What's the appeal of these books, anyway? Is it the thrill of the reveal, or is it more about seeing the messy, hidden sides of characters who seem to have it all together? I think it's the latter for me.
I'm a sucker for a boarding school setting. 'Truly Devious' by Maureen Johnson is a must. It's set at Ellingham Academy, a private school for gifted students, which was founded with a murderous mystery that's never been solved. The protagonist, Stevie, is a true crime enthusiast there to crack the cold case, but a present-day murder pulls her in. The secrets span decades, connecting past and present students and teachers. The scandals are academic, artistic, and deeply personal. It's a trilogy (plus more) that rewards patience, with a wonderfully quirky cast and a lush, immersive atmosphere. The high school here is a character itself, full of hidden tunnels and tragic history.
'I Hope You're Listening' by Tom Ryan features a protagonist who, as a child, witnessed her best friend's abduction. Now a teen, she runs a secret podcast solving cold cases, while a new kidnapping in her town forces her to confront the past. The high school secret is her double life as the anonymous podcast host 'The Seeker.' The scandals she uncovers are about small-town prejudices and hidden relationships. It's a tense, compassionate look at trauma and the drive to uncover truth, wrapped in a solid mystery. The secret identity element adds a great layer of paranoia and urgency.
2026-07-24 23:59:55
3
View All Answers
Scan code to download App
Related Books
Eden High Series
Jordan Silver
10
17.4K
Sian Claiborne is not a happy camper. Just when she was getting into the groove of high school hijinks, her parents decide to pick up stakes. Now the popular cheerleader is off to the Ritz and glamor of the Hollywood Hills, where her new school is home to the offspring of Hollywood's elite. Determined to hold her own, she befriends one of the school's outcasts on her first day, thus drawing a line in the sand between her and the ever-popular 'Mean Girls'. Little does she care until she claps eyes on Jace Saunders and almost loses her pompoms.Of course, the head cheerleader already has her eyes set on Jace and lets Sian know in no uncertain terms that he's off-limits. Jace Saunders has taken one look at the new girl, and this son of Hollywood royalty wants what he sees. But Jace has history with the most popular girl in school, a girl who has already warned off Sian, and what about Sian's parents? Are they going to allow their daughter to date someone as high profile as Jace?
On my sixteenth birthday, everything changes. One moment I'm your below-average girl—the next moment, I’m a monster.
A werewolf.
As a danger to society, and with my parents' refusal to help me, I have no other choice but to go to the werewolf place. Nothing prepares me for what waits for me inside the Academy of the Moon.
Not only do I learn that the horrid tales I’d been told about werewolves were not true—but that I am different from the others. This results in my being a scapegoat for condemnation.
What’s even worse is that the boy who marked me might be a murderer. He’s on the loose. Will he come back for me? Am I turning into an evil beast, like him?
And then, there’s Elijah Ledger. The future alpha—a gorgeous werewolf who appears to be bearing dark secrets from everyone. I’m drawn to him. But he’s a magnet for misfortune, and his secrets start to unveil themselves.
While I’m dealing with an array of problems, including a jealous girl who can’t stand my newfound attention from Elijah—one by one, students are getting attacked at the academy. The big question is: who is it? And why are they doing it?
Things get ugly—and I am caught in the middle of it.
The dead don't lie. At Nocturne Prep, everyone else does.
Where Alpha heirs and supernatural elites sharpen their claws before ruling the world, accidents don't happen. So when Luna heiress Seraphina Vale plunges to her death, no one dares question it. Not at this school.
Rae Vale spent her life hidden as an Alpha's omega bastard daughter. Now she's dragged from obscurity to replace her dead half-sister. Wearing Seraphina's crest, sleeping in her bed, drowning in vicious whispers. She's a fraud with a target on her back.
To Professor Cassian Rhys, she is the reincarnation of his first love and his second-chance mate. To Luca Ashborne, the untamed Alpha prince with cruel games and an iron will, she’s a threat. To Kieran Duskmoor, the elusive bloodborn who wears apathy like armor, she’s pure fascination. These boys rule the academy. They want to unravel her or bury her.
