I love a good crime story. And young adult literature has some of the best of them. In this list of the 20 best mystery books for teens, you’ll find all kinds of crimes: murders, sure, but also disappearances, ciphers, espionage, kidnappings, even supernatural suspense stories. In other words, if you’re craving YA thriller books, you’ve come to the right place.
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The 20 Best Mystery Books for Teens
All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban
If you love Agatha Christie, you’ll find much to like in this intensely suspenseful novel. When an eclectic group of six teens—everyone from the band nerd to loner to the queen bee—are invited to a dinner, they find themselves locked in a room with a bomb, a syringe loaded with poison, and a note that says they have an hour to agree on a person to kill. Otherwise: they’ll all die. You might think you know the twist here, but be prepared for a mindf**k of an ending.
How to read it: Purchase All Your Twisted Secrets on Amazon
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
Five years ago, five of the cheerleaders in Sunnybrook died under tragic circumstances, including the suicide of Monica’s sister. Now fast forward and Monica’s trying to piece together really happened as new evidence comes to light: a bundle of letters found in her stepdad’s office, a previously lost cell phone, and an odd new friend. This gritty and deliciously dark novel is one of the best mystery books for teens.
How to read it: Purchase The Cheerleaders on Amazon
The Diviners by Libba Bray
This atmospheric historical supernatural mystery novel is set in New York City during the Roaring ’20’s. Evangeline O’Neill abandons her boring life to move to the City That Never Sleeps. It’s there that Evangeline will stay with her Uncle Will, whose attraction to the occult should help Evie develop her secret magical powers. But among the rushing thrills of the decadent decade comes a grisly murder that Will and Evangeline get pulled into solving. Can Evie master her abilities and solve the murder? You’ll race through this one to find out.
How to read it: Purchase The Diviners on Amazon
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
This harrowing novel is one of the best YA mystery books. Three years ago, Alex used violence for vengeance after the murder of her sister. Alex’s crime was never discovered. Now she wonders if she can contain her urges to hurt the people around her. The Female of the Species raises significant questions about female rage and the ethics of violent revenge.
How to read it: Purchase The Female of the Species on Amazon
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
This electric and celebrated debut is set on an Ojibwe reservation that our spirited heroine, 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, calls home. When Daunis witnesses a murder, the FBI asks her to be a confidential informant about the deadly new drug tearing through the reservation. Daunis uses her special knowledge of Ojibwe medical traditions and her own gift for chemistry to track down the criminals even as she worries she’s working for the wrong side.
How to read it: Purchase Firekeeper’s Daughter on Amazon
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
The first in a trilogy, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a good mystery book for teens who are looking to binge read a series. In Pip’s hometown, the facts are known: popular high school senior Andie was killed by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then took his life. Now, five years later, Pip does a final project on the case, but Pip soon unearths a series of troubling facts suggesting the story everyone knew wasn’t as simple as it seemed…
How to read it: Purchase A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on Amazon
The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
Ex con-artist Nora prides herself on extracting herself from tight spots, but her skills are put to the limit when she’s caught in the middle of a bank robbery. With con-artist parents, Nora is trying to hide from her pasts and all the girls she’s been. But the heist she’s found herself in the middle of has more personal implications than just a simple, run-of-the-mill burglary. All the Girls I’ve Been is one of the most gasp-worthy thriller books for teens you won’t be able to put down as the story unspools in real time.
How to read it: Purchase The Girls I’ve Been on Amazon
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
Seattle-based Besties Libby and May created a fierce heroine named Princess X and drew and wrote stories featuring her. When Libby dies in a car crash with her mother, May is heartbroken. Now 16, May starts to see images of Princess X appear around the city: decals, graffiti, and patches, not to mention a webcomic all about Princess X. The only possible answer can be that Libby is still alive. But if she didn’t die that day in the car, what really happened? May struggles to find the truth.
How to read it: Purchase I Am Princess X on Amazon
Jackaby by William Ritter
In 1892, Abigail has crossed the ocean to make a new life in New England, so when she gets to New Fiddleham she’s eager to take a job. And that’s how she finds herself as the assistant to private investigator R.F. Jackaby, a young man who harnesses his supernatural gifts to solve paranormal crimes. Abigail’s arrived in the knick of time: there’s a serial killer on the loose. As Abigail and Jackaby team up to crack the case and stop the murders, the two become fast friends. This fun and page-turning genre-bending novel is the first installment in of the best teenage detective book series. A long, long time ago, I wrote a review of Jackaby for this blog.
How to read it: Purchase Jackaby on Amazon
I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick
In this inventive debut, Anna takes a summer nannying job in a small town in the Hamptons. The quiet community is reeling from the disappearance of Zoe Spanos. Anna resembles Zoe, which stirs up friction in the town. Soon Anna learns that she might be connected to Zoe in more ways than just her appearance. When Zoe is found two months later, Anna gets blamed, even though her confession is weak. True crime teen podcaster Martina Green suspects there’s more to the story. Can Martina clear Anna’s name? And if Anna didn’t murder Zoe, who did?
