My Accidental Mystery Reading Challenge

 I really didn’t mean to start a new reading challenge.

After wrapping up this year’s Middle and High School Battle of the Books lists (20 books, tears on a plane, and more than a few surprise favorites), I thought I was done. I even told myself I’d take a little break, read without a plan just what struck me in the moment.

But then I launched my first asynchronous Outschool class: a “Can You Solve It?” style reading experience centered on A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, which I'd read as part of my High School Battle of the Books reading—complete with student-created murder boards, timelines, theories, and red-string-worthy speculation. It was wildly fun to put together… and accidentally launched me down a rabit hole.

Next thing I knew I was reaching for Truly Devious. Then A Study in Charlotte. Now I’m making a list (and checking it obsessively, like any good detective) of mystery novels that blend a strong storyline with solvable elements, perfect for building more interactive, read-along experiences.

So here I am—officially diving into my next “accidental” reading challenge:
Can You Solve It?: Building Student Murder Boards One Myst
ery at a Time

There’s no formal list (yet), but here’s what’s already on my radar:

• ✅ A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

• ✅ Truly Devious

• ✅ A Study in Charlotte

• 🔜 Kill Her Twice

• 🔜 I Hunt Killers

• 🔜 Death on the Nile

• 🔜 At least one classic Sherlock Holmes mystery (I mean... it’s tradition)

  

Each book I read will, hopefully, turn into its own asynchronous class where students can read along, track suspects, build their own murder boards, and try to solve the mystery before the protagonist does. And if I have to read a few extra twisty, clever, fast-paced mysteries along the way? Well. I guess I’ll suffer through it.