What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

i want to read some ya mysteries! i love a good whodunit or murder mystery! books that have the same feel as ones like truly devious and/or two can keep a secret!

I've never read either of the books you listed, so I don't know how close my suggestions will be, but here are a few suggestions:

Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene - Yes, it is an older one and fairly well known, but it is pretty good. I've been playing the HER Interactive computer game series for several years now, and only recently decided to try reading the original books. There was less suspense than I expected, but otherwise really good.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - This book is a little bizarre, and the process of solving the mystery is not what you might expect. The characters are all very diverse with their own secrets to unravel. You never know what will happen next.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi - In this book, a young girl is accused of murder during a voyage without her family. I love the transition of Charlotte's character from who she was to who she becomes, and how she interacts with the rest of the characters. While solving the murder and clearing her name is not the most important idea of the book, it is well-worth reading.

39 Clues - Again, it is not a traditional mystery as you would first think of, but there are so many small mysteries within each book, as well as a giant mystery that only starts to unravel as you near the end of the series. In any case, watching this young brother and sister duo solve clue after clue while dodging the murder attempts of their rich, famous, and cunning relatives and fellow clue hunters,

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass - At first glance, this is about the farthest you can get from a mystery; four 12 year-old children are entered into a nationwide candy-making competition and must get along as they perfect their candies and compete against each other. However, each kid has a secret that could propel them forward in the competition or destroy it entirely. As each gets a chance to tell the story, they learn that they are all connected in ways they never would have expected.

Lady Sherlock Holmes - This is by no means a young adult mystery, as it has a few parts that even I would prefer to avoid, but it is probably closest to the type of mystery you are looking for. Just picture Sherlock Holmes, but female with all the restrictions that come with being a female in the late Victorian era society.




Finally, if don't feel bound by the idea that it has to be a book, then I strongly recommend the HER Interactive Nancy Drew computer games I mentioned earlier. Each game is centered around a well thought-out mystery, with vibrant characters and 3D graphics.

In each point-and-click game, you play as teen detective, Nancy Drew. You may be called in to solve a mystery, sometimes undercover, or maybe you are vacationing and it finds you. Either way, you find yourself in the middle of a possible life or death situation, in which you must unravel the mystery clue by clue, and solve fun and challenging puzzles along the way.

This is not just a simple, and easy mystery that you can predict the outcome from the beginning. For the vast majority of them, you can't just solve it in a day, either. Nor are they the typical point and click games with a hundred hidden object puzzles and fixed timelines (as in, you must always complete each task in the same given order, and you cannot progress to another task until the last one is finished).

It can get scary at times, though each game is scary in a different way and at different times. Some are simply creepy from beginning to end, with foggy cemeteries, creaky houses, and dramatic storylines. Others have jump scares, where you'll be in the middle of traveling between rooms and a character or ghost-like figure will suddenly pop up in front of you right after a door slams loudly in an empty room. While still others are simply so tense that you are terrified that at any moment you will get caught snooping where you're not supposed to or killed while opening a rigged/booby-trapped door. On top of all that, there is always creepy music in the soundtrack that will start playing at random times. I'll admit that I've never been the type to like horror, but these games feel more like the tense climax of a really good book.

I don't know whether I would classify this as young adult, but other than some of the scarier parts, I wouldn't adamantly object to a younger child playing the game, though many of the puzzles would probably be too difficult for them. Despite being a single-player game, my mom, two sisters and I will often choose a game and play it together, taking 15 min shifts, and then trading off more frequently if a particularly difficult puzzle comes across. My youngest sister who plays with us is 9 years old, and she looks forward to the game just as much as the rest of us, even if she does require extra help.

If you do decide to check it out, here is the link to the official website:
https://www.herinteractive.com/shop-g...#
The first game came out in 1998, and the 33rd will be out this November. That means some of the early ones are a little too outdated for most computers today. In my case, I have yet to play the first 6 games because they can't run on my computer. You'll also find that the game play and toolbar layout improve over time.

