Mystery and detective stories (Tamariki).

Here is a list of books for mystery fans and the budding detective. This selection of mystery and detective stories is bound to amused and inspire your inner Sherlock or Enola Holmes, Famous Five, and Nancy Drew.

Updated August 20, 2024
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Five on a treasure island
Blyton, Enid
Paper Book
Meet Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timothy. Together they are THE FAMOUS FIVE - Enid Blyton's most popular adventure series. All 21 titles also available as audiobooks! 'There was something else out on the sea by the rocks - something dark that seemed to lurch out of the...
Five on Finniston Farm
Blyton, Enid.
Paper Book
Meet Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timothy. Together they are THE FAMOUS FIVE - Enid Blyton's most popular adventure series. All 21 titles also available as audiobooks! In book eighteen, the Famous Five hunt for the lost dungeons of a ruined castle on Finniston Farm. The...
We hold these truths
Clements, Andrew
Paper Book
Time is almost out for the Keepers of the School in this fifth Keepers adventure from Andrew Clements, the master of the school story. The Keepers of the School--known to their friends as Ben, Jill, and Robert--have one last chance to save their school before it's torn down to...
We the children
Clements, Andrew
Paper Book
Benjamin Pratt's school is about to become the site of a new amusement park. It sounds like a dream come true! But lately, Ben has been wondering if he's going to like an amusement park in the middle of his town--with all the buses and traffic and eight dollar slices of pizza. It's going to change...
Framed : the perfect crime - it's a work of art
Cottrell Boyce, Frank
Paper Book
The perfect crime becomes a work of art in Frank Cottrell Boyce's hilarious novel Framed. Featuring a fantastic cover look look and inside illustrations by Steven Lenton.A little boy turns the perfect crime into a work of art.The perfect crime - it's a work of art, in Frank Cottrell Boyce's...
The ghost of Howlers Beach
French, Jackie
Paper Book
Butter O'Bryan has been told there are ghosts on Howlers Beach, but are there? Howlers Beach, 1932 Butter O'Bryan lives in a Very Small Castle with his father and three aunts - Aunt Elephant, Aunt Cake and Aunt Peculiar. These aren't their real names, of course, just...
The vanishing at the Very Small Castle
French, Jackie
Paper Book
It's 1932, the height of the Depression, and Butter O'Bryan and his friends have another mystery to solve. The Very Small Castle is home to Butter O'Bryan, his father, three aunts, friends Gil, Olive and Tish, and their dog, Woofer. But now there's also a monster at the castle...
The fire-raiser
Gee, Maurice.
Paper Book
He let the matchstick burn, knowing the power in his hand... flame filled the inside of his head. It ran along his arteries. It licked around his bones. Kitty Wix is knocked over as a strange loping figure is seen fleeing the burning stables. But who is the 'fire-raiser' and why is he...
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's library
Grabenstein, Chris
Paper Book
The accomplice
Grisham, John
Paper Book
Theodore Boone : the activist
Grisham, John
Paper Book
'Best book ever!' - 5-star reader review Theodore Boone, young lawyer, has had a lot to deal with in his thirteen years, everything from kidnapping to murder. But he's come through it all and, with the law on his side, justice has always prevailed. ...
The fugitive
Grisham, John
Paper Book
He was supposed to be having fun with his friends, not playing detective and stalking a serial killer. Theodore Boone - teenage lawyer and courtroom hero - is on a class trip seeing the sights of the capital city. But he hadn't counted on seeing the most wanted man in the...
Theodore Boone : the scandal
Grisham, John
Paper Book
Thirteen-year-old Theodore Boone knows every judge, police officer, and court clerk in Strattenburg. He has even helped bring a fugitive to justice. But even a future star lawyer like Theo has to deal with statewide standardized testing. When an anonymous tip leads the school board to...
Theodore Boone: The Abduction
Grisham, John.
Paper Book
Book 2 in the thrilling young mystery series from internationally bestsellling author John Grisham When we last saw Theo Boone, he ensured that justice was served by uncovering evidence that kept a guilty man off of the streets. Hot off this high-profile murder trial, thirteen-year-old...
