If Clue had a baby with Mean Girls and raised it in a 1930s British boarding school, you’d get Murder Is Bad Manners. Robin Stevens serves up a murder mystery that’s equal parts charming, chilling, and cheerfully British, with just enough tea, biscuits, and toxic authority figures to keep things spicy.

Meet Daisy Wells: blonde, bossy, and born to lead. Think Blair Waldorf with a magnifying glass. Her best friend Hazel Wong is the quiet observer, smart, strategic, and secretly the real MVP. Together, they form the Detective Society, which is basically the FBI but with more Latin homework and fewer rights.

When Hazel stumbles upon a dead body in the gym cupboard (as one does), she tells Daisy. But when they return, the body is gone. Cue the gaslighting, cover-ups, and a whole lot of “Miss Bell was just transferred” nonsense. Spoiler: she wasn’t. She’s very much dead.

Hazel and Daisy start sleuthing between classes, dodging prefects, decoding motives, and interrogating teachers with the subtlety of a raccoon in a china shop. They uncover secrets, lies, and a suspicious number of staff members with vendettas and access to poison.

Also, shoutout to the school’s administration for being so wildly incompetent that two 13-year-olds are the only ones solving multiple murders. We love a good “kids do it better” trope.

Spoilers ahead- turn around if you do NOT want to know who the killer is!!!!!

Turns out Miss Griffin, the headmistress with the emotional range of a damp sponge, is behind it all. She’s responsible for the deaths of Verity Abraham (her illegitimate child- WHAAAA???), Miss Tennyson (some people would do anything for a promotion, am I right?), and Miss Bell (Blackmail never ends peacefully). Why? Because murder is apparently easier than conflict resolution.

Hazel and Daisy crack the case, save the school, and prove that friendship + forensic logic = unstoppable.

Think of it like this:

You find a body in the gym cupboard and your bestie thinks it’s a clue, not trauma.

Daisy: Posts aesthetic crime board with string and pins “Detective Society drop”

Miss Griffin: Duets with a poison bottle “This is not what it looks like.”

Verity: Ghost filter “Justice for me, please.”

So why read a piece whose setting is older than your great, great, great, grandmother? Murder Is Bad Manners is more than a whodunit, it’s a masterclass in friendship, feminism, and the art of questioning authority. It’s perfect for middle schoolers who love mystery, educators who love clever writing, and anyone who’s ever wanted to solve a crime between lunch and Latin.

Hazel’s quiet strength and Daisy’s chaotic brilliance remind us that leadership looks different on everyone and that sometimes, the best detectives are the ones no one sees coming.

No need to sleuth to find awesome activities on this one. Check out my novel study and answer key in my TPT store.

Think you’ve got detective chops like Hazel and Daisy? Prove it. Our Search & Find activity is like Where’s Waldo, but with more poison, plot twists, and suspicious headmistresses. Students will hunt down clues, decode symbols, and spot suspects faster than Daisy can say “I told you so.” It’s the perfect blend of brainy and bonkers, and yes, it’s classroom-friendly chaos at its finest.

Warning: May cause sudden bursts of sleuthing confidence and dramatic finger-pointing. Proceed with magnifying glass in hand.