What are the common mystery motifs you can think of? A main character with keen observation skills, magnifying glasses, and bloodhounds perhaps? Young Adult or YA fiction is often driven by emotions, and their mysteries are no exception. If you’re feeling mysterious and want to know what the youths are reading, check out this list of YA mysteries! The who and the how may be easy to solve, but the why may throw you for a ringer.
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
Want something based on the classics? Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are the great-great-great grandchildren of the infamous Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. After meeting at a Connecticut boarding school, the two team up after a student ends up dead and they’re the initial suspects. The two take the case into their own hands, and from there this dynamic duo falls into an explosive mystery.
This Is My America by Kim Johnson
After her father was convicted and sentenced to death, Tracey spends a lot of time writing to an organization which advocates for the wrongly imprisoned. When murder accusations against her brother are started by the county sheriff, she follows clues that uncover the hidden, and racist, history of her town.
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Ellingham Academy in Vermont is a school for the brightest of children, whether they be thinkers, inventors, or artists. It’s also home to an infamous unsolved missing persons case. In comes Stevie, a bright student who’s motivated to solve this case once and for all. This book has a large cast of characters to eliminate and lots of puzzles to solve. Pick it up and solve them alongside Stevie.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Looking for a historical mystery? Well, stop looking. In this gritty gothic murder mystery, Audrey, a coroner’s niece, investigates a string of gruesome murders in Victorian London. She’s aided by her uncle’s assistant, who might be an interesting beau for Audrey. Follow the two through plot twists and a steamy romance.
Broken Things by Lauren Oliver
Summer’s body was found viciously murdered, left as a sacrifice to someone or something. Mia and Brynn, her two best friends, immediately come under scrutiny for the murder due to an obsession over a novel. On the anniversary of their friend’s death, a discovery leads them down a path to find Summer’s killer and what happened that fateful night.
The Amateurs by Sara Shepard
18-year-old Seneca is obsessed with a website dedicated to unsolved cold cases. She’s especially drawn to the case of a rich girl who was discovered murdered five years ago. Teaming up with friends from this website, Maddy, Brett, and the murdered girl’s sister, the four set out to uncover clues.