The closest matches to The Inheritance Games are The Westing Game, The Naturals, and Truly Devious. At ReadNext, we base each match on the narrative elements that made the original work, from eccentric wills to sharp deduction. All three deliver the same thrill of solving layered riddles against hostile competitors inside strange, isolated estates.
The books below reflect three distinct appeals of Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s story: puzzles tied to enormous fortunes, cutthroat boarding schools hiding dark secrets, and determined teen sleuths untangling complex family lies. Middle schoolers, teenagers, and adult fans of fast puzzle mysteries will find their next read among them.
Books Like The Inheritance Games, Grouped by Mystery Style
Billionaire wills, puzzles, and eccentric games
1. The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin
This classic directly inspired the premise of an eccentric tycoon using a will to pit sixteen heirs against one another. The characters must pair up, interpret cryptic clues, and uncover who took Samuel W. Westing’s life to claim his fortune. The tone leans slightly younger than The Inheritance Games, making it ideal for younger mystery fans, though readers seeking modern romantic tension should look elsewhere.
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2. The Naturals
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, this mystery shares the author’s signature brisk pacing, sharp banter, and gifted teens working together. Cassie Hobbes joins a covert program of teenagers whose natural cognitive skills help solve cold cases. The camaraderie and tension between team members closely mirrors the dynamic between Avery and the Hawthorne brothers. Readers who dislike forensic criminal profiling can pass.
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3. All Your Twisted Secrets
Diana Urban
Six teens from rival high school cliques get locked in a room with a bomb, a syringe of poison, and an ultimatum to choose who dies. The ticking clock and locked-room puzzle create immediate suspense as hidden betrayals come to light. It matches the high stakes and shifting alliances of the Hawthorne mansion. Readers who prefer sprawling outdoor settings or gentle puzzles should skip this intense scenario.
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4. Seven Dirty Secrets
Natalie D. Richards
On her birthday, Cleo is pulled into a scavenger hunt whose clues all point to how her boyfriend Declan drowned. Each target forces her to confront painful memories while an anonymous blackmailer controls every move. The tension matches the clue-by-clue progression of the Hawthorne challenges. Content note: depicts emotional manipulation in a past relationship and perilous blackmail. Readers looking for lighthearted treasure hunts may find the atmosphere claustrophobic.
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5. Caraval
Stephanie Garber
Scarlett Dragna enters a legendary, immersive performance competition where players solve riddles orchestrated by a mysterious mastermind. While the story trades Hawthorne House for an opulent fantasy carnival, the core experience revolves around deciphering clues where nothing is quite real. It fits readers who loved the theatrical deception of the billionaire’s challenges. Skip this pick if you want contemporary realism instead of magical worldbuilding.
Find it on AmazonElite academies and dangerous secret societies
6. Truly Devious
Maureen Johnson
Stevie Bell arrives at a remote Vermont mountain academy founded by an eccentric magnate, determined to solve an unsolved historical kidnapping. Maureen Johnson balances witty banter with careful cold-case deduction as new crimes strike the campus. The sprawling estate filled with hidden passages, riddles, and eccentric classmates directly captures the atmosphere of the Hawthorne property. Readers who demand standalone solutions without continuing story arcs should pass.
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7. Ace of Spades
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
At an ultra-selective private academy, an anonymous messenger begins broadcasting the deepest secrets of two high-achieving students, Devon and Chiamaka. The relentless escalation mirrors the targeted suspicion Avery experiences when thrust into elite society. The story confronts systemic racism and institutional corruption alongside its central mystery. Content note: contains homophobic slurs, institutional cruelty, and harrowing threats. Skip if you want lighthearted puzzle antics.
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8. They Wish They Were Us
Jessica Goodman
At an exclusive Long Island prep school, senior Jill Newman questions the official story behind her best friend’s murder during a secret society initiation. Unraveling the past requires confronting privileged social hierarchies, academic blackmail, and decades of covered tracks. It appeals to readers who enjoyed seeing how extreme wealth protects bad behavior in elite circles. Skip this pick if you prefer whimsical riddles to interpersonal drama.
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9. The Ivies
Alexa Donne
Five ultra-competitive classmates at an elite boarding school operate a ruthless alliance to secure admission to top universities, until Emma, one of their own, turns up dead after a secret Harvard acceptance. The sharp focus on academic rivalry, privilege, and cutthroat betrayal captures the hostile social world Avery enters. Readers who need warm, morally upright protagonists will likely dislike these calculated characters.
Find it on AmazonClever sleuths and cutthroat family secrets
10. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Holly Jackson
Pip Fitz-Amobi re-examines a closed local murder-suicide case for her senior school project, uncovering town secrets through interview transcripts, logs, and deduction. Like Avery Grambs, Pip is an exceptionally observant, relentless heroine who refuses to drop a clue even under threat. The brisk formatting and clever reveals provide a similar rush. Readers looking for grand billionaire mansions will find this town-based investigation more grounded.
