10 Books Like The Inheritance Games (Mystery & Puzzles)

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The "What Now?" Moment (By Alex)

So, you just inhaled The Inheritance Games? Welcome to the club.

We recently reviewed The Inheritance Games and, honestly, it took us by surprise. While I try to dabble in as many genres as I can, I wouldn’t say that this book was something I would normally go for. And for Stani, it’s very, very hard to find a book that can allow her to keep her both interested in the story and interested to continue reading at the same time. This book somehow worked for both of us. It has that perfect mix of Knives Out energy, short chapters, and eat-the-rich drama.

But now we have a problem. We finished the book, but both of us don’t really feel like committing to the full series yet.

We started looking for what to read next, specifically books that predominantly feature the same elements - puzzles, secrets, and dysfunctional families.

We (and by “we” I mean mostly “I”) scoured the forums, checked our own bookshelves (which produced absolute squat), and cross-referenced everything with the "BookTok" consensus to build this list.

These are the 10 books we are adding to our TBR immediately.

Quick Guide: What Should You Pick?

• For the Puzzles: The Westing Game
• For the Romance: The Naturals
• For the Thrills: The Housemaid

1. The Logical Next Step: The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

If you liked the writing style of The Inheritance Games, the most logical step is to just read more from the same author.

The Pitch: Cassie is a natural at reading people. She can tell who you are and what you want just by looking at you. The FBI notices, and recruits her into a classified program for other teens with "special" gifts—profilers, lie detectors, and pattern recognizers. They are supposed to be solving cold cases, but obviously, things go wrong.

Stani’s Take:"I read that this has a 'Found Family' trope just like the Hawthorne boys, but with more danger. If the banter is anything like the banter between Grayson and Jameson, I am in."

2. The Classic Puzzle: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Everyone online says that this is the spiritual ancestor of The Inheritance Games. It was published back in 1978, but people still swear by it.

The Pitch: Sixteen heirs are hand-picked to live in the Sunset Towers apartment building. When the eccentric millionaire Sam Westing dies, they find out they are all players in a game to inherit his fortune. They are paired off and given clues.

Alex’s Take:"I have heard this is technically a children's book, but the puzzle is genuinely difficult. It’s less about the romance and drama, and entirely about the logic game. If you liked the riddles in Hawthorne House more than the love triangle, this sounds like the one you should definitely try."

3. The "Academy" Mystery: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

This one pops up on every single "Books Like The Inheritance Games" Reddit thread.

The Pitch: Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont founded by a tycoon who loved games and riddles. But just after it opened in the 1930s, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The case was never solved. Decades later, Stevie Bell—a true-crime obsessed teenager—gets accepted into the academy with one goal: solve the cold case.

Stani’s Take:"A remote boarding school full of smart kids and a cold case? It gives me massive Dark Academia vibes. Plus, I hear the main character has some serious anxiety, which makes her much more relatable than the heroines we usually see."

4. The Viral Hit: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

We haven't read this one yet, but we feel like the only people on the planet who haven't. It is everywhere.

The Pitch: Five years ago, a schoolgirl was murdered by her boyfriend. The case is closed. Everyone knows he did it. But Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. For her final year project, she decides to re-investigate the case under the guise of schoolwork, and starts uncovering secrets the town wanted to stay buried.

Alex’s Take:"This seems to be the gold standard for YA mystery right now. Everyone says the pacing is incredibly fast, which is exactly what we need after a slump. It’s on my Kindle right now, staring at me."

5. The "Rich People Behaving Badly" Pick: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

If the part of Inheritance Games you loved was the messy, wealthy family drama, this is the recommendation for you.

The Pitch: The Sinclair family is beautiful, rich, and perfect. They spend their summers on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts. But one summer, something happens to Cadence Sinclair. She can’t remember it, and nobody will tell her the truth.

