Six Books for Dead Boy Detectives Fans
I know a lot of people are happy to read fanfic in between writing letters to Netflix demanding a second season of our favorite show, but I thought I’d put together this list to help tide us over. These books span different age demographics, genres, and time periods, but they all strike a few notes of that chord that makes Dead Boy Detectives resonate with so many of us. Feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments and reblogs!
Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas A queer coming-of-age story featuring magic, troublesome ghosts, teenage drama, and a murder mystery, this one reminded me a lot of DBDA when I read it. The main duo, Yadriel and Julian, bear a striking resemblance to the straitlaced (but not straight) magician and cheerfully chaotic brawn we know and love, and Yadriel’s cousin Maritza is a delightful strong female character to round out the trio.
Rules for Ghosting by Shelley Jay Shore No murder mysteries in this one, but there’s a lot of drama between the characters. We get an extremely messy found family as well as an extremely messy bio family, and the story tackles a lot of difficult subjects and different kinds of grief in a sensitive but hopeful manner reminiscent of DBDA. And yes, there are literal ghosts as well as metaphorical ones.
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske If I had a nickel every time I fell in love with an Autistic-coded gay British Edwardian-era magician named Edwin, I’d have two nickels. Edwin Courcey isn’t Edwin Payne, but they have a lot in common, including a love of books, childhood trauma, and a determination to do the right thing even when it’s hard. Rounding out the cast are the stubbornly optimistic Robin Blyth, the practical Adelaide Morrissey, and the adventurous Maud Blyth—and yes, both Blyth siblings need a lecture about their impetuous tendencies. I love the way neurodivergent characters are written in this book, as flawed people who truly care about others, much like in DBDA. This book (and its sequels) also offer good world building, fantastic imagery, excellent banter, murder mystery, magical conspiracy, queer romance, and found family—what more could you ask for?
Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer I know this one is science fiction not fantasy, but it really feels like DBDA in a way that’s difficult to pin down. We get a cast of neurodivergent queer teens, a good balance of humor against darker topics, fabulous dialogue, a suspenseful mystery, a slow-burn romance, a few surprisingly nuanced and sympathetic antagonists, all against the backdrop of small-town America. There’s also an AI with a fondness for cat pictures and a scene where the kids hack the school’s lesson materials to make it provide accurate LGBTQ-inclusive sex ed. But I think the real heart of the story is the loneliness, the friendships and community the characters find. This one is dear to my heart and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss Returning to the realm of supernatural mystery—and to London from over a century ago—we have this story about women monsters reclaiming their narratives while solving a series of murders. Daughters of Jekyll, Hyde, Rappacini, Moreau, and Frankenstein come together and strike back against the mad scientists who wronged them. There’s also an appearance made by Sherlock Holmes. Readers hoping for canonically queer characters will be disappointed, but book two features lesbian vampire Carmilla and American spy Irene Adler.
Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones This is the only children’s book on this list, as well as the only book from a series with no canon queer characters. But the world where magical history is censored and accusations of witchcraft lead to arrests, even for minors, certainly feels familiar. This boarding school might be co-ed, but it rivals St. Hilarion’s with its tendency for the adults to turn a blind eye to the bullying and the pranks gone too far. Magical shenanigans abound and unlikely friendships form as the children discover their abilities and scramble to stay one step ahead of the inquisitors. Technically, this is book four in the Chronicles of Chrestomanci, but it really is a stand-alone novel, and probably my favorite in the series.
Happy reading! And remember: our stories matter.
