The element of mystery can be a naturally intriguing component of a mathematics lesson for middle school students. Mystery stories capture students' interest and attention and contribute to developing critical reading skills. When presenting mystery stories within the context of a mathematics lesson, students often ask, "What does this have to do with mathematics?" Significant connections can be made between solving a mystery and solving a mathematics problem that supply a rationale for incorporating mystery stories in the mathematics class. In particular, similarities in the questions a problem solver asks when confronting a problem and the questions a detective asks in solving a mystery can be found in figure 1. After solving short mystery stories, students will see the connection between solving a mystery and solving a mathematics problem.