Top 16 Mystery Books For Young Adults Updated 04 /2024

Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury

Exactly what is going on here: This supernatural thriller, set in the Scottish Highlands, follows Alva, a little girl who has been raised by the father who murdered her mother. Amidst a sea of strange creatures, Alva's faith in everything begins to crumble as danger arrives from unexpected places. Do you think she's still struggling with the demon she's familiar with? What happens if she doesn't make it out alive?

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe

In Nora's short existence, she's been so many different girls, each painstakingly built by her mother for a particular con that she can't keep up. She's finally found a real family in her sister, her ex, Wes, and her current girlfriend, Iris. Nora is the first girl she's been since the horrifying things she had to do to break free. This puts her new life in jeopardy as well as her own safety when she and Wes and Iris get caught up in a bank heist. This will not stand for Nora, who will use every technique at her disposal as well as those from her past in order to put an end to it.

The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto

According to Logan, Delilah is the best thing to ever happen to him. It's for this reason that his favorite profession is digging into her life and that he physically observes her every move with a camera directed at her house. When he sees Delilah kill her stepfather, he realizes that she is capable of wrongdoing. Delilah, on the other hand, isn't having it. Having just gotten rid of one controlling and abusive man, she has no intention of putting herself through it all over again.

The Project by Courtney Summers

In her latest, Courtney Summers shows that she is at the peak of her deadly powers, and her latest is no exception. An aspiring journalist, Lo Denham, stars in The Project, in which her life is veiled in mystery: Her parents died in a vehicle accident, and how did she manage to get away? Why did a young man jump in front of a train once he recognized her? Bea's disappearance after joining the Unity Project, a beneficent cult lead by the mysterious "message of God" Lev Warren, is a mystery. She finds tales and lives that are intertwined in ways she couldn't have imagined, and ties that may force her to follow in Bea's footsteps, when she embarks on her own study into the project.

She's Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard

In the beginning, Veronica hasn't found the inspiration she's been looking for in her photography until she meets Mick, the daughter of a model who is camera-averse. Veronica and her rebellious artist BFF Nico gradually bring Mick out of her shell as they get closer and closer. It's only after they go too far that Veronica begins to see the girl of her fantasies transform into someone she can scarcely recognize. Is it possible that the danger that seems to follow them everywhere will finally break them apart?

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

When Rachel, a scholarship student at Manhattan Prep, begins to feel like a full-fledged reject, she turns to the pranksters of the Mary Shelley Club for solace. Even in the realm of pranks, things may not go according to plan, and keeping up with the other students may be a matter of life and death.

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Introducing a new series based on the works of Jane Austen's characters as they investigate a murder. Pride and Prejudice, featuring Lizzie Bennet, a 17-year-old lawyer-to-be, is the first film to be released. No matter who tries to sabotage her search for the real culprit, she will not give up until she identifies the person responsible for the killing. This includes Fitzwilliam Darcy, the snobbish but increasingly enticing heir to the law company of her dreams.

 

 The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur

Exactly what is going on here: This disturbing historical mystery, set in Joseon (modern-day Korea), in the 15th century, will make you think twice before going into the woods. Hwani and her sister were found asleep in the woods after being kidnapped, and 13 other girls have vanished since then. So it makes sense. When Hwani's father, a detective, goes missing, it's up to Hwani to pick up the trail, find the girls, and relive events she'd want to forget.

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

Cee is aware of two things: On an island she has no recall of how or why she ended up there for three years, there is a sister. As a condition of living in an eco-city, Kasey and her family are required to spend a third of their time in pods, where they are shielded from the effects of climate change. In the three months since Cee vanished, Kasey hasn't forgotten her sister, and Kay believes it's time to retrace Cee's footsteps. The truth is, she doesn't know where things will go, or if the secrets they've both been concealing will catch up to them before they can ever be back together once again.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

In this dual-POV thriller, two black students at an all-white private school find themselves the target of a mystery creeper named Aces, who seems to be out to expose all of their personal secrets. To protect himself and Chiamaka's life, previously hidden Devon is now doing everything he can to keep himself safe. Meanwhile, the queen bee is terrified that she will be found out and lose everything she has worked for.

You're So Dead by Ash Parsons

The plot: If you're a fan of the Fyre Festival-inspired drama, put this novel at the top of your to-read list. Peach Winter, an event for influencers, is featured in the story, set in the Caribbean. In the end, it is the invitation that Peach's sister Plum steals and accompanies her pals, only to discover that the promised event of magic is a disaster of epic proportions, especially when the other renowned guests start to die. At this point, Plum is already in a predicament unless she can determine out who is behind the murder plot in time to save herself and her pals from certain death.

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

In this book, our favorite YA investigator since Charlotte Holmes moves on from Ellingham to a new case, and it's an honor to be able to talk about a Stevie Bell book that extends beyond the three set in Ellingham. As a next step, Camp Sunny Pines, originally known as Camp Wonder Falls, is notable for an unsolved triple murder that occurred there in the late '70s and remains unsolved Now that the camp has a new owner who wants to make a podcast about the case, who better to interview than the teenager who solved the Ellingham murder? This time around, she may not be able to escape the perils of the disco era.

That Weekend by Kara Thomas

Exactly what is going on here: This time around, Kara Thomas does it again with the narrative of Claire, who appears to be the only survivor of her best friends Kat and Jesse's prom weekend escape. They've vanished, and she's woken up on a blood-spattered hiking trail with no recollection of what happened. Maybe it's best that she doesn't remember it after all...

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

Exactly what is going on here: Kicking off with one of the creepiest covers in recent YA memory (and a spot on the New York Times bestseller list), Ryan Douglass's debut stars a boy named Jake who can see ghosts, something that hasn't bothered him all that much until now. Even so, Jake is at a loss when Sawyer's ghost begins haunting him and defying all of Jake's established laws of death. If he's going to get out of this alive, he's going to have to figure out how to break free of everything he's dealing with as a black boy in a prep school.

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