Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled by Dorothy Gilman

Mrs. Pollifax is itching for a new case. And, luckily, there's one on the books. It includes traveling with her good friend, Farrell to find an American woman who spoiled a hijacking and then was promptly kidnapped. As usual, she'll find herself in situations that are unbelievable and yet fun as she wriggles her way out of them. 

Three and a half stars

Mrs. Pollifax #14

Follows Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist

Last in series

This book came out February 1, 2000

Hard copy I did not keep

Opinions are my own

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman

stars

We Solve Murders #2

Follows We Solve Murders

This book came out September 15, 2026

ARC kindly provided 

Opinions are my own

A Ghost's Guide to Haunting a Witch (And Other Bad Decisions) by Sharon Ibbotson

stars

This book came out September 10, 2026

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Joffe Books

Opinions are my own

Secret at Mystic Lake by Carolyn Keene

George got a birthday gift of a bicycle trip. Nancy and (a reluctant) Bess are joining her. As an adult, I had trouble figuring out why someone would take a trip run by teenagers, but as a kid I totally would have bought into this story. While previous stories in this series have made some sense, this one really didn't. There were characters that felt like they were pulled out of a jar (Blade) and dropped into the story.

Two stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #6

Follows Sabotage at Willow Woods

Followed by the Phantom of Nantucket

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Clue in the Diary by Carolyn Keene

The book opens with Nancy, Bess, and George leaving a carnival where they met a young child, Honey, and her mother. The are on their way home when they witness a house bursting into flames. While making sure everyone is out of the house, Nancy meets a young man who is at first suspicious looking, but then she realizes is helping people. He introduced himself as Ned Nickerson. 

But that is all within the first part of the book. There is a missing father (Honey's), a man who has been duping inventors (and the owner of the house that burned), and a number of instances where Nancy is near death. 

I vaguely remember reading this as a child and enjoying it, but it is harder to suspend belief as an adult. 

Three stars

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #7

Follows The Secret of Red Gate Farm

Followed by Nancy's Mysterious Letter

This book came out in 1932

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li

After two catastrophic events, Vivian Yin sent her daughters to a boarding school and their family was never the same. Now the first Chinese actor to win an Oscar is dead. Her family is shocked to learn that she changed her will two weeks before she died to benefit someone unexpected. Now, there are five people in a house that has deep secrets, some of which may still be hanging around. 

Four stars

This book came out May 6, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Sabotage at Willow Woods by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jorjeana Marie

George's cousin is running for city council based on her promise to build a new sports stadium. As with most towns, Bayview is very proud of its football team. Not just football though because George's cousin was a tennis champion and she is also beloved. But not everyone wants the stadium built since it would take out a wood which has been around for hundreds of years. That is playing out with someone sabotaging the campaign.

This is a fast read with a fun story and a little bit of a moral story. 

Three and a half stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #5

This book came out September 22, 2015

Follows Once Upon a Thriller

Followed by Secret at Mystic Lake

Audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson

Two women are heading out to a former club to attend a speed date. Jamie Prescott and her best friend Laurie are hoping to meet some men. They are not hoping to get murdered. But that, somehow, seems to be an option for the evening as, halfway through the rounds, the bodies start to pile up. Jamie is a big fan of both horror and rom-coms (writing her thesis on them, in fact) and has the list of rules for how to be the Final Girl. But will the rules work in real life? 

Four stars

This book came out February 3, 2026

Followed by While You Were Screaming

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison

Willa is stuck. She's heading to the wedding from a group of friends she met in college, but she's bound to see her ex there. The one she broke up with because they were beginning to want different things in their relationship. She is dreading it with the passions of a hundred fiery suns. And it sucks. It sucks so bad and it's even worse than she thought. Than she could have imagined. But... then she wakes up. And it's the same day. And it's even worse. And it happens again, and again, and again. 
Super gory but I really enjoyed getting to know Willa. We don't get to know the others as well but this really is a book that focuses on her. Is there some hand waving in this book? Yes. Yes there is. But I enjoyed it anyway and Harrison is still an author I will only read during the daylight hours.

