This Top 5 series started back in October 2018 and I kind of lost motivation for making it every week. But it’s back! This is a series of books that I want to read that all have a common theme. Previously on the blog I have focused on witches, werewolves, thrillers, faeries, fairy tale re-tellings, high fantasy and many more. I am going to try and bring this series back for every Saturday.

The Upcoming Schedule Is:

3/21/20 — Magical Realism

3/28/20 — Murder Mystery

4/4/20 — Books to Read while Stuck Inside/Quarantined

4/11/20 — Books with a Color in the Title

4/18/20 — Sibling Relationships

4/25/20 — Books Under 300 Pages

Rules!

Share your top 5 books of the current topic– these can be books that you want to read, have read and loved, have read and hated, you can do it any way you want.
Tag the original post (This one!)
Tag 5 people

Murder Mysteries!

Murder mystery novels are about solving a murder, and this is a genre with SO many fantastic books in it. I could probably make a list of 50 murder mysteries that I want to read. There is something so fascinating about a well written murder mystery. I am a big fan of the movie Clue and love a mystery that keeps me guessing. I tend to love mysteries that involve lots of clues to sift through and a great plot, but I really love when the story is filled with lies and young people. I tend to love books similar to One of Us is Lying and I am always looking for similar stories and set ups. (You can read my review of One of Us is Lying here.) Lately I’ve been reading more mysteries and I’ve really gotten back into them, so now is the perfect time for me to find some more murder mysteries for my TBR!

Killing November by Adriana Mather

It’s a school completely off the grid, hidden by dense forest and surrounded by traps. There’s no electricity, no internet, and an eye-for-an-eye punishment system. Classes include everything from Knife-Throwing and Poisons to the Art of Deception and Historical Analysis. And all of the students are children of the world’s most elite strategists—training to become assassins, counselors, spies, and master impersonators. Into this world walks November Adley, who quickly discovers that friends are few in a school where personal revelations are discouraged and competition is everything. When another student is murdered, all eyes turn to November, who must figure out exactly how she fits into the school’s bizarre strategy games before she is found guilty of the crime…or becomes the killer’s next victim.

So I feel like this book is technically a cheat, because I’m actually currently reading it and I typically only talk about books that I want to read in the future, but WHATEVER. I love everything about this book, a private boarding school that trains kids to be masters of deception is the perfect setting for a murder mystery. I love the setting so much, but I also love all the deception and suspicion that this novel is filled with.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

I was so excited when my secret sister bought me a copy of this book. It’s gotten incredible reviews and just sounds like it will be a fast paced and entertaining read. I am not always a huge fan of solving cold cases, but I love the angle that the author decided to take for this story and can’t wait to pick this one up!

People Like Us by Dana Mele

Kay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet, but the past is past, and she’s reinvented herself entirely. Now she’s a star soccer player whose group of gorgeous friends run their private school with effortless popularity and acerbic wit. But when a girl’s body is found in the lake, Kay’s carefully constructed life begins to topple.

The dead girl has left Kay a computer-coded scavenger hunt, which, as it unravels, begins to implicate suspect after suspect, until Kay herself is in the crosshairs of a murder investigation. But if Kay’s finally backed into a corner, she’ll do what it takes to survive. Because at Bates Academy, the truth is something you make…not something that happened.

I honestly don’t know why I haven’t read this yet, except for the fact that I don’t have a copy. It has everything I love in a non-fantasy read. It’s got an elite boarding school setting, secrets, drama and a great murder mystery plot as well. I can already tell that this is the type of novel that I will probably binge read in a sitting.

You Owe Me A Murder by Eileen Cook

Seventeen-year-old Kim gets more than she bargained for when she is set up for murder. Perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying, E. Lockhart, and Gillian Flynn.

17-year-old Kim never expected to plot a murder. But that was before her boyfriend dumped her for another girl. Now, Kim’s stuck on a class trip to London with him and his new soulmate and she can’t help wishing he was a little bit dead, even if she’d never really do that.

But when Kim meets Nicki, a stranger on the plane who’s more than willing to listen to Kim’s woes, things start to look up. Nicki’s got a great sense of humor, and when she jokes about swapping murders, Kim plays along—that is, until Kim’s ex-boyfriend mysteriously dies.

Blackmailed by Nicki to fulfill her end of the deal, Kim will have to commit a murder or take the fall for one.

Okay so I have to admit that this totally made my TBR because of the cover. But it’s making this list because of the crazy blurb. I love this strange idea for a plot and I totally need to read the book. Swapping murders? I’m interested already.

This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher

Tell the truth. Or face the consequences.

Clue meets Riverdale in this page-turning thriller that exposes the lies five teens tell about a deadly night one year ago.

One year ago, there was a party.
At the party, someone died.
Five teens each played a part and up until now, no one has told the truth.

But tonight, the five survivors arrive at an isolated mansion in the hills, expecting to compete in a contest with a $50,000 grand prize. Of course…some things are too good to be true.

Now, they realize they’ve been lured together by a person bent on revenge, a person who will stop at nothing to uncover what actually happened on that deadly night, one year ago.

Five arrived, but not all can leave. Will the truth set them free?
Or will their lies destroy them all?

This book has total Clue vibes and I’m totally digging it. I love the idea behind the book and know that this will be pure entertainment. Also for some reason I am obsessed with books with the word “lie” in the title, because they tend to be full of secrets and I love that kind of stuff.

Check out Other Book Blogger’s Top 5!

Sara @ My Year of Reading Dangerously — Top 5 Murder Mysteries|Top 5 Saturdays

Jill @ Jill’s Book Blog — Top 5 Saturday — Murder Mysteries

Becky @ Becky’s Book Blog — Murder Mystery – Top 5 Saturday

Blair @ Feed the Crime —-|Whodunit?… Top 5 Saturday |-

Let’s Chat!

What are some of your favorite murder mysteries? Have you read any of the books I listed above? If so what did you think? Which murder mysteries would you recommend? Make sure to comment below so we can chat about murder mysteries!