New YA Mysteries

 Mysteries are arguably the most popular genre in fiction. In teaching the mystery genre, analyzing the author's use of classic mystery techniques can help students understand why mysteries are such "page turners." Foreshadowing, cliff hangers, and red herrings are just a few of the techniques authors use to keep their readers coming back for more. Several new YA mysteries lend themselves to this analysis. Of course, the prolific Karen McManus has a wonderful new mystery offering, Such Charming Liars, in which a mother-daughter grifter team sets out to do their final job, but they run into unexpected complications. The second book in the Liar's Beach series by Katie Cotugno, Hemlock House, once again has Holiday and Linden investigating a mystery that the police have supposedly solved. Added to the intrigue are feelings that are beginning to surface between the two sleuths. The Champions, the second book in Kara Thomas's Cheerleaders duology finds the football team targeted for murder this time around. Finally, The Debutantes by Olivia Worley is set at Le Masques Ball, the social event of the year for New Orleans elite. Last year's ball queen was murdered and the planners are hoping to avoid such drama at this year's soiree, but it's not to be. 

 In Such Charming Liars Kat and her mother, Jamie, have been living under assumed identities after fleeing her abusive father.  After a two-day unsuccessful marriage to Luke Rooney in Las Vegas, Jamie has been working for a jewelry forging ring helmed by Kat’s pseudo-grandmother Gem.  When Gem takes Kat along on a job, Jamie is furious and wants out. Gem agrees after one last job, heisting a ruby necklace from the wealthy Sutherland family at the patriarch’s 80^th birthday party. Kat tags along on the job and finds out Luke and his son Liam are also attending. Complications quickly arise when Parker Sutherland is found dead with the ruby necklace in his pocket. Kat and Liam join forces, along with Parker’s nephew Augustus to find the murderer.  Twists and turns keep the reader engaged, as one double cross after another confounds their investigation.

Hemlock House, the sequel to Liar’s Beach, finds Linden and Holiday at Harvard investigating the death of Bri, Linden’s girlfriend Greer's roommate.  Bri, Greer’s best friend, is found in Greer’s bed, wearing her clothes, dead of an apparent overdose.  But the drugs found at the scene are not what shows up in the autopsy. Once again Holiday is the calm analytical one in the detective duo. While Linden is suspended after being framed for stealing Greer’s watch, Holiday pieces together the clues and confronts the murderer.  A subplot involving a love triangle between Linden, Holiday and Greer adds spice to the mix. Linden is once again the narrator, whose rash, clueless behavior is reined in by Holiday, his childhood friend and now maybe more.

The Champions, the second book in the Cheerleaders duology, takes place eleven years after the killer of the dead cheerleaders in Sunnybrook is brought to justice.  Hadley has just moved to Sunnybrook and is hoping to become editor of the school newspaper. She is disappointed when she is assigned a story about the school’s championship Tiger football team, which is a positive focus for the town. However, soon after she turns in her story, one of the team members, whom she interviewed, is poisoned, and Hadley begins getting strange emails telling her to stay away from the football team. It is clear that the players have secrets, and when a second player is mysteriously killed, Hadley wonders if someone wants revenge for their sins. 

In The Debutantes Les Masques Ball is the social event of the season for New Orleans elite, even though last year’s queen, Margot Landry, was murdered.  Margot was a wild child, and many people thought her self-destructive tendencies won out. Then this year’s queen, the perfectly poised Lily LeBlanc, disappears after the ball is hijacked by someone in a Jester costume. She sends a text to the Maids on her court, her best friend Vivian, her boyfriend’s sister Piper and April, her frenemy, asking them to meet her the next morning. However, she never shows up.  The three of them must band together to find out why she disappeared and rescue her before she becomes another dead queen. 

YA Thrilllers - Eyes of the Forest, Bad Girls Never Say Die, You'll Be the Death of Me

 Three of my favorite young adult mystery/thriller authors have new books that I am recommending this month.  Eyes of the Forest by award winning mystery author April Henry is about the kidnapping of a famous fantasy series author, who must be rescued by his teen continuity advisor. Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu (Moxie) is a feminine retelling of The Outsiders involving an accidental murder and "tuff" girls sticking together. You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen McManus (One of Us is Lying) focuses on three estranged friends who skip school to recreate "their best day ever" and end up investigating the murder of a classmate. All three books have clever allusions to famous literary works.

