One of Us is Lying, by Karen McManus, is one of the most popular and intriguing mystery books of the last few years. Centered in the small town of Bayview California, McManus’s quick paced writing and addicting style allow readers to get invested from the very beginning. High schoolers Abby, Nate, Bronwyn, and Cooper find themselves in detention with Simon Keheller, the creator of Bayview High’s gossip app, ‘About That,’ which is known for spilling destructive and deadly secrets about Bayview’s students.
One of Us is Lying is a mystery novel by Karen McManus. It follows the story of four high school students who are suspects in a murder case. Each of the characters has a unique background with many secrets that the reader learns about throughout the book. There is a huge twist that happens in the book that reveals a major detail in the murder case. Throughout this book, the characters made it more captivating and made me want to keep reading.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder: Good Girl, Bad Blood is a book series that follows Pip, a teenage girl who solves local mysteries. Despite saying her mystery-solving days are over, Pip falls back into the rabbit hole of mystery when Jamie goes missing the day of town memorial. With the help of her friend, Ravi Singh, Pip begins to uncover what happened to Jamie, discovering some of the town’s secrets along the way. Since the police won’t solve the mystery, it is up to Pip to find out what happened to Jamie.
This book focuses on two characters, Pippa and Ravi, and follows their journey of investigating the truth of Andie Bell’s disappearance and Sal Singh’s death five years before the present. Sal, Ravi’s brother, was convicted of Andie’s murder before he died. Ravi never believed that his brother was capable of doing this, so he worked with Pippa to prove Sal’s innocence.
Summary: One of Us Is Lying is a gripping young adult mystery that unfolds in a high school setting. The story revolves around five students - Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, Cooper, and Simon - who find themselves in detention together. Simon, the creator of a notorious gossip app at school, was about to reveal devastating secrets about his fellow classmates, but suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances in the detention room. The remaining four students quickly become suspects in what turns into a murder investigation.
Pippa-Fitz Amobi, a senior in high school, must complete a research project on a topic of her choice; something she is passionate about. She looks into a past murder case of a girl named Andie Bell. Sal Singh, along with Andie, had been found dead in the forest. According to clues at the scene of the crime, all hints pointed to one scenario: Sal killed Andie (who is also his girlfriend) and killed himself afterwards as a result of guilt and regret. Despite the case being declared closed by the authorities, Pip finds it hard to believe. It seemed a bit too obvious.
Summary: The story starts with 15-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone, who discovers the body of Wellington, his neighbor Mrs. Shears’ dog, dead on their lawn. Christopher decides to investigate the context of the murder and uncover the culprit. Throughout his investigation, we learn more about Christopher’s life, personality, and defining characteristics. Although it is not explicitly stated, it is highly suggested he has a form of autism. These traits aid and hinder him in his investigation.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder follows a girl named Pip as she tries to uncover the murder of a girl named Andie Bell for a school project with a boy named Ravi, the brother of the boy suspected of killing Andie. Pip isn't convinced that Ravis's older brother killed Andie, and neither is Ravi. They can't ask him because he was soon dead after her, a “suicide”. Pip and Ravi work hard to find out who did this.
I took a deep breath after I finished the last sentence of this novel… because I was on the edge of my seat! A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is packed with many turns, twists, and traps that I, as a reader, was drawn and manipulated into. I’ll be honest, when I read the first 20 pages of this book, I felt as though I would be underwhelmed by this murder mystery. However, I was hooked when I got to the halfway point.
Five Survive by Holly Jackson is a mystery novel about 6 friends going on a road trip together. The night takes a turn when their RV breaks down in an isolated place with no cell phone reception or anyone near to help. After weird things start happening, the friends find out that it wasn’t just an accident, but that someone’s targeting them in the shadows. Little do they know that not all of them will survive the night, and that one of them has a secret that the murderer would kill for.
