Campus mystery novels—a subcategory of dark academia—are such an enduring trend because of their seasonal flair. Windswept campuses covered in leaves are great settings for mysteries, so spooky campus mystery novels are perfect fall reading.
- From creepy high school boarding schools to magical institutions of higher learning, these books provide the perfect backdrop for diving headfirst into research in musty libraries and sorting through the clues.
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé – At an elite private school, a Gossip Girl-like scandal causes students’ lives to spin out of control. Chiamaka and Devon are the targets of an anonymous texter who sends their private material to the whole school. It’s hard enough being Black in an elite white space, but now they have to figure out who is ruining their lives and restore their reputations. It’s twisty and the main two are compellingly real as driven teenagers.
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas – I read this book back during the doldrums of 2020, and it broke my anxiety-induced reading slump, so I still highly recommend it. A secretive institution called Catherine House only takes and produces the best of the best. When Ines arrives, she expects rigorous academia, but gets a much more exploratory, experimental, hippie-ish education. The longer Indes spends there, the darker the school becomes.
The Examiner by Janice Hallett – This on-campus mystery has a great method of storytelling: clues, alibis, and motivations reveal themselves through homework. As the head of a Multimedia Art course at Royal Hastings University, Gela Nathaniel is responsible for both teaching and ensuring the success of the program. The rag-tag group of six students all cause aggravation and vexation for Gela, but when someone turns up dead, she has to look at their coursework with fresh eyes.
➡️ More picks here. — JR