Mystery is lurking everywhere from the school hallways to the shadows of the local woods. In this list, you’ll find amateur detectives searching for clues, young people bringing dark secrets to light, and stories which blend horror and drama as minds are untangled alongside the mystery. Expect some twists and turns as you delve into the world of mystery and thriller.
This list is loosely ordered from ‘light’ to ‘gritty’ reads. A Christchurch City Libraries’ list.
Enola is the much younger sister of Sherlock Holmes. Slightly eccentric and just as witty as her siblings, her life in Victorian England is interesting to say the least. Her mother disappears on her 14th birthday, leaving behind some clues…
Ali Cross is the son of former FBI agent and detective Alex Cross. Following in his father's footsteps, Ali can't help but get on the case when his friend Gabe goes missing. With help from his friends, his father and the computer game…
Stevie worked her butt off to attend Ellingham Academy, a fancy boarding school famous for an unsolved murder and kidnapping. Stevie is a true crime addict and wants to be a detective. As she investigates, a student ends up dead and Stevie…
All your favourite Jane Austen characters are back for this 'Pride and Prejudice'-based murder mystery! Lizzie Bennet is trying to prove herself as a female lawyer and when Mr Bingley is accused of murder, she is competing with…
A modern twist on the classic Sherlock Holmes. Descendant Charlotte Holmes has been brought up to be a master detective but is socially inept, Jamie Watson has anger issues, and both meet at boarding school. The story has plenty of twists…
Five teens walk into detention, one never makes it out. Simon was about to release a tell-all gossip blast containing juicy information about the other four. Surely that's motive? They all claim their innocence but they all have something…
Peter has a crippling anxiety disorder and makes it through each day with a variety of coping mechanisms. He is also a math prodigy. When his sister disappears and his mother is brutally attacked at a gala party, Peter is swept up in a…
Sally Jones is a remarkable gorilla that understands humans. She works with Chief operating a cargo boat. What a too-good-to-be-true deal goes wrong, and Chief is accused of murder, Sally goes to the ends of the earth to help clear his…
Chiamaka has worked exceptionally hard to gain the coveted spot of Head Girl at Niveus Academy. Devon is a musical prodigy with his sights set on attending Juliard. When they both start receiving blackmail texts from "Aces", their secrets…
Nora is the daughter of a con artist so her life has been full of pretending to be someone else. Her day turns belly-up when she, her ex-boyfriend and new girlfriend head to the bank to deposit some fundraising money. The men who chose to…
Five years ago, school-girl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it, everyone in town knows he did it, but Pip isn’t so sure. She bases her final year project on re-investigating the case and the story is told using…
Avery is scraping through high school, trying to get a scholarship and have a better life. When she is told she has been left a billion-dollar fortune from Tobias Hawthorne, she has no idea who he is, let alone why this would happen to…
"I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to kill anyone". When four teens dig up their parent’s time capsule from 1986, the last thing they expect to find is a bloody hunting knife and a confession note. Following a dual timeline, the past and present…
Set in the Roaring 20’s, Marion – the boy in the red dress - is the star performer at a New Orleans speakeasy. When a star-struck fan is found dead, Marion is pinned as the murderer. Millie, who is running the club while her parents are…
Sure Christopher was a little odd, but he was such a good guy, which is why it was so shocking that he was murdered. Based on a true story and written in a mixture of narrative, poetry and screenplay, each voice in this story, including…
The author of 'The Cheerleaders' brings another dark and extremely twisty tale about a weekend getaway gone wrong. Claire wakes up on a mountain track with injuries and no memory of the past 48 hours. Her two friends that were with her…
Tessa and Callie sent a man to prison ten years ago. Now Tessa is back in Fayette and she and Callie are rethinking their statement when people begin dying in a similar way. Could these new murders have a connection with the crime that…
Daunis Fontaine feels like she doesn’t fit in on her Native American reservation, or in her hometown. A new hockey player at school catches her eye, but as a lethal new drug similar to meth threatens the community, Daunis is asked to go…
This is a hard-hitting mystery which tackles some heavy life issues. Monday and Claudia are 14-year-old best friends. Monday’s home life isn’t great and when she doesn’t start school after summer break, Claudia tries to find out where she…
Written by a NZ author, this novel is more on the thriller side of mystery and tackles some intense themes including abuse and stalking. Kelsey is in an abusive relationship with an absentee father and a mother in hospital care. When…