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11. One of Us Is Lying
Karen M. McManus
Five students walk into detention at Bayview High, but only four walk out alive after the creator of a notorious gossip app suffers a lethal reaction. The shifting viewpoints and mutual suspicion echo the dynamic between Avery and the disinherited family. Each suspect hides a secret that could destroy their future. Readers who dislike multiple rotating first-person narrators might find the format distracting.
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12. We Were Liars
E. Lockhart
Cadence Sinclair spends summers on a private Massachusetts island with her wealthy, beautiful cousins, attempting to piece together the truth about a mysterious head trauma. The narrative explores the toxic vanity and emotional cost of vast inherited fortunes. It matches the high-society secrecy and family tragedy surrounding the Hawthorne fortune. Readers who dislike fragmented, lyrical prose should choose a more direct procedural.
Find it on AmazonThe Three Core Elements Behind the Story
Jennifer Lynn Barnes built a story that hooks readers through a combination of three distinct storytelling choices. Understanding which element engaged you most is the fastest way to select your next book.
The first element is the puzzle-box architecture. Avery inherits money and a mansion full of hidden doors, secret compartments, anagrams, and physical keys left behind by a billionaire who viewed life as a game. Books like The Westing Game and Caraval lean hardest into this structural play, turning reading into an active game of deduction.
The second element is the social contrast of an outsider entering an insulated enclave of wealth and malice. Avery represents the ordinary, hard-working student abruptly surrounded by people who view millions as play money and view her as a thief. Stories such as Ace of Spades, The Ivies, and They Wish They Were Us place sharp observers inside competitive, wealthy environments where survival depends on learning the rules quickly.
The third element is the family secret. Tobias Hawthorne disinherited his family and left puzzles behind for them. If the tangled loyalties between the Hawthorne brothers kept your interest, titles like One of Us Is Lying, Truly Devious, and We Were Liars offer the same psychological depth.
How to Choose Your Next Mystery by Reading Mood
Your preferred reading pace and tolerance for darker themes will point you toward the right match among these titles.
Readers who want the direct wit, rapid pacing, and team problem-solving of Jennifer Lynn Barnes should begin immediately with The Naturals. Because it shares the same author, the rhythm of dialogue, chapter cliffhangers, and character archetypes will feel familiar and satisfying without repeating the exact plot of the Hawthorne house.
Readers drawn to grand, atmospheric estates with historical secrets should turn to Truly Devious. Ellingham Academy provides the same sense of wonder as Hawthorne House, complete with statues, secret riddles, and an eccentric founder who left behind unfinished business.
Readers who want sharper social conflict and suspenseful stakes will appreciate Ace of Spades or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Both keep the pages turning through relentless sleuthing and escalating danger as adversaries with money and influence try to stop the investigation.
Who Should Skip These Recommendations
These mystery titles center heavily on young adult protagonists, school drama, fast-paced twists, and heightened dramatic premises. Readers who prefer deliberate, slow-burning adult police procedurals, historical nonfiction, or hard science fiction will likely find these puzzle setups artificial or adolescent.
If you want mature, character-driven fiction focused on grief, generational wealth, and family estrangement without high school rivalries or adolescent romantic triangles, explore Books Like We Were Liars. For expansive worldbuilding and magical school mysteries, review Books Like Harry Potter.
- Skip these picks if you dislike clue-driven plots that require suspending disbelief about eccentric billionaires.
- Skip these picks if you prefer standalone, adult literary crime over energetic teen perspectives.
- Skip these picks if you want graphic grit or explicit adult content.
Age Fit and Content Considerations for Readers
The Inheritance Games sits comfortably across middle school and high school reading preferences, containing minimal coarse language, no explicit sexual content, and mystery violence that avoids graphic gore. Several recommended books share that clean, energetic tone, but others tackle mature topics.
The Westing Game is suitable for middle grade readers and older, focusing purely on deductive puzzle play and eccentric characters. The Naturals, Truly Devious, and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder fit standard teen audiences, featuring murder investigations and mild romantic tension without graphic bedroom scenes.
Ace of Spades, Seven Dirty Secrets, and The Ivies carry darker themes that suit older teenagers. Ace of Spades depicts severe institutional racism, harassment, and intense emotional trauma. Seven Dirty Secrets deals with past relationship manipulation and dangerous threats. Parents and educators selecting gifts for younger readers should start with The Westing Game or Truly Devious before moving to darker psychological thrillers.
Next Steps for Mystery and Puzzle Enthusiasts
Our pick changes to The Silent Patient if you have outgrown high school settings and want mature psychological depth instead of school rivalries. When you finish these books and desire broader reading paths across genres, check Books Like the One You Just Finished to discover similar read-alike guides.
If you are still weighing which specific story matches your current mood, take the interactive What should I read quiz to filter books by setting, pace, and character dynamics. Start your reading session today with The Westing Game for classic riddle solving, or pick up The Naturals for an immediate continuation of Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s energetic mystery style.
