As the days get shorter and the weather gets cooler, curl up with one of these books and see if you can solve the mystery!
One of Us Is Next by Karen McManus
A year after the Bayview four were cleared of Simon Kelleher’s death a ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up, but no one’s been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. Now a game with dangerous consequences is targeting students at Bayview–and if the creator isn’t found soon, dangerous could prove deadly. If you choose not to play, it’s a truth. And Phoebe is the first target. Maeve is next. By the time Knox is tagged, the dares have become deadly.
Turtle Under Ice by Juleah Del Rosario
Rowena feels like her family is a frayed string of lights that someone needs to fix with electrical tape. After her mother died a few years ago, she and her sister, Ariana, drifted into their own corners of the world, each figuring out in their own separate ways how to exist in a world in which their mother is no longer alive. But then Ariana disappears under the cover of night in the middle of a snowstorm, leaving no trace or tracks. When Row wakes up to a world of snow and her sister’s empty bedroom, she is left to piece together the mystery behind where Ariana went and why, realizing along the way that she might be part of the reason Ariana is gone.
The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly by Meredith Tate
When band-geek Ivy and her friends get together, things start with a rousing board game and end with arguments about Star Wars. Her older sister Autumn is a different story. Enigmatic, aloof, and tough as nails, Autumn hasn’t had real friends–or trusted anyone–in years. Even Ivy. But Autumn might not be tough enough. After a drug deal gone wrong, Autumn is beaten, bound, and held hostage. Now, trapped between life and death, she leaves her body, seeking help. No one can sense her presence–except her sister. When Autumn doesn’t come home, Ivy just knows she’s in trouble. Ivy follows a string of clues that bring her closer to rescuing her sister… and closer to danger. Soon, both sisters realize that finding her also means untangling the secrets that lead to the truth.
Lie to Me by Kaitlin Ward
When Amelia woke up in the hospital with bruises, broken bones, and a concussion, everybody insisted that she accidentally fell down the embankment and almost into the river; but Amelia cannot shake the feeling that she was pushed, especially since another young woman was found nearby, dead–and so, with the help of a new friend, Liam, and despite her best friend’s reservations, she sets out to discover the truth, even though her search seems to be leading her ever deeper into danger.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Everyone in Fairview knows the story. Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town. But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer? She discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent…and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.
All the Pretty Things by Emily Arsenault
For Ivy, summer means hanging out at the Fabuland amusement park with her best friend, Morgan. Then Morgan finds a dead body–a former classmate and coworker, Ethan. And a few days later Morgan is taken to a hospital psych ward. The police claim that Ethan simply took a bad fall, but Ivy isn’t convinced. She finds that some people aren’t being honest about Ethan’s last night at Fabuland–including Morgan.
I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick
Anna Cicconi’s summer gig in the Hamptons village of Herron Mills as a nanny is supposed to be a fresh start. But the community has been on edge since Zoe Spanos, a local girl, disappeared New Year’s Eve. Anna’s resemblance to Zoe causes her to delve into Zoe’s life. She becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected–and that she knows what happened to her. When Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Can her podcast uncover the truth?
The Sullivan Sisters by Kathryn Ormsbee
The once tight bond among three sisters, ages fourteen to eighteen, disappears as each deals with a personal setback; but when a letter arrives informing the sisters of a dead uncle and an inheritance they knew nothing about, the news forces them to band together in the face of a sinister family mystery, and possible murder.
You’re Next by Kylie Schachte
Flora Calhoun has a reputation for sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. After stumbling upon a classmate’s body years ago, the trauma of that discovery and the police’s failure to find the killer has haunted her ever since. One night, she gets a midnight text from Ava McQueen, the beautiful girl who had ignited Flora’s heart last summer, then never spoke to her again. Just in time to witness Ava’s death from a gunshot wound, Flora is set on a path of rage and vengeance for all the dead girls whose killer is never found. Her sleuthing leads to clues about a shocking conspiracy involving her school and beyond, but also earns her sinister threats from the murderer. She has a choice: give up the hunt for answers, or keep digging and risk her loved ones’ lives. Who’s next on the killer’s list?
Little Creeping Things by Chelsea Ichaso
As a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her neighbor. At least, that’s what she’s been told. She can’t remember anything from that day. She’s pretty sure she didn’t mean to do it. She’s a victim too. But her town’s bullies, particularly the cruel and beautiful Melody Davenport, have never let her live it down. In Melody’s eyes, Cassidy is a murderer and always will be. When Cassidy overhears what sounded like an abduction and Melody goes missing, Cassidy knows she should go to the cops, but… She recently joked about how much she’d like to get rid of Melody. She even planned out the perfect way to do it. It’s up to Cassidy to figure out what really happened, because if she comes forward without a suspect, she knows people will point fingers at her. Again. And she can’t let that happen. But the truth behind Melody’s disappearance will set the whole town ablaze.
Fake Plastic World by Zara Lisbon
How badly do you want to be famous? What–or who–would you sacrifice? These are the questions Justine Childs is forced to reckon with as the main suspect in the murder of It-girl Eva-Kate Kelly. Not long ago, Eva-Kate drew Justine into her orbit before meeting her untimely end in a Venice Beach canal. Prosecutors and the public want to know: Did Justine, now a social media darling in her own right, kill her celebrity best friend? Can anyone be trusted to tell the truth? Justine has always wanted people to know her name–but not all notoriety is created equal.
The Girl in the White Van by April Henry
Savannah disappears soon after arguing with her mom’s boyfriend, and everyone assumes she ran away. The truth is, she’s been kidnapped by a man in a white van who locks her in an old trailer home, far from prying eyes. And worse yet, Savannah is not alone. Ten months earlier, Jenny met the same fate and nearly died trying to escape. As the two girls wonder if he will hold them captive forever or kill them, they must join forces to break out– even if it means they die trying.