With such a variety, it is difficult to choose a single one that I would recommend to first time players, but I will try to choose a few:
25. Alibi in Ashes - Out of all the games that I have played in the series, this is the easiest in my opinion. It is the only one that I have completed in about a day's time my first time around. However, with the mystery being so different from the others, it may be more enjoyable after playing some of the others as a fun change of pace.
21. Warnings at Waverly Academy - There isn't a strong reason for picking this game, other than that it may be my favorite game of the series.
8/10. The Haunted Carousel/The Secret of Shadow Ranch - The toolbar layout in these ones is not as practical as some of the later ones, with the first improved display being #16, The White Wolf of Icicle Creek, but don't let that stop you. These two are still just as immersive and intriguing a the rest.

Keep in mind that all of them are amazing games, so if one interests you more than the others, feel free to try that one rather than my suggestions. The only thing that I would advise against is the mobile app. As far as I know, they turned #28, Ghost of Thornton Hall into a mobile app. While I did not play it myself, I have heard that it is glitchy and harder to navigate than the computer game versions.

On the other hand, the app will allow a 1 hr demo trial before you buy it, so you could try it and decide if you are interested enough in the game play, mystery building, and storytelling style before you commit to buying a game. Keep in mind, though, that Ghost of Thornton Hall is one of the creepier ones. They won't all be that creepy.



Sorry for turning your request for mystery books into a ND rave. I suppose the game felt more like what you were looking for than most books I could think of, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share these wonderful games with someone. I hope I could help.

Keyera wrote: "I've never read either of the books you listed, so I don't know how close my suggestions will be, but here are a few suggestions:

Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene - Yes, it is an older one and fairly w..."
oh my goodness you are a savior!! i appreciate all these recommendations!! cant wait to read them <3

The Cheerleaders
Missing
The Last Time I Lied
I Am Princess X
Oblivion
The Road of the Dead
R.I.P. Eliza Hart
Sometimes I Lie
The Darkest Corners
Little Monsters
Then You Were Gone
Need
All the Truth That's in Me
The September Sisters
Sadie
Lost Boys
Monday's Not Coming
Scream Site
Don't Look Back
Sharp Objects





April Henry
Megan Miranda
Natasha Preston
Chevy Stevens
Karen McManus

The Amateur Series by Sara Shepard
Truth Or Dare Series by Jacqueline Green
Keaton School Series by Margaux Froley
Thrillogy Series by Todd Strasser

Courtney wrote: "The Cheerleaders
Missing
The Last Time I Lied
I Am Princess X
Oblivion
The Road of the Dead
[book:R.I.P..."

oh my goodness thank you!!! <3

The Falconer's Knot: A Story of Friars, Flirtation and Foul Play--a murder mystery and love story set in Renaissance Italy.
The Case of the Missing Marquess--the first in one of my favorite series, about Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock Holmes. She is talented, prickly, yet vulnerable.
Foreign Exchange: A Mystery in Poems--a mystery in poems, just like it says.
Eye of the Crow--first in another good series, The Boy Sherlock Holmes. Gives a far different story of his origin than the Enola Holmes series, grittier than those books.
The Swastika on the Synagogue Door--Jewish-American teens solve a hate crime.
The Westing Game and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle--links for the two suggestions of the game fan's that I've read and liked.

Cry Blue Murder by Kim Cane and Marion Roberts is good, but also features a serial killer, if that's not your thing. I loved The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge, but it contains fantasy elements as well as murder mystery.

Rosa wrote: "The Falconer's Knot: A Story of Friars, Flirtation and Foul Play--a murder mystery and love story set in Renaissance Italy.
The Case of the Missing Marquess--the first i..."

omg thank you <33 i appreciate the recommendations!

Sycorax wrote: "Cry Blue Murder by Kim Cane and Marion Roberts is good, but also features a serial killer, if that's not your thing. I loved The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge, but it contains fantasy elements as we..."

ahh thank u sm! i appreciate it :D