13 Thrilling Reads to Inspire Chills
While autumn typically conjures images of cozy sweaters, pumpkin patches, and spiced sips, it’s also the season of thrills and chills. Fall offers the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in a world of intrigue and suspense. In true spooky fashion, we’ve curated a list of gripping mystery books tailored for every age group. From clever capers for young minds to haunting tales for grown-ups, these reads promise a delightful fright. So, take a peek at 13 of the best mystery books that will keep you guessing—if you dare!
Best Mystery Books for Young Children
A Dark, Dark Tale
Ruth Brown
Ideal for young readers, Ruth Brown’s A Dark, Dark Tale follows a curious black cat as it explores shadowy settings, from a dark moor to a mysterious wood and finally into an eerie house. As the tension builds with each step, our furry friend discovers a dark box tucked away in a cupboard, only to be met with a twist—a mouse huddled inside! With its simple text and expressive illustrations, Brown captures the thrill of the unknown and the pleasant surprises found along the way.
The Great Mouse Detective Crumbs and Clues Collection
Eve Titus and Paul Galdone
The beloved Basil of Baker Street returns in this collectible box set featuring five of his most puzzling cases. Named one of Buzzfeed’s “13 Detective Book Series You Obsessed Over as a Kid,” Basil—Sherlock Holmes’s tiny counterpart—lives in the 221B Baker Street cellar, where he learns from the master of mysteries himself. From cracking the case of the missing mouse twins in Basil of Baker Street to searching for miniature felines in Basil and the Cave of Cats and solving puzzles like “The Case of the Counterfeit Cheese” in Basil of Mexico, Basil proves he’s a true sleuth—even taking on the Wild West’s most notorious cheese criminals and hunting for a lost colony in Switzerland. Relive the charm of Basil’s whimsical adventures alongside your little ones with this timeless series.
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart
“Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” An unusual newspaper ad prompts dozens of children to volunteer for tests that push their creative and cognitive limits. The four left standing have a final challenge: a secret mission at the Learning Institute of the Very Enlightened. However, what’s hidden deep in the school’s underground tunnels is far more than the world’s best and brightest bargained for. With all the trappings of Lemony Snicket-style riddle, this book is a curious read that will keep children on their toes.
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Best Mystery Books for Kids
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
E. L. Konigsburg
To teach her parents a lesson in appreciating their daughter, Claudia Kincaid hatches an audacious scheme to run away from home. With her penny-pinching brother Jamie in tow, the pair sets up camp in the Metropolitan Museum of Art; however, their fun quickly takes a thrilling turn when Claudia stumbles upon a statue with enigmatic origins. Determined to unveil its ominous creator, she embarks on a quest that directs her through the museum's wonders and into the depths of her own emotional journey. Throughout the narrative, Claudia learns that the path of discovery can lead you back home in the most unexpected ways.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznick
Young Hugo is an orphan and clockkeeper living in the walls of a bustling Paris train station after losing his father in a fire. Left in the care of an uncle who eventually disappears, Hugo must keep the clocks running on his own, forced to rely on secrets to survive. His hidden world is dramatically upended when he discovers a broken automation in the ruins of a burnt museum, believing it holds a secret message from his father. Desperate to repair it, he steals parts from a nearby toy store but is caught by the temperamental owner, who confiscates his cherished notebook containing crucial diagrams. As Hugo’s life collides with the shop owner and his eccentric, bookish granddaughter, he finds his carefully crafted existence is threatened. Brian Selznick’s enchanting story blends adventure and mystery, inviting readers on a gripping trek through the underbelly of France’s City of Light.
The Light Jar
Lisa Thompson
Nate and his mother flee troubling circumstances, making a home in an abandoned cottage in the woods. It’s dilapidated, but at least they’re together—until Nate’s mother fails to come back from a grocery run. Suddenly faced with the loud silence of the forest, young Nate is alone. That is until he meets Kitty, the unusual girl living on a nearby estate who needs help solving a treasure map. With Kitty and the comfort of his long-lost imaginary friend Sam, Nate must unwind more than one mystery to find his mother and reconcile his painful past. The Light Jar is a layered story packed with adventure and intrigue that casts a warm glow on long-buried secrets.
