Books like The Name of the Game Was Murder

If you liked The Name of the Game Was Murder, read Tarot Says Beware, Terror at the Zoo, or Closed for the Season — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Name of the Game Was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon (Mystery · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of authors, detective and mystery stories, and murder. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Name of the Game Was Murder

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Why each is a match

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Tarot Says Bewaregrades 3–8
Shares themes of detective and mystery stories, murder, and mystery and detective stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon →
Terror at the Zoogrades 3–6
Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Closed for the Seasongrades 3–8
Shares themes of murder and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Down the Rabbit Holegrades 2–8
Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and murder, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon →
Framed!grades 3–8
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon →
Skeleton Creekgrades 3–8
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon →
Something Big Has Been Heregrades 3–5
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
Alvin's Swap Shopgrades 4–6
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Nightmare Mountaingrades 3–6
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
The Strangergrades 3–5
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →

Books like The Name of the Game Was Murder for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

  • Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of murder, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 5–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1990s).
  • Crash by Jerry Spinelli · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (1990s).

Books like The Name of the Game Was Murder for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

  • Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of murder, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 5–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1990s).
  • Crash by Jerry Spinelli · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (1990s).

Books like The Name of the Game Was Murder for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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