Masterminds Books in Order

The Masterminds trilogy starts in a town that feels too perfect. Serenity has no crime, no danger, and no real questions, until a group of kids begins to notice cracks that don’t make sense. The more they poke at those cracks, the more they realize their entire lives might be built on a lie.

Then the truth hits, and it’s terrifying.

In Masterminds, Eli and his friends uncover clues that suggest their town is an experiment, and that the adults in charge have been controlling information, movement, and even memory. The book moves like a thriller, but it’s driven by kid logic: they’re frightened, angry, and determined, and they’re willing to take risks because living inside the lie is worse.

Criminal Destiny pushes the group out into the wider world, where they face a different kind of danger: being hunted, being misunderstood, and being forced to confront what their origins might mean. The trilogy plays with a big question, if you were created for a purpose, can you choose to be someone else.

By Payback, the kids turn toward ending the experiment itself. The story becomes about taking agency back, even when the power imbalance is enormous. The plan gets riskier, the stakes get higher, and the friendships are tested under pressure.

This series is best read in order, because each book builds directly on the revelations and choices of the last. If you like twisty thrillers with a tight cast, short chapters, and a constant sense of being chased, Masterminds is one of Korman’s most suspense-driven series.