The best YA murder mysteries

Reading lists

Young Adult murder mysteries to read at any age

A Liar’s Beach Novel

Hemlock House

The highly-anticipated sequel to the unputdownable thriller Liar’s Beach by New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno – featuring a dead college girl and a long-list of suspects. . . 
 
There’s a killer in Hemlock House . . . 
 
It’s been a year since Michael Linden found a dead body in his best friend’s pool. Now, the only thing he wants is a stress (and murder) free freshman year. And it’s all going to plan, especially as a reunion with his hot ex-girlfriend Greer is on the cards. 
 
That is until they find her roommate dead in their dorm, Hemlock House. Linden knows he should leave it to the police, but when clues point to Greer as the intended target, he decides to investigate. But with nearly everyone on campus hiding something, are some mysteries better left buried . . .?

Katie Cotugno is the New York Times bestselling author of seven romantic young adult novels, including 99 Days and You Say It First, and is the co-author, with Candace Bushnell, of Rules for Being a Girl. Her books have won many honours and been translated into more than fifteen languages. She studied Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in Fiction at Lesley University. She lives in Boston with her family.

The unputdownable thriller of the summer

Liar's Beach

'Fast-paced and will have you hooked. You’re in for a killer summer.' Metro 
 
WE WERE LIARS meets GOSSIP GIRL - this YA thriller with a splash of dark academia is full of secrets, lies, privileged teens and beach parties. The perfect summer read. 
 
A body in the pool. A friend who might be an enemy. A vacation they'll never forget . . . 
 
Linden has always felt like an outsider and spending the summer at his best friend's vacation house, surrounded by money and privilege is doing nothing to lessen his imposter syndrome. But he soon has bigger concerns than fitting in - there's a body in the pool and everyone's a suspect - including him. 
 
Readers LOVE Liar's Beach: 
An addictive addition to the thriller genre 
 
If you're looking for a quick, engrossing YA thriller, look no further than Liar's Beach. Fingers crossed for more! 
 
A wonderful and beautifully written YA book, in the modern One of Us Is Lying vein. I really loved this book 
 
An entertaining read throughout and a fun one to fly through in one sitting

WE WERE LIARS meets GOSSIP GIRL - this YA thriller with a splash of dark academia is full of secrets, lies, privileged teens and beach parties. The perfect summer read. 
 
A body in the pool. A friend who might be an enemy. A vacation they'll never forget . . . 
 
Linden has always felt like an outsider and spending the summer at his best friend's vacation house, surrounded by money and privilege is doing nothing to lessen his imposter syndrome. But he soon has bigger concerns than fitting in - there's a body in the pool and everyone's a suspect - including him.

Katie Cotugno

Abridged Edition

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Liar's Beach, a Level 3 Reader, is A2 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing first conditional, past continuous and present perfect simple for general experience. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages. 
 
Lindon visits his friend Jasper at his parent’s huge beach house in Martha’s Vineyard. Jasper’s family are rich but Linden’s family is working class and he wants to keep this a secret. Liar’s Beach is a story about friends, money, secrets, love, and lies.

Katie Cotugno

Books by Katie Cotugno

Series by Katie Cotugno

Liar's Beach

Articles featuring Katie Cotugno

Young Adult murder mysteries to read at any age

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