How to read it: Purchase I Killed Zoe Spanos on Amazon
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
In the mood for a historical novel? You’ll definitely want to check out Ruta Sepetys’ twisty spy thriller I Must Betray You. It’s 1989, and a brutal Communist government controls Romania, where Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to work as an informant. But Cristian soon becomes part of a larger effort to overthrow the tyrant dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, using espionage to undermine Ceaușescu in a feat of double crossing. If you love espionage novels, this must-read YA mystery book is a must for your TBR.
How to read it: Purchase I Must Betray You on Amazon
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynne Barnes
Be prepared to clear your schedule: when you start Jennifer Lynne Barnes’ The Inheritance Games, you won’t want to stop. Definitely among the most twisty YA mystery thrillers, The Inheritance Games is the start to a three-book series you can gobble up a few sittings, staying up far after bedtime to finish them. Eccentric billionaire Tobias Hawthorne leaves his money to average teen Avery Grambs, much to her shock—she’s never even heard of Tobias Hawthorne. But in order to get the money, Avery has to move into Hawthorne House where a group of shifty, shady, and suspicious relatives keep her guessing as she tries to stay alive and solve a mysterious puzzle Tobias left behind.
How to read it: Purchase The Inheritance Games on Amazon
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Karen M. McManus’ One of Us Is Lying probably needs no introduction. This wildly popular YA thriller belongs on any list of the best mystery books for teens. But in case you’ve lived under a rock, this addictive novel stars four high school students known as the Bayview Four who all know more than they are saying about the death of a fellow classmate during the detention they all attended. Corkscrew twists are laced through this thriller for fans of Big Little Lies.
How to read it: Purchase One of Us Is Lying on Amazon
Paper Towns by John Green
John Green won an Edgar award for his YA mystery novel Paper Towns, and since the Edgars are the premiere awards for mystery, thrillers, and crime fiction, you can be sure Green’s novel has earned praise as a modern classic as one the best YA mystery books. The novel stars Quentin Jacobsen, who has spent his life in awe of his magnetic, charismatic, and whimsical neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. When Margo goes missing, Quentin and his friends try to track her down, an epic quest readers won’t want to miss as you ask the big question: who is the real Margo?
How to read it: Purchase Paper Towns on Amazon
Sadie by Courtney Summers
This chilling novel definitely ranks among the most chilling YA thriller books. Dark and sobering, Sadie follows two timelines. First, the tracks of 19-year-old Sadie, who sets out to track down her sister’s murderer and bring him to justice. And second, the investigation true crime radio show host West McCray trying to find out what happened to Sadie once she goes missing. I couldn’t put this one down, racing through the pages to find a solution to the mystery. And I’m not saying if I found one.
How to read it: Purchase Sadie on Amazon
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
The first in a quartet of riveting thrillers, Stalking Jack the Ripper is a cinematic suspense story you won’t want to take a break from devouring. At 17, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no interest in living the aristocratic life she’s born into. Instead, she breaks into her uncle’s forensic medicine by night, fascinating by the emerging field. When Jack the Ripper strikes the streets of London, Audrey launches an informal investigation, bringing her closer to answers—and danger…
How to read it: Purchase Stalking Jack the Ripper on Amazon
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavalarro
If you’re looking for engrossing teenage detective book series, you’ve got to pick up Brittany Cavalarro’s A Study in Charlotte, which I reviewed here on Broke by Books a few years ago. In this series—which is four books long—the classic Sherlock Holmes stories enter the twenty first century. Charlotte Holmes is the great-great-great-granddaughter of notorious private investigator Sherlock Holmes. Now Charlotte solves mysteries at Sherringford, a New England prep school. When Jamie Watson (yes, descendant of that John Watson) gets a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, he falls for Charlotte. But before he can make a move, he’s got to save Charlotte from her self-destructive tendencies… after all, did someone say murder? It’s not long before they have to team up to solve the mysterious death of a classmate.
How to read it: Purchase A Study in Charlotte on Amazon
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
As a senior at a prestigious Long Island private school, Jill is eager to enjoy her final year of school and launch to her dream future. Jill is also a Senior Player, a coveted ranking in a secret society. But when she receives suspicious texts claiming that her dead friend’s boyfriend was not the real murderer, everything Jill thought she knew is called into question. Because if he didn’t kill her, who is the real murderer—and is he still out there?
How to read it: Purchase They Wish They Were Us on Amazon
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Vermont-based Ellingham Academy is about as exclusive as it gets. The founder of the school was Albert Ellingham, whose wife and daughter were kidnapped in an unsolved mystery, their deaths taunted in letters signed by the moniker “Truly, Devious.” True crime geek Stevie Bell is thrilled to be admitted to Ellingham and even more thrilled by the opportunity to crack the case… but when Truly Devious strikes again, Stevie finds herself in real danger. Can she solve the decades-old mystery and stop any more deaths? You’ll tear through this one to find out.
How to read it: Purchase Truly Devious on Amazon
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
It’s a book that needs no introduction: E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars. This is one of those YA mystery thriller books that you want to go into blind having read next to nothing about it for maximum twisty-ness. And all I can say is, if you haven’t read We Were Liars yet, do it now. But question everything you read. Like the book’s title, We Were Liars is a tale told by liars…
How to read it: Purchase We Were Liars on Amazon
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