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Front Street Teens

Spotlight on Teen Mysteries & Thrillers

It can be hard to find just the right book for your mood, but these mysteries and thrillers have more to them than just a classic whodunnit. From teen sleuths to creepy murderers, and not to mention enough twists and turns to fill a theme park, these books will certainly keep you on the edge of your seat!

If you’re a fan of Buzzfeed Unsolved, try Sadie by Courtney Summers (TN SUM), which is told in alternating perspectives. When Sadie flees her small Colorado town in search of the man who killed her sister and to escape her alcoholic mother, the case is picked up by a podcast about true crime. Details of the cases are slowly revealed through the podcast while Sadie’s memories and perspective are sprinkled in to create the story.

If you’re looking to bridge the gap between fantasy and mystery, White Cat by Holly Black (TN BLA) is a fast-paced fantasy crime caper that might satisfy your craving.  Cassel, who comes from a family of curse workers - people who use illegal magic to alter luck and memories - doesn’t think he’s inherited his family’s talents, but he can’t seem to fit in or escape the white cat that keeps appearing in his nightmares.

The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry (TN HEN) is an intense and creepy mystery in which Olivia, who believes that her father murdered her mother before abandoning her and running, finds out that her father wasn’t the killer at all, but the person who actually murdered her mother is still out there looking to finish what they started.

If you’re in it for the feels, Far From You by Tess Sharpe (TN SHA) has all the feels you need along with a healthy dose of murder and sleuthing. After surviving an attack in which her best friend is murdered, Sophie needs closure and to prove that she had nothing to do with the murder. Sophie and Mina’s relationship is explored a bit through flashbacks, as is Sophie’s experience with addiction, making this a very emotionally intense read.

City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie Anderson (TN AND) is a gritty tale of retribution and revenge in which Tina spent most of her teen years in a Kenyan street gang honing her skills as a thief so that she can get revenge upon the man who killed her mother. She works closely with her friends to tackle the job and is an easy character to root for throughout the whole twisty and thrilling plot.

Spin by L.R. Giles (TN GIL) is an intense mix of music and mystery in which a local DJ is found dead over her turntables and, the girls that found her, Kya and Fuse, team up together to find out who murdered their friend, despite their mutual dislike for one another. This one was definitely a fun read, especially if you’re interested in music, which adds a subplot of its own while the girls uncover secrets neither of them guessed about DJ ParSec.

There’s more to just the mystery in These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly (TN DON), in which Jo aspires to more than just a good marriage, and in 19th century New York she has a lot working against her aspirations of getting into journalism. But when her father apparently kills himself on accident while cleaning his gun, she knows there’s more to the story than that and seeks to get to the bottom of it no matter what.

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