Father's arcane daughter
Konigsburg, E. L.
Paper Book
Caroline, who was kidnapped as a teenager, returns home to claim her family fortune.
Art detective : spot the difference!
Kutschbach, Doris.
Paper Book
Now available in paperback, this highly engaging book teaches young readers about great works of art by challenging them to spot the difference between the original and a sly forgery. From Michelangelo to Picasso, art history is filled with stories of spectacular forgeries that...
Judy Moody
McDonald, Megan
Paper Book
The mercurial Judy Moody will delight any kid who's known a bad mood or a bad day--and managed to laugh anyway. "Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood. A mad-faced mood." To start, Judy Moody doesn't have high hopes for third grade. Her new desk won't...
The curse
Ostow, Micol
Paper Book
Based on the TV series Nancy Drew, the most-watched new show on the CW! In this prequel novel, the beloved teen sleuth investigates a sinister, once-dormant curse that may be threatening her town once more. This is Nancy Drew for today, perfect for fans of...
The big six
Ransome, Arthur
Paper Book
It's great detective work that's needed now. Bill, Peter and Joe are falsely accused of setting boats adrift and the whole river is against them. Only Dick, Dorothea and Tom Dudgeon are there to stand by their friends and they soon set to work to investigate the crimes and trap the real criminals
"When did you see her last?"
Snicket, Lemony
Paper Book
Before he wrote 'A Series of Unfortunate Events', before the Baudelaires became orphans, even before the invention of Netflix, Lemony Snicket asked all the wrong questions. Four to be exact. This is the account of the second question.
"Who could that be at this hour?"
Snicket, Lemony
Paper Book
A New York Times Notable Children's Book of the Year*A Kirkus Best Book of the Year*A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year ★ "Fans of A Series of...
Friday Barnes, girl detective
Spratt, R. A
Paper Book
The eagerly awaited new series from the author of the bestselling Nanny Piggins series. When girl detective Friday Barnes solves a bank robbery she uses the reward money to send herself to the most exclusive boarding school in the country, Highcrest Academy. On...
The case of the left-handed lady
Springer, Nancy
Paper Book
Enola Holmes might be the much younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, but she manages to outsmart him at every turn, solving thrilling mysteries in her very own way...
Enola Holmes : the case of the missing marquess
Springer, Nancy.
Paper Book
Now a Netflix original movie starring Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham Carter! Meet Enola Holmes, teenaged girl turned detective and the younger sister to Sherlock Holmes. When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her...
When you reach me
Stead, Rebecca.
Paper Book
Four mysterious letters change Miranda's world. Miranda and Sal are best friends, but when Sal gets punched by a new kid for no apparent reason, he shuts Miranda out of his life. Then she finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper- I am coming to save your friend's life,...
Murder most unladylike
Stevens, Robin
Paper Book
A super special 10th anniversary edition of the first gripping, award-winning mystery starring schoolgirl detectives, Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong. With a new introduction from the author and bonus short story! The first marvellous murder mystery in the bestselling Murder Most...
The mysterious Benedict Society
Stewart, Trenton Lee
Paper Book
For fans of Lemony Snicket and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, this first book in the bestselling, award-winning Mysterious Benedict Society series is not to be missed! "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" Dozens of children...
The case of the missing moonstone
Stratford, Jordan
Paper Book
History, mystery, and science collide in a new series for middle-grade readers, perfect for fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society and Lemony Snicket!   Jordan Stratford imagines an alternate 1826, where Ada Lovelace (the world's first computer programmer)...
The mysterious howling
Wood, Maryrose.
Paper Book
Of especially naughty children, it is sometimes said: "They must have been raised by wolves." The Incorrigible Children actually were. Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children....

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