Mysteries, Thrillers & Suspense, Oh My!
Sometimes you just need a good mystery (murder or otherwise) to calm your wired-up brain down. Then there are those books that you just can't put down because they're so suspenseful! Dig out your magnifying glass, finger-printing kit, and prepare to be thrilled.
You can find all of these in the Young Adult Fiction section of our library, alphabetically by the author's last name. Those with * next to the author are also available as an e-book or e-audio book through our e-book service, Media On Demand.
Bullet Point by P. Abrahams
The only thing seventeen-year-old Wyatt knew about his biological father was that he was serving a life sentence, but circumstances and a new girlfriend bring them together and soon Wyatt is working to prove his father's innocence.
Down the Rabbit Hole by P. Abrahams
Like her idol Sherlock Holmes, eighth grader Ingrid Levin-Hill uses her intellect to solve a murder case in her home town of Echo Falls.
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by J. Berk*
When Will Halpin transfers from his all-deaf school into a mainstream Pennsylvania high school, he faces discrimination and bullying, but still manages to solve a mystery surrounding thedeath ofa popular football player in his class.
Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator by J. Berk*
Sixteen-year-old Guy Langman, his best friend Anoop, and other members of the school Forensics Club investigate a break-in and a possible murder, which could be connected to the mysterious past of Guy's recently-deceased father.
What I Saw and How I Lied by J. Blundell*
In 1947, with her jovial stepfather Joe back from the war and family life returning to normal, teenage Evie, smitten by the handsome young ex-GI who seems to have a secret hold on Joe, finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies whose devastating outcome change her life and that of her family forever.
Heist Society by A. Carter*
A group of teenagers uses their combined talents to re-steal several priceless paintings and save fifteen-year-old Kat Bishop's father, himself an international art thief, from a vengeful collector.
Stolen by L. Christopher
Sixteen-year-old Gemma, a British city-dweller, is abducted while on vacation with her parents and taken to the Australian outback, where she soon realizes that escape attempts are futile, and in time she learns that her captor is not as despicable as she first believed.
The Body Finder by K. Derting*
High school junior Violet uses her uncanny ability to sense murderers and their victims to try to stop a serial killer who is terrorizing her town, and although her best friend and would-be boyfriend Jay promises to keep her safe, she becomes a target.
London Eye Mystery by S. Dowd*
When Ted and Kat's cousin Salim disappears from the London Eyeferris wheel, the two siblings must work together--Ted with his brain that is "wired differently" and impatient Kat--to try to solve the mysteryof what happened to Salim.
The Butterfly Clues by K. Ellison*
Having experienced compulsive behavior all her life, Lo's symptoms are getting her into trouble when she witnesses a murder while wandering dangerous quarters of Cleveland, Ohio, collecting things that do not belong to her, obsessing about her brother's death.
The Morgue and Me by J.C. Ford
Eighteen-year-old Christopher, who plans to be a spy, learns of a murder cover-up through his summer job as a morgueassistant and teams up with Tina, a gorgeous newspaper reporter, to investigate, despite great danger.
The Poisoned House by M. Ford
As thewidowed master of an elegant housein Victorian-era London slips slowly into madness and his tyrannical housekeeper takes on more power, a ghostly presence distracts a teenaged maidservant with clues to a deadly secret.
Blank Confession by P. Hautman
A new and enigmatic student named Shayne appears at high school one day, befriends the smallest boy in the school, and takes on a notorious drug dealer before turning himself in to the police for killing someone.
The Shattering by K. Healey
When a rash of suicides disturbs Summerton, an oddly perfect tourist town on thewest coast of New Zealand, theyounger siblings of thedead boys become suspicious and begin an investigation that reveals dark secrets and puts them in grave danger.
Girl, Stolen by A. Henry
When an impulsive carjacking turns into a kidnapping, Griffin, a high school dropout, finds himself more in sympathy with his wealthy, blind victim, sixteen-year-old Cheyenne, than with his greedy father.
Losing Faith by D. Jaden
Brie tries to cope with her grief over her older sister Faith's sudden death by trying to learn more about the religious "home group" Faithsecretly joined and never talked about with Brie or her parents.
Rosebush by M. Jaffe*
The morning after an epic Memorial Day party on the Jersey shore, Jane Freeman wakes up paralyzed, lying in a rosebush after a hit-and-run. Everyone believes it was an accident, but as friends come to visit in the hospital Jane's memories begin to surface, not just from the party but from deeper in her past, including the night her best friend Bonnie died.
The Name of the Star by M. Johnson*
Rory, of Boueuxlieu, Louisiana, is spending a year at a London boarding school when she witnesses a murder by a Jack theRipper copycat and becomes involved with thevery unusual investigation.
Death Cloud by A. Lane*
In 1868, with his army officer father suddenly posted to India, and his mother mysteriously "unwell," fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes is sent to stay with his eccentric uncle and aunt in their vast house in Hampshire, where he uncovers his first murder and a diabolical villain.
Adventures of Jack Lime by J. Leck
Fifteen-year-old Jack Lime is a self-styled private eye who solves the problems (and exposes the seedy underbelly) of Iona High's student body; the three fast-paced, stand-alone mysteries filled with twists, turns and hilarious high school characters prove that no case is too small for this hardboiled hero who's a pro at stalking school corridors.
The Silence of Murder by D. Mackall
Sixteen-year-old Hope must defend her developmentally disabled brother (who has not spoken a word since he was seven) when he is accused ofmurdering a beloved high school baseball coach.
Blood Wounds by S. Pfeffer*
Willa seems to have a perfect life as a member of a loving blended family until the estranged father she barely remembers murders his wife and children, then heads toward Willa and her mother.
Trafficked by K. Purcell
A seventeen-year-old Moldovan girl whose parents have been killed is brought to the United States to work as a slave for a family in Los Angeles.
Jasper Jones by C. Silvey
In small-town Australia, teens Jasperand Charlie form an unlikely friendship when one asks the other to help him cover up a murder until they can prove who is responsible.
Double by J. Valentine
When sixteen-year-old Chap is mistaken for a missing boy, he leaves the home where he has been living temporarily and takes on this new identity, not knowing that it is as dangerous and uncertain as the life he has left behind.
That's just a few of the great mystery, thriller, and suspense books out there. Need more? Can't find the one you want? Ask a librarian at the Youth Services desk!