Stani’s Take:"I have been warned by at least 3 separate people that the ending of this book will hurt. A lot. People on TikTok literally film themselves crying after finishing it. I’m scared, but I’m curious."

6. The "Grown-Up" Thriller: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Okay, we are pivoting to adult thrillers here, but for a very specific reason.

The Pitch: Millie is desperate for a fresh start, so she takes a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. But the family is… weird. The wife is erratic, the husband is distant, and Millie starts finding things in her room that shouldn't be there.

Alex’s Take:"We literally just went to the theater to see the movie with Sydney Sweeney a couple of days ago, and we loved it. It was messy, twisty, and chaotic in the best way. We immediately decided to push the novel to the top of our TBR. If the book is half as awesome as the movie, it’s going to be a wild ride."

7. The "Battle Royale" Angle: The Hunger Games (Prequel: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)

Hear me out. Coriolanus Snow is basically a Hawthorne boy gone wrong.

The Pitch: Long before he was the dictator of Panem, Coriolanus Snow was just an 18-year-old trying to save his dying family name. He is assigned to mentor a tribute in the 10th Hunger Games, and he has to use his charm and strategy to survive.

Alex’s Take:"I bought a stunning hardcover set of these books ages ago because I enjoyed the movies, and they have just been sitting on my shelf collecting dust. It is shameful, I know. But if you liked the 'strategy' aspect of Avery's survival in Hawthorne House, a lot of Reddit users say that this feels like the darker, higher-stakes version of that."

8. The "Dark Academia" Pick: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

This is for the theater kids.

The Pitch: Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he is released, the detective who put him away asks for the truth. The story flashes back to his time at an elite arts conservatory, where he and his friends studied Shakespeare—until the plays started bleeding into real life.

Stani’s Take:"This sounds pretentious in the best way possible. It has that same tight-knit, obsessive friend group vibe as the Hawthorne brothers, but it sounds a lot more tragic."

9. The "Clue" Vibes: In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund

Did you know there are actual books based on the board game Clue?

The Pitch: A storm strikes Blackbrook Academy, trapping a group of students inside with a killer. The characters are reimagined versions of the game pieces—Orchid, Plum, Scarlet, Mustard.

Alex’s Take:"This sounds like campy fun. It probably won’t win a Pulitzer, but if you want a literal 'whodunit' in a mansion with a storm outside, this sounds like it will deliver exactly that. But hey, maybe it will surprise me!"

10. The Fantasy Pivot: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

If you are a fantasy reader who liked The Inheritance Games, this is your bridge.

The Pitch: Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she was stolen away to live in the High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, she wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But to do that, she has to defy Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

Alex’s Take:"Everyone online is just raving about Cardan being 'a darker, meaner Jameson Hawthorne with pointed ears.' Say no more, I am in!"

Frequently Asked Questions

Which book is most similar to The Inheritance Games? Most readers agree that The Naturals (also by Jennifer Lynn Barnes) is the closest match because it shares the same fast-paced writing style and "found family" dynamic. If you want a similar setting, Truly Devious is the best choice due to the academy mystery vibe.

Are there books with actual puzzles in them? Yes. If you want a book that requires you to physically solve puzzles to understand the story, check out S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. It is filled with loose inserts, maps, and codes.

Is The Westing Game for adults? Technically, The Westing Game is a middle-grade novel, but the mystery is complex enough to stump most adults. It is widely considered a classic of the genre and is definitely worth reading at any age.

Which One Are We Reading First?

Alex’s Pick: The Housemaid, and then The Hunger Games. It is time to finally crack open that hardcover set and justify the purchase.

Stani’s Pick:The Housemaid. That movie is still stuck in my head, and I need to see how the book compares.

Have you read any of these? Let us know which one we should prioritize in the comments (or on our Instagram, where Stani is probably posting about this right now).

Make sure to check out some of our other latest articles, such as:

• Alex’s review of Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl Series

• Our review of My Map of You

• Stani’s first ever review (with some input from Alex): The Inheritance Games