But Rae isn't here to play nice. Not when Seraphina's death was murder. Someone wants to finish what they started when Rae starts to get too close to the truth, and Rae refuses to be next.
At Nocturne Prep, loyalty is rare, power is everything, and love might be the deadliest weapon of all.
Kayla is a smart, focused, top-mark student in her last two senior years of high school in a private facility for rich kids in Florida. All she wants is to get accepted to Harvard and graduate with top marks to follow the career she has set for herself. Her entire life is about becoming an independent and successful vet. She has micro-managed it and planned it to the tiniest detail. Leaving no room for a social life or living her teen years like her peers.
This year has had its ups and downs, with her stepbrother of almost ten years coming to live under the same roof after being raised apart after their parents married. The chaos and drama his appearance has brought since he despises not only his father but Kayla's mother too, has made home tense. He's a rude, defiant, and arrogant pain in her ass who is hellbent on causing trouble and listens to no one.
Dane is the polar opposite in every way - Vain, oversexed, a playboy who takes nothing seriously except booze, girls, and his motorbike while he rebels in every way against his father for ripping apart his family. Looking like a teen idol, acting like someone who doesn't need to take accountability for anything in his life, Kayla honestly cannot stand him. She sees a loser who will live on daddy's money and drink away his youth while sleeping with every girl in the county.
At 17, they have known one another most of their lives and never had any kind of friendly relationship. They have always been classmates but never friends and definitely not siblings. - but all that is about to change.
A story about a heroine as she experiences the ups and downs of a high school life while striving to finish her mission as a secret spy. But, is it really that easy being a secret spy in high school?
He trailed his hand down her face as it flushed instantly, emotions that seemed uncontrolled blooming out.
"I love you. You know that right?", he asked, his eyes looking as convincing as ever, as he stared at the naive and lovesick teenage girl in front of him.
" I...," she could not make out her words as her legs turned into jelly, making her lean gently on him.
"I love you too," she managed to say, and those were the words he needed.
It was the final year for the 12th graders in GGIS High School. While happy at the approaching conclusion of their Highschool lives, there was also the fact that they may never see one another again.
Now, more than ever was the perfect time to express all the feelings or bury them.
For Rachael, it was the perfect time to get rid of her feelings for Zack, her crush and high school bad boy. For Kevin, it was now or never to tell Rachael how he felt about her.
Things got complicated as Rachael's best friend developed a crush on Zack, while Kevin is hopelessly waiting for Rachael to reciprocate the feelings he had for her
That wasn't easy to do when surrounded by post-puberty bodies nearly bursting with raging hormones with a liking for unwholesome entertainment in their various lives and secrets of their own. Some more than others. Andrew, their friend, in particular, seems to be hiding a secret.
With a rift torn between friends, a locked closet full of skeletons, and choices that could either mend their relationships or rip them apart for the rest of their lives. Will they submit to their urges? Will they come to understand their feelings? And work together to find out what the probable skeletons in the closet are?
Mysteries that incorporate technology feel very current. '#NoEscape' by Gretchen McNeil is about a group of teens invited to a hotel for a 'live-action escape room' competition that turns deadly. Their connections stem from a past high school scandal. It’s a locked-room mystery where the characters are forced to confront their shared history under extreme pressure. The high school backstory provides the motive and the deep-seated grudges. It’s a fast-paced, screen-ready thriller that understands how online reputations and past trauma shape present-day interactions.
If you want a mystery that's also a sharp satire, 'Killing November' by Adriana Mather is fun. It's set at a secret, elite boarding school called Academy Absconditi, but instead of regular subjects, the students are trained in the historical arts of espionage, assassination, and strategy. When a student is murdered, November must use her wits to find the killer among her deadly classmates. It's over-the-top in the best way, combining school tropes with spy thriller elements.