I loved murder mysteries growing up. I still do. It started with Sherlock Holmes book and expanded into reading and watching these types of mysteries in every possible type of media. And as an adult, I can recognize what a huge part of my childhood this type of media was. Many teenagers are naturally inquisitive and this type of media helps expand their critical thinking skills that could potentially help in the job market, down the line. Murder mysteries aren’t horror movies – they aren’t filled with blood and gore. Instead, it’s a smart and interesting genre that forces you to think out of the box each time you attempt one. It’s actually the perfect medium for developing minds.

With that in mind, let’s check out the best murder mysteries for teens by media type:

1. Books

A really great place to start with young adult murder mystery books is One of Us Is Lying. It’s set in a high school during detention. When one of the five students in the classroom suddenly dies, the remaining four students all become suspects. When police investigate, they find that all four of them had a reason to kill the victim.

This book has high school drama, social media pressure and lots of twists. It’s the perfect start for readers who love murder mysteries, and for those who are just getting into them.

You can check out more mystery books here.

2. Murder Mystery Case Files

We make murder mystery case files here at Print Mysteries so, of course, they’ll make it to this list. Now, for all these types of cases, we do recommend that players be at least sixteen years old to play. Our murder mystery case files don’t include any foul language, but if you’re choosing from a different company – always check that out beforehand.

If you haven’t tried one of these before, it’s basically a package of investigation materials that you’ll need to use to solve a crime – usually a murder. You’ll have to compare fingerprints, look through maps, read through newspaper articles, etc. and try to spot clues that will eventually lead you to the killer. For teens and young adults, I recommend our medium difficulty games. These are the perfect difficulty for most players of any age. The hint system will also allow anyone to complete the game by gently nudging them in the right direction.

You can check out more mystery case files here.

3. Movies

For movies, of course, I have to recommend Knives Out. It’s the first of a series of movies that’s like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. It’s got an all-star cast and is both interesting and very funny. And if you enjoy it, you can try out the sequels Glass Onion and Wake Up Dead Man.

You can check out more mystery movies here.

4. TV Shows

A great TV series for teens to enter this genre is A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. This one is also set in a high school and is about a school student who chooses to reinvestigate a murder case that is already closed. As she investigates, she discovers things that were missed in the original investigation.

It’s a very suspenseful and emotionally intelligent show. Teens will absolutely want to binge this one.

Check out our other murder mystery TV shows for teens.

5. Video Games

One of my favorite murder mystery games is Return of the Obra Dinn. It’s an incredibly good game that requires players to investigate the deaths of all the crew members on a ship. You get to walk through different frozen frames from the past and will have to work out the names and cause of death for every crew member. It’s a lot of fun, and a very unique type of game.

Best Murder Mysteries for Teens

All good murder mysteries inadvertently teach logical reasoning and lead to better attention to detail, while being fun rollercoasters from start to end. My route started with Sherlock, but a younger, modern audience has a ton of amazing media at their fingertips to enjoy. Both adults and teens will enjoy the options on this list, so give some of them a try, I promise you’ll find something that you’ll love.