In Eyes of the Forest a fan of an epic fantasy series, Swords and Shadows, kidnaps the author R.M. "Bob" Haldon and chains him to a treadmill desk, ordering him to finish the series finale.  It is up to his continuity advisor Bridget Shepherd to save him.  Alternating between the perspectives of the George R.R. Martin-esque author, the kidnapper Derek, a socially inept geek at Bridget's high school, Bridget and Ajay, a potential love interest to whom Bridget is reading the series, the narrative moves along at a fast pace.  Bob communicates with Bridget via coded messages, hoping she will realize something is wrong.  He met Bridget at a book signing, where he was impressed with her encyclopedic knowledge of the Swords and Shadows world. She and her mother read the series obsessively as Mom was dying of cancer, and Bridget has created a database which she uses to fact check his work.  Now he is stuck in a cabin writing a schlocky version of the finale which Derek is selling online; meanwhile Bob is surreptitiously writing the real finale.  As Bridget shares her suspicions with the police and Ajay, they discount her theory, and she must act alone.  This suspenseful thriller with nod to Game of Thrones and Misery, the Kathy Bates film where her character keeps her favorite author captive, effectively weaves fan culture into a spellbinding mystery. 

Bad Girls Never Say Die, a feminist reimagining of  S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders set in 1964 Houston, introduces "bad girl" Evie, who is a member of an Eastside High gang of economically disadvantaged white and Mexican girls, and Diane, a "good girl" who has been banished from her affluent community of River Oaks because of her involvement with a guy from Evie's neighborhood. When Evie is assaulted by Preston, a drunk boy from River Oaks, Diane inadvertently kills Preston while trying to rescue Evie.  Through the shared trauma, Diane and Evie become friends and begin to confide in each other and Evie wonders about the difference between good girls and bad girls. As the police close in, Evie's gang tries to protect Diane, but when her lover is arrested for the murder, Diane insists on saving him.  Melodramatic plot twists and engaging dialogue make for a thrilling read, as the story of star-crossed lovers and strong female friendships unfolds.  Teachers might want to pair it with Hinton's book for a compare and contrast discussion. 

In You'll Be the Death of Me  three estranged friends, Cal, Ivy and Mateo, skipped out on a middle school field trip in Boston, having the "best day ever," which sealed their friendship until high school, when they went their separate ways.  They reconnect when they come together after a particularly tough day when Ivy loses the student council election to class clown Brian "Boney" Mahoney, Cal gets stood up by his would-be girlfriend, and Mateo is exhausted from working two jobs and dealing with his mother's illness.  Deciding to drive into Boston to recreate the day they met, things immediately begin to go wrong.  They discover Boney's dead body in Cal's girlfriend's art studio and become involved in a complex murder plot.  Ivy is a suspect and insists they investigate to clear her name. The deeper they get into the investigation, the more secrets are revealed until the exciting climax. This clever homage to Ferris Bueller's Day Off is told from the three protagonists' perspectives. While the mystery of Boney's murder is the focal point, the relationship between the three friends adds depth to this thrilling whodunit. This book comes out November 30th. 

New YA Mysteries - The Inheritance Games, The Cousins, and Girl Unframed

 Mysteries and suspense novels are arguably the most popular genre in fiction. Not all suspense novels are mysteries but all mysteries include suspense. Analyzing the author's use of classic mystery elements, including suspense, can help students understand why mysteries are such page turners.  Three of my favorite authors have recently published new mysteries.  Jennifer Lynn Barnes' (The Naturals) new mystery series The Inheritance Games introduces a main character who inexplicably has been named the heir to a billionaire's fortune when he has two daughters and four grandsons who expected to inherit his wealth. Karen McManus (One of Us is Lying) explores the inheritance theme as well with The Cousins.  A wealthy resort owner disinherits her four children and then invites their children to work at the resort for the summer.  In addition to getting to know each other, the cousins must get to the bottom of why they were invited.  Finally, Deb Caletti's (The Fortunes of Indigo Sky) Girl Unframed finds a Seattle teen spending the summer with her film star mother when a murder occurs in her own backyard. 

The Inheritance Games series opener introduces Avery Grambs, who is living in her car, after her half-sister and legal guardian Libby allows her abusive boyfriend to move into their apartment.  When she is summoned to the will reading of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne, she and Libby travel to Texas where they are shocked to find out Avery has inherited the bulk of his fortune, but to receive it, she must live at Hawthorne House for a year. His family, including two daughters and four grandsons, is furious.  Puzzle obsessed, Tobias leaves letters outlining a riddle that Avery and the grandsons must solve to find out why she is the recipient of the inheritance.  The Hawthorne House mansion is filled with hidden chambers that house the clues she and the grandsons must find to unravel the puzzle.  Fast paced chapters filled with red herrings, family secrets, attempted murder and a little bit of romance will keep readers enthralled. The satisfying ending sets up another mystery to be solved in the sequel.