Four stars

This book came out September 8, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully

Olivia Blunt was a fact finder, but when she learned of Merritt, she knew she wanted to work for the woman. The book opens with her on her way to the job interview. While she thinks she has sunk herself, she ends up with the job. It's not what she thinks. For weeks, she just does more fact finding. Until Hayley Summersworth calls. Her mother's death has been deemed a suicidy but she knows that her mother must have been murdered. Now Olivia on her first case at a luxury resort. But she's staying in the employee dorms, avoiding talking to her future mother-in-law about wedding flowers, and potentially missing her fiance's opening night. 

The mystery was interesting but fell flat at the end. The best part of this story was really the character development. 

Three stars

Merritt & Blunt Mysteries #1

Followed by the Forty-Year Grudge

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

While the Patient Slept by Mignon G. Eberhart

Sarah has been sent to a house that she is not already excited about as it is far out of town, meaning it won't be easy to leave during her four hour afternoon break. And the situation gets worse as the taxi taking her out to the house crashes and she meets the Federie family. As it is in many mysteries, the family is past eccentric and into downright strange. The family patriarch has had a stroke and everone is on edge.

There are the youngest generation, March, and Eustace Federie. Then there is the middle generation, Adolph Federie who makes a rude remark to Sarah and his wife Isobel. Three other friends are there, one of Eustace's, Deke Lonergan, one nameed Mittie Frisling, and one of the patriarch's, Mr. Dimmuck. Two servants make up the rest of the cast: the butler, Grondal, and the cook, Kema. 

On the first night, there are a quick succession of people who come to Sarah, asking her to alert them first when what's his face wakes up. But then, the murder happens. Luckily, it is Lance O'Leary, who Sarah already knows, who has come to help solve the crime. Too bad his presence isn't enough to prevent another murder. 

The story ends up being very convoluted and there is a strange amount of detail about March. 

Three stars

Sarah Keate #2

Follows The Patient in Room 18

Followed by The Mystery of Hunting's End

This book is being reissued February 3, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Penzler Publisher and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Strangers on a Train by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jorjeana Marie

This book picks up right after the last one. Nancy found the jewel thieves who were menacing the Arctic Star cruise ship. But there are still a number of unanswered questions and mysteries on the boat. I know that there have been a LOT of Nancy Drew stories at this point but this one felt like one of the more disjointed stories for some reason. There was just so much going on from employees being set up to be fired to Alan learning who Nancy is to Wendy the blogger to an Alaskan smuggling ring.

Two and a half stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #2

Follows Curse of the Arctic Star

Followed by Mystery of a Midnight Rider

This book came out February 5, 2013

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Once Upon a Thriller by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jorjeana Marie

Nancy, Bess, and George are on a "camping" trip, staying in a cabin. They get to the location, take a quicky hike around the lake, then decide to visit the nearby town. Once there, they discover that the local bookstore, Paige's Pages has burned down. Outside are a number of fans who had been getting ready for a book signing by a reclusive author who only ever signs books at that particular store. 

That's not the only odd thing to happen in town and many of the strange happenings seem to mirror the plot of the author's first book.

An interesting story that is fluffier than the others so far in this series but it is aimed at the middle grade so that is something to consider.   

Four stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #4

Follows Mystery of the Midnight Rider

Followed by Sabotage at Willow Woods

This book came out May 7, 2013

Opinions are my own

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Laura Linney

I didn't remember this book from reading it before. It's nice to find new titles even in a series I thought I had completed. Granted, this is a children's series, but there was a lot of coincidence and some fairly unbelievable aspects to this story. It was certainly interesting to think of Nancy in scuba gear. 

She's helping her friend Emily who is having some problems while converting a family house to an inn. She is also engaged to be married. There are any number of things going wrong including her jewelry inheritance being stolen from a room that a whole group is in.

There is also a sub-but-related-plot of someone impersonating Nancy.  

