From what I’ve heard, I’m not alone when I say that reading during the pandemic has been challenging at times. I’m not sure why that is, exactly, just that it seems to be true for a lot of people.
So, what helped me out of my rut and again and again? Thrillers and yes, murder mysteries, which probably sounds strange. I recently saw someone on social media say that a murder mystery can be a comforting read because in the end, we know there will be justice. And I think there is probably some truth to that. After all, happy endings don’t have to involve two people kissing. A happy ending can also mean a mystery solved and justice for the victim (not a hundred percent of the time, of course).
When I wrote my YA murder mystery, A NIGHT TO DIE FOR, I was substituting in school libraries a lot. I had a long term assignment filing in at a high school. Until then, I gravitated more toward writing YA romance. But during my time at that high school, the students had me take a hard look at that. Every day, and that is not an exaggeration, I had students coming in, specifically asking for thrillers and mysteries. I had my go-tos, like Lois Duncan, April Henry, and Kimberly Derting, but beyond that, I was kind of clueless. And I made it my mission to get much more familiar with the thriller space. After all, I love a good thriller TV show, as long as it isn’t too scary. And that’s what’s hard for me – I can’t really do horror because I’m a scaredy-cat and my fear kept me from initially trying some books I would end up enjoying because I worried they would be *too* scary. I don’t even know if I can define what too scary is for me, but that’s beside the point. The point is, I started reading some murder mysteries. And I found I really enjoyed them!
Writing A NIGHT TO DIE FOR was a lot of fun. A murder on prom night provided a lot of potential suspects, and I probably shouldn’t admit this but it wasn’t until about halfway through the book that I figured out how it would end. I’m guessing most mystery writers know how their book ends, and I probably broke cardinal rule number one! All I knew was I wanted to give writing a murder mystery a try and in order to keep writing, it was all about making it fun and so, that meant not knowing for sure exactly what happened to Maribelle, the teen who’s crowned prom queen and found dead after the dance.
Here are some of the YA murder mysteries I have read and loved, in no particular order, and I want to thank all of these authors for inspiring me to take a stab (pun intended) at writing my own murder mystery. Happy reading!
The Body in the Woods by April Henry
Full disclosure, I’m friends with April, but that is exactly why I was familiar with her books and had bought and read many of them at the time I started writing my own. One of the cool things about this book is that April was inspired to write this book by a real-life teen-led search and rescue group that has been credited with helping solve dozens of homicides. It’s such a cool concept and the book does not disappoint.
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
I read this one with a book club I belonged to and I think we all gave it a big thumbs-up. It takes place in Aruba and very much has the feeling of being a story that was pulled from the headlines. It is a book that will suck you in and won’t let you go until you get to the last page.
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Courtney and I started our YA careers around the same time, so it was fun to see this book be such a smashing success for Courtney. If you have an interest in true crime, this book is for you! It’s one of those books I don’t want to say much about – best to go in with as little information as possible and just try to enjoy the ride!
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Kim is another writer I was fortunate enough to become friends with, so I read this early on in my YA career and really enjoyed it, probably because it’s a nice mixture of romance and thriller, with a supernatural element thrown in as well. There are some chapters from the killer’s point of view that are pretty creepy, but I made it through.
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
First of all, isn’t the cover for THE CHEERLEADERS incredible? This novel goes back and forth between present day, when Sunnybrook High no longer has a cheerleading squad, and five years ago, before a bunch of cheerleaders died, so the story has two separate timelines and two sets of students. It’s really well done with a lot of attention to detail and with its twists and turns, definitely a page-turning read.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
I know this one is probably on most everyone’s list, but I had to include it on my list as well. And the thing I appreciated about it is it made me laugh in a few spots. It’s a gift to know how to ease up on the tension in the right spots and allow the reader to catch their breath a bit. Besides that, you really feel like you’re walking alongside Pippa, trying to figure out the murder mystery and that is just a whole lot of fun.
Grown by Tiffany Jackson
Okay, so I’m in the middle of reading this one as I write this post, but man, it is so good so far! When Enchanted Jones wakes up with blood on her hands and has zero memory of the previous night, all signs point to her killing R&B artist Korey Fields.
For some reason, I really like books when all signs point to one person, but there are reasons to believe it’s likely someone else. Did he or didn’t he, that’s the question and it’s such a fun journey to take the reader on. That’s how I tackled my murder mystery – Mario finds Maribelle’s body in a ditch off of a country road and he becomes the primary suspect. But he’s a nice kid and he couldn’t have done it. Could he? I guess you’ll have to read it and find out!
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