YA Thriller Books

The best young adult thrillers & teen fiction mysteries.

Discovery of the Five Senses, a Satisfying Young Adult Superhero Novel by K.N. Smith

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The Bottom Line: Recommended for young adults, is a truly fresh superhero story that generates plenty of innovative suspense.  Danville Heights is an idyllic small town. People are friendly, the land is fertile and lush, the homes are charming and the community is quiet. But a nearby forest grove holds secrets that will lead to a high-stakes adventure for a group of local boys. Having …

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The Lincoln Highway, an All-American Mystery by Amor Towles

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The Bottom Line: The cross-country quest at the heart of the novel defies genre, but will delight fans of unconventional crime thrillers. In 1954, Emmett Watson is releases from a juvenile work farm after accidentally killing another boy. His father has died, and the family ranch is being repossessed. His young brother Billy urges him to take them west in search of the mother who …

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The Body in the Road, an Engrossing Teen Suspense Thriller by Donna M. Zadunajsky

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The Bottom Line: This engrossing teen suspense thriller puts the fictional town of Craven Falls on the map. Fans of Natalie D. Richards’ small town mysteries may fall for this tale of a teen who makes an unfortunate turn. Seventeen-year-old Ohio girl Sara Nelson is deathly afraid of her psycho boyfriend, Brad. Fearing for her life, she takes her Grandmother’s car in the middle of …

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Where the Briars Sleep, a Terrifying Gothic Horror Novel by Emma Beavan

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The Bottom Line: Jane Eyre meets The Haunting of Hill House. A terrifying gothic horror novel that readers won’t soon forget. Set in the early 1800s, author Emma Beavan delivers a deliciously twisted tale of three sisters and the family secrets that threaten to haunt them all. After the passing of their stepsister, Sarah, sisters Rose and Maggie are happy to be back at their estate and returning …

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Shadowspell Academy: The Culling Trials, by Shannon Mayer and K.F. Breene

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The Bottom Line: Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games. Sadly, there’s no audiobook version, so fans will have to devour this book the old fashioned way. We’re not in Texas anymore, Bluebell. In the opening chapter of Shadowspell Academy, the compelling farm girl known as Wild says, “My family got kicked more often than most.” That turns out to be the understatement of the year. …

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Skyward, a Promising Sci-Fi Thriller Series by Brandon Sanderson

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The Bottom Line: The brilliant first entry in a promising new YA adventure series. What do you get when you cross Star Wars with Top Gun and The Hunger Games?  The answer is Skyward, a sci-fi military thriller that even Tom Clancy fans may love. In the action-packed Skyward, a girl dreams of becoming a pilot in a dangerous world at war for humanity’s future. …

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Death by the River, an Addictive Teen Thriller by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor

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The Bottom Line: A deliciously dark and timely teen crime thriller deserving of a TV series. While tackling heavy-duty subject matter with grace and sophistication, Death by the River is tailor-made for fans of Riverdale, Twin Peaks and Twilight. A monster lurks in the halls of Louisiana small town St. Benedict High School, and his name is Beau Devereaux. As high school students go, Devereaux …

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Until Proven Innocent, a Highly Recommended Teen Mystery by Laura Stewart Schmidt

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The Bottom Line: A deftly-written, all-American teen mystery deserving of a broad audience. When a Minnesota Alzheimer’s patient implies knowledge about an unsolved death dating back to the 1960s, his 15-year-old granddaughter launches an investigation. Until Proven Innocent begins as a local university is buying the former home of Henry Springs, who disappeared after a fire claimed the lives of his wife and daughter some …

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One of Us, an Essential YA Whodunnit by Karen M. McManus

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The Bottom Line: An essential whodunnit for both YA and adult crime fiction fans. Karen M. McManus’ teen murder mystery is the perfect antidote to Netflix’s Riverdale, the Twin Peaks-meets-Archies mashup that never really feels set in high school. By contrast, McManus artfully sets up a believable single-setting high school atmosphere that feels inspired by both Clue and the Breakfast Club. On Monday afternoon, five …

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The Dream Keepers, a Refreshing Young Adult Thriller by Z. Oko

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The Bottom Line: A sophisticated young adult novel that will appeal to all readers, regardless of age. The Dream Keepers stretches the idea of fantasy to its limits, incorporating a larger-than-life dreamland where anything can happen with a narrator that’s at once naïve and completely in charge. Mona and her friends are a comforting cast of characters. Their familiarity with one another and Z. Oko’s …

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