These top ten YA murder mysteries for young adults are excellent pieces of writing. Heartbreaking tales, shocking mysteries, perfect romances, these books will make it in your top ten.
These books help touch on the difficulties of growing up, friends, and family, these books aren’t only for young adults but for adults too. These particular books are the perfect relaxing read, good enough to finish in one sitting! I hope you enjoy them!!

A Teen’s Guide to the Top Ten YA Murder Mysteries

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
This book is an absolutely stunning story about family, friendship and the struggles of growing up. The story follows a group of boys in the 1940s as they fight their way through life. I loved this book because even though I haven’t gone through the exact same hardships that Ponyboy has. However, he still helped me understand how important it truly is to have friends and a community. This book does a great job at making you feel like you are a part of their special family. S.E. Hinton is a genius for making a book that feels like a home. This book is brilliant, I loved everything about it. I think that every teen should read this to truly understand that they aren’t alone.

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
This book is about a strong, determined young woman who fights to see the best in people and will fight for her life to prove it. I loved this YA murder mystery. It is incredibly hard for me to be able to finish murder mysteries in one sitting, but this one is completely different. Pip is an incredibly sharp, smart, and fierce high school girl. She represents how you shouldn’t ever be worried about speaking your true opinion. What I loved about this book was how much you get to know about the characters. They all have so much depth and backstory that each character has. Especially Pip, she is told over and over again she is wasting her time, but she doesn’t listen, she fights for what she believes in until everyone finally listens.

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty (middle grade)
You don’t have to love fantasy to love this book, it’s so much more than magic and mystery. I haven’t ever really liked unrealistic books, but as soon as I read this book, I started to understand why they are popular. I haven’t ever read such a beautifully scary book. This book is so much more dramatic than I could’ve ever imagined. I loved how this book is so descriptive, it is the kind of book that immerses you immediately. Every single chapter starts with the most beautiful descriptive setting or feeling. It follows the story of a young girl in 1899, she lives her life trying to figure out one big mystery. This is one of my go-to murder mystery book suggestions for anyone.

Awful Auntie by David Walliams (middle grade)
Most murder mysteries don’t have much humor to them, I know for a fact that as someone who loves to analyze books, sometimes having a bit of light humor can make it a bit more enjoyable. In my British family, David Walliams was always my number one favorite author, yes his books can be a bit ‘childish’ but I think he’s a great easy read. I read this book in one day and it was honestly shocking. For a David Walliams book it is very mysterious and dark. This book follows the life of a young orphan who is living with her awful auntie. This book teaches us to trust your gut and understand that you can always have your own opinion. This book is a great laugh while still being a great mystery.

Looking for Alaska by John Green
This book is so much more than just a mystery, it’s the most beautiful book about friends, loss, loneliness, mental health and growing up. I have always loved John Green’s books. He has a way with words that no other writer can possibly match. However, this book is even more beautiful than the rest of his, if that’s even possible. I read this book in a week and that was possibly one of the shortest weeks of my life. What I adore about this book is how it touches so deeply on the past, present and future. It counts down with each chapter making the suspense even deeper.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
This book is an incredibly quick-moving and gripping book that will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I got this book and immediately read it. The main thing that I loved was how fast paced it is. Many murder mysteries just focus on the suspense and the mystery, but this book focused on the many layers behind the rich family. It’s a book of betrayal, family secrets, and it reminded me a lot of a modern day Gatsby. I loved this book because of how deep all the characters were. I truly loved being able to feel like I knew all the characters personally. This book is a gripping tale that will have you sweating!

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. Mcmanus
If you want a book that will have you entertained, scared, and in suspense, then you will adore this book. I read this when I was starting my intense reading journey. I am the kind of person that I’ll give a book a chance, but if it’s not the right fit then I won’t be able to read it. However, this book was the complete opposite of that. I loved every second of it and finished it in one day. I loved how this book is so interesting and has so many twists and turns, most murder mysteries you are able to figure out who it is if you try really hard. However, this book had me stumped about who it could be. It is such a clever book that I would recommend it to anyone!

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson
Holly Jackson is an amazing writer and this book is an amazing connector to the Good Girl’s Guide to murder series. I loved the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, they are well written and incredibly intense and gripping. Holly Jackson wrote the book Kill Joy as an extension to that series. This book follows the life of one of Pip’s close friends, Joy. I love how this book is like the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder but also completely different. This intriguing plot is filled with relationships, dark secrets, and it truly helps go in depth with the whole Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series whilst being its own book.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
I know she has been on this list a ton but I will stand by Holly Jackson’s books forever. This book is unlike her other books. I loved Holly Jackson just because of the way she can add such depth to her characters. She is an incredible writer who always writes the most amazing, strong female characters. She writes books about girls who have opinions. We live in a society where for years women have been told to be quiet, but Holly Jackson doesn’t agree with that. She writes books that not only are very interesting, but also teach girls that their voice is the most important thing they can use. These books are incredibly important for any young girl who wants to speak up for what they believe in.

Sadie by Courtney Summers
This book is an intriguing story about family, betrayal, and grief. I loved this book, it was truly fantastic. I was able to finish this in one sitting and honestly I’d gladly go back and read it again. This story follows the life of a girl called Sadie. She fights to be able to solve a family mystery. This novel is a thought-provoking piece of art that I truly loved because of how raw it was. The characters had such realistic emotions that the book felt so incredibly real. This book is a must read!!
About Beatrix Marshall

Beatrix Marshall is a 14-year-old high school freshman. She is a ballerina, avid reader/writer, and she has had the privilege to be able to intern with an amazing author and human. Melissa Taylor has helped Bea become determined to be able to be a published author when she grows older. She hopes to create books for young adults that will help touch on important topics in the modern world. But for now she works hard to keep on writing and reading!
