mystery loves company
book recs for your inner Miss Marple (middle grade, ya & adult!)
hello, substack squad. how we doing with …*gesticulates wildly*…everything, these days?
i have once again been spending too much time in front of my screens—for work, and for play. but i am trying, very hard, to make a concentrated push to get offline and read some freakin’ books. a fool’s errand at the end of the world? perhaps.
meanwhile!
i’ve also been looking to find creative ways to drum up support for KILL THE LAX BRO’s upcoming (ish) release—aka: i have murder and books on the brain. more than usual, i mean. it’s the perfect storm.
*thunder roars*
anywho. just for kicks and heehaws, i built a list of book recs to share with you and the wild, wild internet. while these are all beloved tales from the mystery genre, please note they do span the literal ages, and i’ve tried to put them in order of when i first discovered them. childhood to now.
so grab your buffoonishly oversized magnifying glass, and let’s dive in…
1. Trixie Belden: The Secret of the Mansion, Julie Campbell Tatham.
what it’s about: an unsupervised teenager and her new best friend solve mysteries in their sleepy little hometown…called Sleepyside. *chef’s kiss*
why i love it: Trixie was everything! a horse girl! a girl’s girl! she had (has?) spunk and luck and taught me that if i ever have to hide a million-dollar inheritance from my evil step-parents i should definitely NOT stuff the cash inside my mattress. that said, i do remember reading one of her later adventures that had me thinking i’d be sucking out poisonous snake venom a lot more in my life…
2. Nancy Drew: The Secret Of The Old Clock, Carolyn Keene
what it’s about: something tells me you know this iconic teenage sleuth. but did you know that Carolyn Keene isn’t a real person? it’s a pseudonym that was invented and shared by a series of ghostwriters, including (according to Google) Mildred Benson, Harriet Adams, Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Walter Karig, Nancy Axelrad, Patricia Doll, Charles S. Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., Margaret Fischer, Susan Witting Albert, and Harriet Otis. and that mystery continues to entice me…
why i love it: i’m fairly confident The Secret Of The Old Clock was the first “real book” i finished cover to cover. yes, i’m bragging! i also had a crush on Nancy’s boyfriend, Ned, which had to do with the fact that he drove a convertible. i also dressed up as Nancy one Halloween. and i have very fond/stressed out memories of playing the Nancy Drew computer games with my older sister (aka she played, i was allowed to watch…if and only if didn’t breathe on her). for me, this particular book, and Nancy, started my real love of mysteries! even if i (ironically) didn’t learn how to tell time until…maybe…third grade…?
3. The Boxcar Children, Gertrude Chandler Warner
what it’s about: again, like Nancy Drew, you’re probably familiar with the first Boxcar book. you know, where the Alden siblings find a boxcar in the woods, keep their milk cool in a stream, and give their dog an awful haircut. but did you know there are over 100 books in the series? luckily for us, after our heroes get adopted at the end of book one, they become amateur sleuths with a knack for stumbling upon crime. seriously, do any of these teenagers have adults in their lives…?
why i love it: i 100% snatched up this baby at the Scholastic Book Fair. however, an honorary shout-out goes to the Boxcar Kids Summer Special—because i’m pretty sure that’s the book where one of the boys had a pet coconut that he would bring to “crime scenes”. after i finished reading, i asked my dad if we could get a coconut at the grocery store, he said yes, and then he chopped it open not knowing i expected it to be my new BFF and crime-solving sidekick. i cried.
4. The Face On The Milk Carton, Caroline B. Cooney
what it’s about: a teenage girl unravels the mystery of her own identity after she recognizes her face on a milk carton in the high-school cafeteria.
why i love it: okay wait. does anyone else remember this book??? it’s been long enough since i’ve read it that it feels like a fever dream, and quite laughably i didn’t actually remember the title. oops! regardless, this book left an impression. and i was never quite able to have cereal and milk the same way again.
5. Murder on The Orient Express, Agatha Christie
what it’s about: many, many strangers on a train.
why i love it: my Nanu was the one who loved Agatha Christie, and i tumbled into the fandom by extension. if i can’t convince you to check out the books, i beg you, beg you, to watch the movies. and know that Orient Express is my favorite.
now let’s jump forward in the timeline to some more recent books!
6. The Ivies, Alexa Donne
what it’s about: a delicious boarding school murder mystery!!!
why i love it: a few years ago i picked up my copy of The Ivies at the Books-A-Million location in North Conway, New Hampshire. iykyk. and i finished reading it by the time our family ski weekend was over! it’s fun and intense and the good kind of creepy, and it reeeeally didn’t make me miss the college admissions process. extra points for the fact that one of the main characters is on the rowing team!
7. Such Charming Liars, Karen M. McManus
what it’s about: a glittering heist gone wrong, and the newest book from McManus! Such Charming Liars is told from the dual points of view of our main characters Kat and Liam, two ex-step siblings suddenly reunited by “fate”—aka a murder at a billionaire’s birthday party. there’s banter, lies, diamonds, and a queer romance!
why i love it: think Gilmore Girls, but the mom and daughter are cons. and i freakin’ love Gilmore Girls.
8. Wicked Darlings, Jordyn Taylor
what it’s about: an aspiring journalist investigates her sister’s death in the underbelly of Manhattan’s high society. from the author of The Revenge Game!
why i love it: full disclosure, this book just came out this week, and i haven’t finished reading it. BUT I WILL! Taylor is one of the warmest authors i’ve talked to, she’s whipsmart and kind, and she doesn’t skimp on the emotional support and/or authorly advice. she is also currently on tour promoting Wicked Darlings and recently announced her adult debut. (which isn’t a mystery, but i’m still excited!).
9. Little Mysteries, Sara Gran
what it’s about: a collection of short stories all in the mystery genre.
why i love it: on a friend’s invitation, i went to Gran’s launch event earlier in Los Angeles, and i’m embarrassed to admit that i knew very little of her beforehand. however, i loved hearing Gran talk about her love for mystery, and how she drew inspiration from the Choose Your Own Adventure books, plus some of the teenage sleuths listed here. i also tremendously appreciated listening to Gran talk about her publishing journey—specifically her experiences as both a trad and self-published author—and how she wants to support writers in the future.
also, nine is my lucky number.
thank you for taking the time to read my list of reads! please share this with your friends and family if you feel so inclined. and know that if you liked any of these mystery books, i think there’s a good chance you’ll like KILL THE LAX BRO.
okay, team—that’s all i have for today. wish me luck on the no-screens thing. and if YOU have any book recs, i would love to know them. seriously, send them my way.
more soon xo