A Vermont boarding school hidden away in the mountains, a lavish estate filled with puzzles upon puzzles, or a resort island set off the coast of New England. Friends that stab you in the back, or an anonymous voice threatening to reveal all of your secrets . . .

The murder mystery genre is full to the brim of captivating stories that will stun you into silence, with insightful and witty characters, extravagant locations, and plots that are dying to be read.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is one of the most popular young adult books at the moment – something that was further proven by the successful novel solidifying its position in the top 10 most popular reads for young people, according to research by Deakin University.

But once you’ve dipped into the genre of young adult murder mysteries, what books can you go to next? Holly Jackson may be a tough act to follow but there are powerful novels out there that I encourage readers to try out if they're interested in the genre.

Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson

When true crime aficionado Stevie Bell gets an invitation to join the ranks of one of the most elite private schools in America, Ellingham Academy, she’s in disbelief. Something that is only reinforced when she arrives at the secluded mountain campus in Vermont, and begins to get to know her new home.

However as Stevie begins to learn more about the school, its dark past is uncovered. Albert Ellingham, founder of the school, designed it with twisting pathways and more secret passageways than one can count. After the school was founded, Albert’s beloved wife and daughter were kidnapped – his only clue being a rhyming list of murder methods signed off ‘Truly, Devious’.

Stevie knows more about true crime than anyone and that’s one of the reasons she applied to Ellingham Academy. She wants to solve this case and she knows that she can. However, before Stevie can even adjust to her new school, murder strikes Ellingham again.

In a mystery weaving together the 30s and the present day, will the murders of Ellingham Academy finally be solved?

Truly, Devious is the first book in a series and one that I will always recommend to fans of young adult murder mystery. Its intricate plot, astounding setting and detailed characters will draw you in and you’ll get lost in the pathways and secrets of Ellingham Academy.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Though not necessarily a murder mystery, the detail-oriented and suspenseful plot of The Inheritance Games will cause you to be on the edge of your seat for 400 pages. In fact, this entire series will always have permanent residence in my bookcase because of how many times I love to reread the series.

When Avery Kylie Grambs is invited to the will reading of eccentric billionaire Tobias Hawthorne, she doesn’t suspect that she will leave having inherited almost all of his fortune. And neither does his family.

Now, Avery must live in the Hawthorne family’s Texas estate for a year, the only condition that Tobias Hawthorne left for her in his will. Avery’s perseverance is put to the test as she moves into Hawthorne House – a lavish mansion adorned with secret passageways and puzzles upon puzzles.

Flung into her new life, Avery desperately tries to adapt, something that is not helped by Tobias’s four grandsons. She soon develops friendships with Nash, the cowboy, and Xander, the genius prodigy . . . but it is the other two that appear the most dangerous.

Grayson, the heir apparent, is standoffish and distrusting towards Avery, convinced that she must be a conwoman. And Jameson – magnetic and brilliant – is deeply convinced that Avery is a puzzle left by his grandfather . . . one that he is eager to solve.

Will Avery manage to solve the mystery of why the Hawthorne fortune was left to her, or will she become tangled up in something much more sinister and intricate?

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The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

Karen M. McManus is most well known for the One of Us is Lying series – an impressive high school murder mystery – but her other novels are equally captivating. Out of her numerous books, The Cousins will always be my favourite – a result of the characters, setting, and McManus' extreme attention to detail.

When Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story get a letter from their reclusive grandmother, all three are stunned. Years ago, Mildred Story disinherited all of her children with nothing more to explain her decision other than a letter that read ‘you know what you did’. Now, she has invited her grandchildren to work at her island resort for the summer – something all three are very suspicious about.

Why did Mildred disinherit her children? And why is she acting now as if nothing ever happened? The Story family has secrets – everybody knows that. But how deep do the secrets go, and how many generations do they cover?

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

While Ace of Spades is not a book that primarily focuses on a murder mystery, it is an intense thriller that literally left me stunned into silence when I finished the last page. The book tackles important issues such as institutionalised racism; I recommend that everybody reads this book, as the plot twists will surprise all!

When Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo are chosen to be two elite prefects at Niveus Private Academy, it seems like a dream come true. However when an anonymous voice who calls themself ‘Ace’ starts texting the entire school, revealing secrets about the two, their futures are put into jeopardy.

The two have become the talk of the school and now, despite their reluctance to become friends, they have to team up in order to stop Ace before their deepest secrets are leaked.

The book provides an important social commentary on how Black people are treated in society and that, combined with Àbíké-Íyímídé’s unique and fresh narrative voice, leads to a captivating and insightful read.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

If We Were Villains is one of the most complex and thought provoking novels I have ever read. I first started reading it in the height of my Donna Tartt obsession, in which all I would talk about was The Secret History. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Tartt’s writing style, or even of the murder mystery genre as a whole. Rio passionately describes a world in which the ones we love the most are the ones that can hurt us most painfully.

The story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Oliver, who has just served 10 years in prison. As he leaves prison after serving his sentence, he is greeted by the man who put him away. He wants to know what really happened 10 years ago, the last great mystery that he was unable to solve.

A decade ago Oliver, alongside his six closest friends, was in his fourth year of acting school. The group are deeply passionate about their craft and for their last year will be tackling the tragedies of Shakespere. But when group politics and friendships get too fraught between the seven of them, will they manage to stick together, or lash out in ways that cannot be undone?

Told in two intersecting storylines, the reader follows Oliver's journey and becomes deeply connected with all of the characters that are presented. But who really is the killer? Is it the hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, or the extra? And is anyone really blameless in this tangled mess?

Saskia de Leeuw Kyle is a member of the 2024 Readings Teen Advisory Board.