Secrets. Suspense. Lies. Murder.
These are the themes of some of the most popular novels in the teen room these days. Why? I can’t say for sure. Maybe it’s because there is so much to distract us lately, and really good murder mysteries are hard to get distracted from. Again, though, that’s a personal theory.
I’m not here to wax philosophical about the reasons we love these books, though. I’m here to tell you about some of the best ones, so that you can put them on hold and read them yourself.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson: A straight-A student investigates her small town’s cold case as a school project. Can she survive getting close to the truth?
They’ll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman: Track star sisters Ellie and Stella can’t run away from suspicion when the new girl on the track team disappears.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley: Eighteen-year-old Daunis witnesses a brutal murder. Can she unravel the secrets that threaten her Ojibwe community in time to prevent the next death?
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé: Described by the publisher as “Gossip Girl meets Get Out,” this is the story of two Black teens at a elite private school who find themselves the subjects of a cruel anonymous bullying plot.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: High school student Avery finds her world turned upside down when she inherits a billionaire’s estate. Can she survive long enough to complete the required tasks, or is the disinherited family just one accidental death away from their former financial glory?
The Ivies by Alexa Donne: Private academy students scheme for acceptance to top colleges, through lying, cheating…and destroying the competition.
Frozen Beauty by Lexa Hillyer: Three beautiful sisters share a close bond, until the morning when oldest sister Kit is found frozen to death. Evidence points to the boy next door, whom the girls all adored, and youngest sister Lilly says she saw him argue with Kit the night of her death. Tessa, the middle sister, refuses to believe and continues to search for an answer.
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson: A true-crime obsessed high school student goes to school at the site of a famous cold case. When a bizarre message appears on the wall and a classmate dies, is it the past reaching out for her?
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson: A promising young singer is scouted by a successful R&B star. As the star’s attention grows more and more controlling, Enchanted wonders if her newfound success is what she really wanted. When she wakes up with blood on her hands, the star’s body nearby, and the police outside the door, she races to piece together her memories of last night.
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas: Monica’s hometown has not had any cheerleaders since the fateful year when several cheerleaders, Monica’s sister among them, died in a series of seemingly unrelated incidents. Now, five years later, a memorial is being planned, new clues are turning up, and Monica wants to know the truth.
The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis: Former best friends have an encounter of the Edgar Allan Poe kind in this book. Tress, once rich and well-liked, has lived the life of a social outcast with her alcoholic grandfather in his strange roadside attraction zoo since her parents mysteriously disappeared. Felicity, who is still rich and well-liked, is the only person who might know what happened to Tress’s parents. Tress’s solution? Chain Felicity up in the basement and seal her into a coal chute, brick by brick, until she agrees to talk.
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