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Quick answer: If you loved The Naturals, read Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Inheritance Games, then Brittany Cavallaro's A Study in Charlotte, then Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying, and Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Kendare Blake's Anna Dressed in Blood. All are YA mysteries about teen profilers.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Naturals series follows teens recruited to help the FBI with cold cases. These picks share its puzzles.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Inheritance Games | Jennifer Lynn Barnes | 13+ | readers who love puzzles |
| A Study in Charlotte | Brittany Cavallaro | Teen | Holmes descendants |
| One of Us Is Lying | Karen M. McManus | 13+ | readers who want a mystery |
| A Good Girl's Guide to Murder | Holly Jackson | 14+ | readers who want a modern mystery |
| Anna Dressed in Blood | Kendare Blake | 14+ | readers who like horror romance |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Stieg Larsson | Adult | readers who like long thrillers |
| The Hazel Wood | Melissa Albert | Teen | dark fairy tales |
| Thirteen Reasons Why | Jay Asher | Teen | issue-driven stories |
| Before I Fall | Lauren Oliver | 14+ | readers who like second chances |
| Red Queen | Victoria Aveyard | 14+ | readers who like court intrigue |
| Dead Silence | S.A. Barnes | Adult | readers who like horror in space |
| The Dead and the Dark | Courtney Gould | 14+ | readers who like atmospheric thrillers |
| The Bone Collector | Jeffery Deaver | Adult | readers who like forensic thrillers |
| Mindhunter | John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker | Adult | readers who like real cases |
| Hate List | Jennifer Brown | Teen | aftermath of a shooting |
1. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Avery Grambs inherits a billionaire's fortune and a puzzle-filled mansion. Fast, fun and full of riddles.
Best for: readers who love puzzles.
2. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
The descendants of Holmes and Watson meet at a Connecticut boarding school. Witty and twisty.
Best for: Holmes descendants.
3. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Five students enter detention, and one of them dies. Fast, with several suspects. Less gory.
Best for: readers who want a mystery.
4. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Pip investigates a five-year-old murder case for a school project. Twisty and fast, and more serious than a cozy.
Best for: readers who want a modern mystery.
5. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Cas, a ghost hunter, meets Anna, a murderous ghost. Creepy and romantic.
Best for: readers who like horror romance.
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
A journalist and a hacker investigate a decades-old disappearance. Dark and addictive.
Best for: readers who like long thrillers.
7. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
A girl searches for her mother in a world of dark stories. Eerie and sharp.
Best for: dark fairy tales.
8. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Clay receives tapes from a classmate who died, explaining why she ended her life. Controversial and hard to forget.
Best for: issue-driven stories.
9. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Samantha relives the last day of her life seven times and learns to change it. Powerful and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like second chances.
10. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Mare, a Red girl with a Silver power, is forced into a deadly court. Fast and twisty.
Best for: readers who like court intrigue.
11. Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
A crew finds a lost luxury spaceship and uncovers horror inside. Atmospheric space horror.
Best for: readers who like horror in space.
12. The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould
Logan arrives in Snakebite, Oregon, where teens go missing, and finds a secret. Moody mystery with a queer romance.
Best for: readers who like atmospheric thrillers.
13. The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver
A quadriplegic forensic expert and a young cop hunt a serial killer. Twisty and tense.
Best for: readers who like forensic thrillers.
14. Mindhunter by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker
A former FBI profiler describes the birth of criminal profiling and some of his famous cases. Nonfiction that inspired many thrillers.
Best for: readers who like real cases.
15. Hate List by Jennifer Brown
A teen faces the fallout of her boyfriend's shooting. Hard and honest.
Best for: aftermath of a shooting.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with The Naturals: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to The Naturals. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For the same author, read The Inheritance Games. For crime-solving teens, try A Study in Charlotte. For mystery, pick The Name of This Book Is Secret.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote The Naturals?
Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Is it a series?
Yes, four books.
What age is it for?
Teens 14 and up.
Which book here is best for aftermath of a shooting?
Try Hate List by Jennifer Brown, which suits readers looking for aftermath of a shooting.
Which book here is best for readers who like real cases?
Try Mindhunter by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, which suits readers looking for readers who like real cases.