Reading Recommendations: Amateur Sleuths
Hello everyone! For this month’s reading recommendations I’m focusing on stories that feature amateur sleuths as the main protagonists. I love reading stories of people uncovering mysteries and in these picks, I have a mixture of books from kid-lit titles to cozy mysteries. Enjoy!
Nothing’s happened in Wilder’s hometown since they filmed that cult kids’ adventure movie there in the 80s…but that’s ancient history. Until one day, she and her friends come upon a centuries-old pirate map drawn by someone named Black Mary…and find out there might be some REAL adventure in their tiny town after all!
I love adventure stories and so far the fact that this series has a secret map, pirates, and hidden treasure to be found is intriguing. It’s giving me all The Goonies feels but with a more modern twist as this has a mainly female and more diverse cast. It’s a modern story with an old-school feel and I think the nostalgic factor will grab readers.
Thriller scribe Sophie Katz is as hard-boiled as a woman who drinks Grande Caramel Brownie Frappuccinos can be; maybe it’s from a lifetime of fielding dumb comments about her half-black, half-Jewish ethnicity. (“My sister’s married to a Polynesian! I just love your culture!”) So Sophie knows it’s not paranoia, or post-divorce, living-alone-again jitters when she becomes convinced that a crazed reader is sneaking into her apartment to reenact scenes from her books. The police, however, can’t tell a good plot from an unmarked grave.
When a filmmaker friend is brutally murdered in the manner of a death scene in one of his movies, Sophie becomes convinced that a copycat killer is on the loose…and that she’s the next target. If she doesn’t solve the mystery, her own bestseller will spell out her doom. Cursing her grisly ending (why, oh, why did she have to pick the ax?), Sophie engages in some real-life gumshoe tactics.
I thoroughly enjoy her charming characters and smooth writing style in the Sophie Katz series. She comes up with these interesting, but relatable characters that get thrown into crazy and sometimes dangerous situations. Being a thriller writer, Sophie makes a pretty good amateur sleuth. The Sophie Katz series is one of my favorite mystery series of all time and I love how they can be suspenseful and hilarious at the same time.
Nineteen-year-old Nell Hallam lives in a modest corner of Mayfair with her brother Matthew, an inspector at Scotland Yard. An exceptionally talented pianist, she aspires to attend the Royal Academy; but with tuition beyond their means, Nell sets out to earn the money herself—by playing piano in a popular Soho music hall. And the fact that she will have to disguise herself as a man and slip out at night to do it doesn’t deter her.
Spending evenings at the Octavian is like entering an alternate world, one of lively energy, fascinating performers, raucous patrons—and dark secrets. And when Nell stumbles upon the operations of an infamous crime ring working in the shadows of the music hall, she is drawn into a conspiracy that stretches the length of London. To further complicate matters, she has begun to fall for the hall owner’s charismatic son, Jack, who has secrets of his own.
The more Nell becomes a part of the Octavian’s world, the more she risks the relationships with the people she loves. And when another performer is left for dead in an alley as a warning, she realizes her future could be in jeopardy in more ways than one.
Just from the ominous cover alone, the story quickly dives into a plot full of mystery. I was entertained by the heightened suspense aspect as I tried to solve the pieces of the puzzle along with Nell and her brother Matt, a policeman at the Scotland Yard. Odden’s writing is very descriptive and immersive. The text launches the reader into that time period; the various societal rules, Victorian dress, disapproval of mixing of social classes, mental health treatments at that time, and sexism which Nell constantly deals with during the entire plot. Though she gets pulled into the Octavian’s dark dealings, Nell is determined to find out its secrets.
Welcome to the world of Simon and Chester, ghost and boy duo extraordinaire.
They like to kick butt and take names.
They don’t like chores.
They are best friends.
And they are about to solve the MYSTERY OF A LIFETIME.
(Oh, and eat some snacks probably.)
This is an adorable and fun story of two best friends stuck indoors on a rainy day with nothing to do. Then Simon drums up the idea to play a game of super sleuths matching the look and feel of the famous mystery duo Holmes and Watson. I loved watching them work together to piece clues to solve what seemed like a mundane mystery to outsiders, but an adventure for them both. It was a way for them to bond while also sparking their grand imaginations.
Our main character, Deveraeaux (or, Dev, for short) lives in a small town where she runs a cozy, small dime shop. The shop is filled with various new and old items, but has the cool vintage look and style. Life is normal or at least for Dev until her ex-boyfriend’s fiance Joelle is found dead. Dev soon encounters a cop who is all too set with closing the case ASAP, pins her as the murderer seeing as the whole town knows about their bad breakup.
Dev becomes a prime suspect and in order to clear her good name her loopy grandma who she takes care of contacts an old friend to help out. In comes Jake, the handsome U.S. Marshall, to assist Dev with helping her find the real killer. She also enlists the help of her besties, Poppy And Boone, to help out with the investigation. Will Dev find the killer before it’s too late?
Dev is an entertaining main character. She’s spunky, witty, and cool. Her ever-loving, but sometimes nosy (in a good way) friends and grandma also add to the mix. Sometimes the story feeds into clichés and some of the things that happen in the story aren’t a huge surprise, but it okay. The book is not supposed to be some true grit crime novel, but rather more of a light-hearted, comedic whodunnit read. The writing by Swanson is good as well. The story is fast-paced and the storyline flows well.
MG Martin lives and breathes geek culture. She even works as a writer for the comic book company she idolized as a kid. But despite her love of hooded vigilantes, MG prefers her comics stay on the page.
But when someone in LA starts recreating crime scenes from her favorite comic book, MG is the LAPD’s best—and only—lead. She recognizes the golden arrow left at the scene as the calling card of her favorite comic book hero. The thing is…superheroes aren’t real. Are they?
When the too-handsome-for-his-own-good Detective Kildaire asks for her comic book expertise, MG is more than up for the adventure. Unfortunately, MG has a teeny little tendency to not follow rules. And her off-the-books sleuthing may land her in a world of trouble.
This book was a fun thrill ride! It has mystery, romance, and all things Nerdy! The main character becomes a helper on an LAPD case after a crime mirrors her favorite comic book. She is more than eager to jump right into the role of an amateur sleuth. MG is creative in coming up with innovative story ideas and costume design. I like how quick-witted her personality is and how on top of her game she is. I also loved the relationship with her friends, Lawrence and Ryan. They have her back and they are also good friends.
That concludes my list of reading recommendations! What books with amateur sleuths do you recommend or what are your favorites? Comment below!
I can’t think of a perfect match for this series, but I was listening to the NYT book podcast the other day and heard one of their editors talking about an indigenous Nancy Drew novel (and I think they said it was being optioned for TV too, already, even though the book is also new) and that sounds pretty great!
I need to listen to the NYT book podcast, I keep forgetting about it. I haven’t heard of that new book. Thanks for sharing it with me! I’ve really gotten into amateur sleuth mystery stories as of lately. There’s so much to read in that mystery genre.