The luxurious Gull Cove Island resort off the coast of Massachusetts, which is the setting for The Cousins, contains many Story family secrets.  In the 1990s the widow Mildred Story disinherited her four children without explanation, except for a letter send by her lawyer that read "You know what you did."  Twenty years later her grandchildren, Milly Aubrey and Jonah, receive letters from her, inviting them to work at the resort.  Their parents, hoping to get back into their mother's will, force them to go.  However, upon their arrival at Gull Cove Island, they find their grandmother displeased to see them. She obviously had not invited them.  They settle into their jobs and getting to know each other, and try to uncover who invited them and why.  There are many twists and turns, as family secrets are revealed, making this a fun read for McManus fans.

In Girl Unframed Seattle teen Sydney Reilly is spending the summer in San Francisco with her film star mother, Lila Shore, and Lila's boyfriend Jake in a Pacific Heights mansion.  Jake is an art dealer with shady connections and his volatile relationship with Lila is unsettling.  Syd not only feels uncomfortable around Jake, a construction worker next door is also giving her unwanted attention.  The only bright spot in her summer is her new relationship with Nicco Ricci, a local boy she met on the beach.  When a murder occurs on the beach in her own backyard, her summer is derailed.  Each chapter begins with a list of exhibits from the murder trial creating suspense as to who was murdered by whom. 

New YA Mysteries: Two Can Keep a Secret, Serious Moonlight,The Vanishing Stair, and The Hummingbird Dagger

Mysteries are arguably the most popular genre in fiction. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys have captivated readers for generations.  With summer just around the corner, I think it's a perfect time to recommend four new YA mysteries, complete with teen sleuths, for summertime escapist fun. In Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus (One of Us is Lying) twins Ezra and Ellery solve a series of homecoming queen murders. Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett (Alex, Approximately) introduces mystery lover Birdie Lindberg, who teams up with an aspiring magician to  expose the devious activities of a reclusive mystery author. In The Vanishing Stair, the second installment in Maureen Johnson's (Shades of London) Truly Devious trilogy, mystery obsessed Stevie Bell continues to uncover clues to a triple murder at Ellingham Academy. The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey  (Suitors and Sabotage) is a regency novel filled with romance and mystery, involving an amnesia plagued young woman who is the target of devious criminals.

In Two Can Keep a Secret twins Ellery and Ezra are staying with their grandmother in Echo Ridge, while their mother is in rehab.  Their mother's twin, a high school homecoming candidate, died there 17 years ago, the homecoming queen five years ago was murdered  and now threats against the homecoming court have again surfaced.  The twins are working at the Fright Farm, formerly known as Murderland, where the homecoming queen's corpse was found. Ellery, a true crime buff, is determined to solve the mysteries.  The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of Ellery and Malcolm, the younger brother of a man suspected of the five-year-old murder. This fast paced mystery is filled with red herrings and shocking twists that will keep readers turning pages until the satisfying conclusion, that reveals not only the murderer's identity and motivation, but other town secrets as well.

Serious Moonlight introduces mystery-loving Birdie Lindberg, who finds herself working the graveyard shift at her new job at an historic Seattle hotel, with aspiring magician Daniel Aoki, after an awkward one night stand with him, which she initiated, but ultimately fled. Birdie, whose strict grandparents have kept her isolated from kids her own age, spends most of her free time hanging out at the Moonlight Diner, where she met Daniel, or with her free-spirited Aunt Mona. Daniel, hoping to break through Birdie's defensive behavior, suggests they investigate whether a guest holding secret meetings at the hotel is actually Raymond Darke, a reclusive bestselling local mystery author.  As Birdie begins to blossom, she and Daniel rekindle their initial attraction while sharing their individual vulnerabilities with each other.  He struggles with depression after an accident with a magic trick leaves him deaf in one ear, and she worries that she suffers from narcolepsy, which is especially troublesome for someone who works the night shift. The mystery is compelling, with each chapter opening with a quote from a famous literary sleuth, but it is the developing relationship between these sensitive teens that is truly memorable.

