Recommending by Genre: Mystery

Hi everyone!

I have always loved mystery books, as I love thinking logically about problems, and trying to solve the mystery before the characters. In this post, I will be recommending my favourite mystery books.

Murder Most Unladylike (series) – Robin Stevens:

Recommended order of reading: Murder Most Unladylike -> Arsenic for Tea -> First Class Murder -> Jolly Foul Play -> Mistletoe and Murder -> Cream Buns and Crime -> A Spoonful of Murder -> The Case of the Missing Treasure -> Death in the Spotlight -> Top Marks for Murder -> The Case of the Drowned Pearl -> Death Sets Sail -> Once Upon a Crime

I recommend this series for ages 10 and up, as long as they are comfortable reading about murder. Nothing is graphically described, we are told at the end how the murder happened, but with no grotesque details.

This series follows the lives of Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong throughout their time at Deepdean School for Girls, and on holidays. In each book, they are faced with a murder, where the wrong person is seeming to be convicted. The girls then take it upon their responsibilities to solve the murder, and bring the murderer to justice. The range of settings used creates a perfect balance between familiarity and exploring the other aspects of their lives. Personally, I am not ready to read the final book in this series, as I don’t want it to end (especially after reading the information on Robin Stevens’ website about this book)!

Best book in the series: Mistletoe and Murder

I’ll be reviewing this book series from July to August 2020, with the Mistletoe and Murder review at Christmas.

One of Us is Lying (series) – Karen M. McManus:

Recommended reading order: One of Us Is Lying -> One of Us Is Next

I recommend this series for ages 12 and up.

One of Us is Lying starts with Nate, Bronwyn, Addy, Cooper and Simon in detention together. Simon then dies and a murder enquiry starts. The ‘Bayview Four’ were about to have their biggest secrets posted online, so they are the main suspects. Through hacking onto databases and websites, all the characters spend the book trying to workout which one of the four comitted the murder. This book is tense the whole way through, and you will be very shocked at the ending. One of Us is Next continues a year after the first book, with a new mystery to solve.

Best book in the series: One of Us is Lying

Two Can Keep A Secret – Karen M. McManus:

I recommend this book for ages 13 and up.

In 1995, Sarah Corcoran was murdered on her way home. 5 years before the book was set, another homecoming Queen, Lacey Kilduff was murdered in the Murderland Halloween Park. The murderer claims to be back. Throughout the book, the murderer leaves menacing notes to Echo Ridge, threatening to kill again. The people of Echo Ridge then try and solve the mystery. Once you get to the end of this book, the last sentence… well you are not prepared for it.

So, these are my favourite mystery books, out of what I have read.

What are your favourite mystery books? Please comment with your thoughts.

Thank you for reading my blog. On Friday, I will be reviewing A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs.

Hannah