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Best Mystery Books for Young Adults
Out of the Easy
Ruta Sepetys
The simmering secrets of 1950s New Orleans bubble over in this coming-of-age story told from the perspective of seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine. She longs to escape the shadows cast by her mother’s life as a brothel worker and is committed to carving out a brighter future for herself. Josie plans to leave the Big Easy behind; however, when a peculiar death shakes the French Quarter, she finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue that causes her to confront her loyalties to her mother, the no-nonsense madam Willie Woodley, and her own conscience. As Josie navigates the alluring but treacherous city streets, her dream of attending an elite college collides with the clandestine world she was born into. Ruta Sepetys weaves a fable full of haunting truths, secrets, and the choices that shape our destinies, creating a rich chronicle that resonates with echoes of the past.
I Hunt Killers
Barry Lyga
What if the world’s most prolific serial killer was your father? This is the reality for Jasper “Jazz” Dent. He’s not your average teenager; he’s the son of a sinister murderer. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes from the appalling perspective of a killer—something most would cringe to imagine. As bodies begin to surface in the small town of Lobo’s Nod, he’s pulled into a sensational investigation, determined to clear his name. But a troubling question lurks in the shadows: Could he inherit more than his father’s infamous legacy? As Jazz races against the clock to stop a new killer, he grapples with the dark secrets of his past and the terrifying possibility that he may be more like his father than anyone knows.
We Were Liars
E. Lockhart
The lifestyles of the rich and lavish can dazzle, but not all that glitters is gold. The same is true for the picturesque Sinclair family, who vacation on their private island every summer. One year, Cadence Sinclair Eastman, the oldest granddaughter of the great Harris Sinclair, suffers a traumatic event causing significant memory loss. As Cady begins to piece together her memories, she unwittingly details the undoing of the Sinclair dynasty. A haunting tale of opulence, fabulous privilege, and the twisted branches of deceit that run through the family tree, you won’t believe what lies at the root of the Sinclair legacy.
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Best Mystery Books for Adults
Seven Years of Darkness
You-Jeong Jeong
A bone-chilling mystery unfolds when the body of a young girl is discovered in a reservoir in a quiet South Korean village, leading to the wrongful conviction of a security guard. For seven long years, his son, Sowon, wrestles with the weight of his father’s crime and the stigma that colors their lives. But everything changes when Sowon receives a strange package that holds the key to the truth behind the tragic events. As he delves deeper into the past, he must confront a looming danger that threatens not only his family’s reputation but also his very life. This is a gripping saga of enigmas, revelations, and the darkness that lives just beneath the surface.
Hour of the Witch
Chris Bohjalian
Mary Deerfield, a young Puritan woman in 1662 Boston, plans her escape from her violent marriage to a brutal and cold man. As Mary navigates oppressive societal norms and the menacing threat of witchcraft accusations, she is pulled into a spiral of suspicion, whispers, and danger. Chris Bohjalian tells a riveting story that exposes the cruel reality of socially sanctioned violence and the dark legacy of the original American witch hunts. With a tightly-knitted narrative and compelling characters, this historical suspense novel absorbs readers into a realm where fear and power intertwine, making it a bewitching read that lingers long after the final page.
While Justice Sleeps
Stacey Abrams
The hallowed halls of the U.S. Supreme Court come undone when Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk, suddenly finds herself ensnared in a shocking mystery involving one of the nation’s most influential judges. When the judge falls into a coma, Avery discovers a series of cryptic clues that hint at a dangerous conspiracy threatening the very bedrock of justice. With its cast of dynamic characters and a meticulously crafted plot, While Justice Sleeps delivers a sophisticated, nail-biting odyssey. Join Avery as she confronts truth and power in a world of political intrigue, personal stakes, and the moral complexities of the legal system.
The God of the Woods
Liz Moore
What if your child went missing from their bed at summer camp? This is the grim reality for the parents of 13-year-old Barbar Van Laar in August 1975 after she mysteriously vanishes from her bunk early one morning. But she isn’t just any camper—she’s the daughter of the family who owns the camp—and the second Van Laar child to go missing following her older brother’s disappearance 14 years earlier. Like nails against tree bark, this story will scratch at the back of your mind—and your neck—as the truth of the Van Laar family is unearthed.
Start a Book Club With the Best Mystery Books
As you huddle under a blanket this fall with our collection of the best children’s mystery books, the best mystery books for kids, the best YA mystery books, and the best mystery books for adults, don’t forget to share these hair-raising reads at your next book club gathering! Whether you’re plunging into a frightening fable or unraveling a sinister whodunit, these stories will surely spark delightfully unsettling conversation. Not part of a book club? Check out this guide on how to start one!