The real world can be messy: People don’t always get their just deserts, burning questions can remain unanswered, and unfair situations too often go unrectified. But within the world of the mystery genre, we can enjoy the satisfaction of engaging with a clever puzzle and seeing justice meted out. This year, readers will find a delightful variety of whodunits that offer a pleasing range of settings and themes.

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee (Putnam, April 23): Lee’s latest is an atmospheric tale set during the Great Depression. In Los Angeles, Chinese American sisters May and Gemma Chow struggle to help keep their family afloat financially after their flower-seller father falls ill. The girls are shocked to discover the body of Lulu Wong, a friend of May’s who was poised for Hollywood success; they investigate her murder against a backdrop of threats to Chinatown’s very existence.

How To Die Famous by Benjamin Dean (Little, Brown, July 9): Hollywood continues to provide great material for murder mysteries, as this celebrity journalist’s twisty sophomore novel, set in the world of a high-profile teen TV drama, proves. Abel, a Black British boy, joins the cast of a show that’s been plagued with misfortune—including the death of his older brother, Adam, who was a junior assistant on the set. Abel investigates Adam’s suspicious demise while navigating the often toxic entertainment world.

Better Left Buried by Mary E. Roach (Disney-Hyperion, Aug. 6): Roach’s debut is filled with all the intrigue of a small Tennessee town that’s been dominated by a powerful family and is haunted by its dark past. Lucy’s private investigator mom is hired to look into the death of a wealthy patriarch and businessman, derailing her spring break. But then Lucy meets Audrey, an alluring local girl, and the two do some sleuthing of their own.

Murder on a Summer Break by Kate Weston (Harper/HarperCollins, Sept. 10): Readers seeking a hilariously witty satirical take on the classic English village cozy mystery should look no further: BFF amateur sleuths Annie and Kerry, aka the Tampon Two, are back! They’re thrilled that a nearby influencer festival will be hosted by their online feminist hero, Winona Philips. But everything changes when misogynistic Timmy Eaton (“the most popular and dickish” influencer in attendance) is found dead, suffocated by a condom.

Everything Glittered by Robin Talley(Little, Brown, Sept. 24): Talley situates her latest lesbian historical work in Washington, D.C., during Prohibition. Gertie, Clara, and Milly move between the well-realized, carefully researched, and highly contrasting milieux of their elite finishing school and the city’s speak-easies, where good times and alcohol are found in abundance, along with members of underground queer communities. After their headmistress is found dead, the girls set out to uncover the truth.

Tangleroot by Kalela Williams (Feiwel & Friends, Oct. 15): The mysterious grave of an 18-year-old who shared her unusual name sets contemporary Black teen Sophronia on a quest for answers. Her mother, a newly appointed college president, has her own research goals as she digs into the institution’s past. Generational trauma and small-town Southern politics are woven into this remarkably powerful debut that also explores coming-of-age issues, family history, and a bumpy mother-daughter relationship.

Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.