The Vanishing Stair, the second installment in the Truly Devious mystery trilogy, finds true-crime obsessed Stevie Bell, continuing to investigate an unsolved kidnapping and triple murder that rocked her school, Ellingham Academy, in 1936. After a classmate's murder at the academy, her parents make her come home, but then allow her to return at the urging of their employer Senator Edward King.  When she returns, she resumes a relationship with his rebellious son David, who initially lied about his identity. Unbeknownst to him she agreed to keep tabs on him for his father in exchange for her return. Hired by an academic to help research details for her upcoming book on the legendary murders, Stevie uncovers the answers to several of the long-standing riddles of the case.  The story, alternating between the past and present, resolves several elements of the mystery yet others go unsolved, leaving readers anxious for the final installment, The Hand on the Wall, coming out in January 2020.

As The Hummingbird Dagger opens, a near-fatal carriage accident near London in 1833 leaves a young woman with amnesia and in the care of young Lord James Ellerby of Hardwick Manor.  Calling herself Beth, the girl struggles to regain her memory and is terrified by a recurring nightmare of a hummingbird with blood dripping from its steel beak.  James and his sister Caroline, who were suspicious of Beth's shifty carriage companions and insist she recuperate at their home, try to help her uncover her identity, even as frightening occurrences continue to take place on and around the manor.  A romance between James and Beth slowly evolves as clues to the mystery begin to help Beth reclaim her past and defy those plotting against her. Those readers, who love historical fiction filled with intrigue and suspense, will enjoy this latest book from Cindy Anstey, a master of the YA Regency Novel.

Summer Reading: One of Us is Lying, Alex Approximately, and Alex and Eliza: a love story

Frequently, writers find inspiration from other artistic representations of a story that they are in essence retelling.  A chapter in my book, "Classic Connections," is devoted to books inspired by classic literature.  The novels I am recommending this month are inspired by dramatic performances.  Alex Approximately by Jenn Bennett (The Anatomical Shape of the Heart) gives a nod to the film You've Got Mail. In the book a New Jersey teen has an online relationship with a California boy based on their shared love of classic film.  When she moves to the West Coast for the summer, she struggles with the decision to meet him in person. One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus was inspired by John Hughes' film The Breakfast Club. In this re-imagining five students from differing social strata show up for detention and one of them ends up dead. Melissa de la Cruz (Something in Between) was motivated to write Alex and Eliza: a love story, when she went to see the musical Hamilton on Broadway. This imagined courtship between Alexander Hamilton and his wife Eliza Schuyler weaves together fact and fiction for an enchanting read. 

In Alex Approximately, classic movie buff Bailey "Mink" Rydell is heading from the East Coast to California to live with her dad. Throughout her junior year Mink has been involved  in an online relationship with a film geek named Alex, who happens to live in the same surfing town as her dad.  She decides to surreptitiously discover his identity before she reveals herself to him.  Meanwhile she is working at the oddball Cavern Palace Museum, where she is tormented daily by a security guard named Porter Roth.  When they get locked in the museum together one night, Mink begins to look at Porter in a different light and wonders if she should give up her search for Alex and focus on Porter.  What she doesn't know is Porter is actually Alex, approximately. This book is great fun and all the references to classic film are a bonus for movie buffs.

One of Us is Lying turns The Breakfast Club into a murder mystery.  Five students end up in detention, only four survive. Simon, who authors a brutal gossip app containing dirt on kids at his high school, drinks a glass of water laced with peanut oil and dies of anaphylactic shock.  He has damning information about all four remaining detainees: Bronwyn, the brainy good girl; Cooper, the baseball hero; Addy, the girl in her boyfriend's shadow, and Nate, the drug dealer. Now murder suspects, the four team up to find the real killer, upending their lives and finding romance along the way. This fast paced thriller will keep readers guessing, as the pressures of high school and the dangers of social media are explored in alternating chapters from all four suspects' perspectives.

Alex and Eliza, a fictionalized version of the romance between Alexander Hamilton, an aide for General Washington and America's first treasury secretary and Eliza Schuyler, a socially connected young woman, includes some historically accurate information and much imagined. Alex meets Eliza and incurs her wrath, when he delivers news to the family that her father is to be court martialed. He can't forget her fiery nature and two years later pursues her in Morristown, NJ, where she has come to inoculate soldiers against smallpox.  Although he comes from humble beginnings, he ultimately earns her love and rescues her from a disastrous engagement.  The story ends with the wedding of the two, who become a political power couple in the early days of a new nation.  Although many of the characters are real, much of the action, including Eliza's engagement to Henry Livingston and Hamilton uncovering Benedict Arnold's treason,  are fictional embellishments to add pizzazz to the story.  Told from Eliza's perspective, the story sheds some light on the civic minded woman who aided her husband with his political writings throughout his career.  This is an entertaining read for those who enjoy "history light."