the boat ride over and decide to team up. They are further assisted by a Chinese cameraman. The three of them manage to expose of spy ring operating out of the Shanghai office of the woman's newspaper.

Murder on the Roof

This primarily two-set programmer has a has-been criminal lawyer, Anthony Sommers (William V. Mong) wrongly accused of murder and follows the efforts of his daughter, Molly Sommers (Dorothy Revier), a nightclub singer and two newspapers reporters, Ted Palmer (David Newell) and the inaptly-named Drinkwater (Raymond Hatton), posing as a drunk, to clear him.

The Devil's Mate

A convicted murderer has been sentenced to death in the electric chair. He decides to spill the name of the man who hired him, but just before he does he's killed by a poison dart. A police detective and a pretty young newspaper reporter team up to find out the identity of the man behind the killings.

Ripper Untold

A detective and a medical examiner join forces to solve a series of horrific murders in Victorian London - but one of them harbors a deadly secret.

Sort results by:

X close
Clear filters
...