Three and a half stars

Nancy Drew #4

Follows The Bungalow Mystery

Followed by The Secret of Shadow Ranch

This book came out in 1930

Mystery of the Midnight Rider by Carolyn Keene, narrator: Jorjeana Marie

Nancy and Ned are at the horse show. Nancy never misses it and Ned has a family friend, Payton Evans, who is competing. Rumors are that Payton is being considered for the Olympic team. That would definitely cause a lot of jealousy and may be part of the reason that someone seems to be trying to sabotage her efforts. 

A really fast read but, like chips, still enjoyable. And the ending made sense which was nice. 

Four stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #3

Follows Strangers on a Train

Followed by Once Upon a Thriller

This book came out May 7, 2013

Opinions are my own

The Silent Appeal by Janice Hallett

The Fairway Players are back. Once again, something has happened that requires lawyers to go through the correspondence of the acting group. We even get the same people looking over the papers (this is specifically because of the work they did on the previous case.)

Like the other books, this is an epistolary encompassing texts, emails, and even one player's personal journal. There are a LOT of people and, while I would say it helps to read the first book, I only have dim memories of all of the players from that one so you may not need it. 

The players are just as dysfunctional as they were in the first book with feuds that are both obvious and somewhat less so. They are putting on Agatha Christie's The Hollow which has some obvious echoes to characters both old and new. Like the last book, this one will have at least one murder. Is the ending just as weird? Yes. Did I generally enjoy it? Yes. 

Three and a half stars

This book come out August 25, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus

There's a new set of teens (though the old team came back as well) dealing with a new game. This time, it's truth or dare. Do the dare or a truth that you've had buried will come to the surface. First up - Phoebe, who on top of dealing with ther father's death, is working through the fact that she had sex with her sister's ex. People quickly realize that you should Always Choose the Dare. Until someone dies. 

With the baddies from the first book being cleaned up, there are new people in the mix for that as well. The first book was well done and this book had to follow up after that. So, a bit like Scream 2 to Scream. 

Three stars

One of Us is Lying #2

Follows One of Us is Lying

Followed by One of Us is Back

This book came out January 7, 2020

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Five teens show up for detention. One of them runs a gossip website that is about to expose various secrets of the other four. One of them doesn't make it out of the room. Everyone gets up to look at a car accident and the fifth dies. 

Told in alternating views of the four teens, the mystery slowly unfolds, as well as the secrets of the teens and everyone in their orbit. The book is a bit dated at this point (several mentions of an ipod Nano), but the feelings remain the same. Could this happen today? Definitely. Did I like all of the characters? Not personally, and some of them definitely felt stock, but I'm willing to read the next book in the series to see how the stakes are raised.

Three and a half stars

One of Us is Lying #1

Followed by One of Us is Next

This book came out May 30, 2017

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Charity Shop Detective Agency by Peter Boland, narrator: Zara Ramm

The book starts when Fiona Sharp, one of the volunteers at a local charity shop,  Dogs Need Nice Homes, notices a rival charity shop volunter dropping off a box from the dump pile in front of her shop to Fiona's. While going through the box, she finds a blood-covered knife. This catpults her, as well as the other volunteers, Sue and Daisy, into a promising adventure. After all, all of them have read any number of mystery novels and they can do things the police can't. Like, interfering with police work. 

Three stars

Followed by

This book came out December 13, 2022

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Curse of the Arctic Star by Carolyn Keene, Jorjeana Marie (Narrator)

Nancy, along with Bess and George, starts what seems to be a series of somewhat interconnected mysteries. There have been some rumors surrounding the opening of a new cruise ship. People are thinking it might be cursed. So the granddaughter of the owner asks Nancy for help. In return, they will get to stay in one of the fanciest suites on the boat which includes four rooms. And Bess decides to invite her boyfriend du jour so the mystery is complicated by the fact that Nancy doesn't want him to know that she's doing detective work. 

There were some things that irked me about this story but might not occur to a middle schooler. I'm definitey going to keep reading. 

Three and a half stars

Nancy Drew Diaries #1

Followed by Strangers on a Train

This book came out February 5, 2013

Borrowed as audiobook from Libb

Opinions are my own