This list of mystery books for teachers is certain to have something for everyone.
Halloween is a time when many people jump on the bandwagon to incorporate spooky, thrilling, or cozy mystery reads into their reading lists. Thrilling mystery reads are the perfect type of books to pick up during this season.
One of the best things about mystery books is that they come in so many different sub-genres, including thriller, suspense, psychological, cozy, classic, and more. Teachers deserve a reading break no matter the time of year, so hopefully, these mystery books for teachers will inspire you to take one this season.
If you want to read a mystery book during the Halloween season, there is something for everyone, no matter what type of mystery book you gravitate toward.
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Contemporary Mystery Suspense & Thrillers
There are so many contemporary mystery, suspense and thriller books out there that it’s hard to pick just a few for these mystery books for teachers.
Here are a few that might catch your interest:
The Night Swim (Rachel Krall, #1) by Megan Goldin (Mystery-Thriller)
The Night Swim follows true-crime podcaster Rachel Krall as she covers a controversial trial in a small town for her podcast. While she’s investigating, she receives letters begging her to investigate a local woman’s drowning 25 years ago. This leads her to uncover dark secrets and intertwine the two cases.
The second book in the series, Dark Corners, follows this one. You can also try Stay Awake by Megan Goldin.
The Last Party (DC Morgan, #1) by Clare Mackintosh (Mystery-Suspense)
This story follows DC Morgan as she investigates a murder at a New Year’s Eve Party in a small Welsh village. The victim, a local celebrity, had many enemies, and Morgan must navigate the secrets and lies of the tight-knit community to uncover the truth.
This book is followed up with the second book in the series, A Game of Lies. You can also try Hostage by Clare Mackintosh.
One by One by Ruth Ware (Psychological Thriller)
One by One takes place at a luxurious ski chalet where the employees of a tech start-up gather for a retreat. When an avalanche traps them and one of their team members goes missing, tensions rise, and everyone is a suspect. As the group dwindles one by one, the survivors must figure out who among them is the killer.
You can also try In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware, Ware’s debut novel about a group of friends who go to the countryside only to realize that they are not alone in the woods. One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware tells the story of several couples who take part in a reality television show and the consequences of this choice.
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (Mystery Thriller)
This story follows Alix Summers, a popular true-crime podcaster, who becomes intrigued by a woman she meets who shares the same birthday. This woman asks Alix to help tell her story as she reveals unsettling secrets, but as Alix digs deeper, she realizes that this mysterious woman’s narrative is far darker and more twisted than she imagined.
You can also try Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. It is about a young girl who goes missing; seven years later, a man shows up with a daughter who bears a striking resemblance.
Canadian Mystery Reads
Did you know Canada is also home to some great mystery writers? Here are a few Canadian mystery book recommendations for teachers to read this Halloween season:
This thriller is set in a small Canadian town plagued by the disappearances of young women along a desolate highway. Hailey McBride goes on the run to escape her oppressive uncle and uncover the truth behind the missing girls. Along the way, she teams up with a victim’s sister to bring the killer to justice.
Also by Chevy Stevens is Still Missing, Stevens’s Debut novel about a woman who is abducted from an open house she’s hosting and her escape from her captor.
Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford, #1) by Kelley Armstrong
Kelley Armstrong is a popular author among many Canadian book lists. Exit Strategy is the first book in a three-book series about Nadia Stafford, a former cop turned hitwoman who is hired to track down a serial killer targeting innocent people.
This book is followed up with Made to Be Broken and Wild Justice. You might also want to try City of the Lost (Rockton, #1) by Kelley Armstrong.
In The Dark by Loreth Anne White
This thriller follows eight strangers who are lured to a remote lodge only to realize that they are pawns in a deadly game. As a snowstorm cuts them off from the outside world, they must uncover who among them is the killer before they become the next victims.
You may also want to try The Unquiet Bones, a mystery thriller that has an investigator following a decades-old case of a missing teenager and its possible link to the finding of human bones.
There are so many amazing Canadian authors shared in these book lists: 14 Fantastic Middle School Books By Canadian Authors and 6 Fantastic Canadian Authors To Read In Class.
Classic Mystery Books
You can never go wrong with some classic mystery reading during the Halloween season. These recommendations are the perfect mystery books for teachers looking to dive into the classics this season.
Hallowe’en Party: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie
Taking place during Halloween, this story follows detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates the murder of a young girl at a Halloween Party. The girl claims to have witnessed a murder years before, but no one believed her until now.
You may also want to try other Agatha Christie classics, Murder on the Orient Express or Crooked House.
This gothic novel follows a woman who marries the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter and moves into his estate, Manderley. Soon, she finds herself living in the shadow of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca, who seems to still be present in the mansion.
You may also want to try other Daphne du Maurier classics, The Birds and Other Stories or Jamaica Inn.
What mysteries or thrillers will you be reading this Halloween season? If you have some mystery books for teachers you’d like to recommend, connect with me on social media or send me a message via my contact form.
Additional Book Lists
- If you’re looking for more recommendations, check out this page: Book Recommendations For Teachers.
- For more great middle school books, check out this blog post: Best Middle School Book Recommendations.
- Also, check out some fantastic YA books in this blog post: High School Book Recommendations.
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