10 Best Mystery Novels for Secondary Students

Personally, I have always been a big fan of murder mysteries as they impart that thrill , nail biting, keep on the edge suspense element to a book !! There’s nothing like curling up in a cozy armchair with hot chocolate and getting lost in the world of crime. Whether it is Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I find this genre of writings a great way to get the readers mind racing 

1. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden.

This is a great book for teens and young adults. Filled with thrills, chills, action and betrayal, this book is definitely one of my favourites in the mystery section!

2. The London Eye Mystery

Ted and his older sister Kate become sleuthing partners since the police are having no luck. Despite their prickly relationship, they overcome their differences to follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find their cousin. And ultimately it comes down to Ted, whose brain runs on its own unique operating system, to find the key to the mystery…

Although this may not be for older teenagers, it is still an incredible book by the late Siobhan Dowd. A true mystery to keep you up on your feet, with a very unusual ending…

3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The detective is at the height of his powers and the volume is full of famous cases, including ‘The Red-Headed League’, ‘The Blue Carbuncle’, and ‘The Speckled Band’. Although Holmes gained a reputation for infallibility, Conan Doyle showed his own realism and feminism by having the great detective defeated by Irene Adler – the woman – in the very first story, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’.

When searching for mystery novels be it  teen or adult, Sherlock Holmes is a classic. Nobody can beat Sherlock and his partner Watson at solving a general mystery !! A classic which I recommend to all my readers.

4. The Name of this Book is Secret

As much as he’d love to sing the praises of his book (he is very vain), he wouldn’t want you to hear about his brave 11-year old heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest or about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky) circumstances. And he certainly wouldn’t want you to know about the hair-raising adventures that follow and the nefarious villains they face. You see, not only is the name of this book secret, the story inside is, too. For it concerns a secret. A Big Secret.

This Book is great for a laugh. You can’t tell me this book doesn’t have suspense written all over it. A truly unforgettable read!

5. Cog Heart

Lily’s life is in mortal peril. Her father is missing and now silver-eyed men stalk her through the shadows. What could they want from her? With her friends—Robert, the clockmaker’s son, and Malkin, her mechanical fox—Lily is plunged into a murky and menacing world. Too soon Lily realizes that those she holds dear may be the very ones to break her heart…

A great mixture of steampunk and murder mystery. At first, the plot seems to drag on for a bit initially but the next few chapters are far from it! A great read for all students.

6. A Monster Calls

Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don’t quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there’s a visitor at his window. It’s ancient, elemental and a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.

This story is not a mystery like we know it, but it demands something that makes it a murder mystery nonetheless. It wants the truth. A truly emotional story which was completed by Patrick Ness after the passing of Siobhan Dowd.

7.Model Undercover

Axelle Anderson doesn’t care about fashion, in spite of her pushy fashionista aunt, Venetia all Axelle wants to do in life is solve mysteries. But when top fashion designer Belle La Lune goes missing and Aunt Venetia becomes a prime suspect, Axelle must go undercover as a model to bring the truth into the spotlight.

A great book for aspiring detectives, or the misunderstandings between mothers and daughters. Humorous, suspenseful with a hint of romance; a perfect pairing if you ask me !!

8. Taylor and Rose Secret Agents Series

On a case for the mysterious SECRET SERVICE BUREAU, the daring MISS SOPHIE TAYLOR and MISS LILIAN ROSE must leave London for the boulevards and grand hotels of Paris. But DANGER lurks beneath the bright lights of the city – and INTRIGUE and MURDER lie in store. As aeroplanes soar in the skies overhead, our heroines will need to put all their spy skills to the test to face the PERIL that awaits them…

Taylor and Rose is the book which got me into reading murder mysteries in the first place. A great example for all readers. Is impossible not to fall in love with theses series and their two heroines.

9.The Sinclare’s Mysteries

Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villains to justice…

The Sinclare’s Mysteries is a great series, containing everything a mystery lover would search for in a navel. From crimes, thefts, kidnappings and murder, this series has got it all.

10. Artemis Fowl

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius, and above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories—they’re dangerous!

Artemis Fowl is one of my favourite series to read. One of the few novels where the villain gets his way, a great series, bending stereotypes and making history. A mystery in a way!!