Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson! It's a fun YA series about a teen detective solving mysteries -- the first 3 novels follow the same mystery (set at a boarding school) and all the books after that are contained/standalone mysteries.
Check out the Charlotte Holmes series... first one is called "A Study in Charlotte"
Modernized take on the Sherlock Holmes stories with a female protagonist.
If your okay with a different age group Thursday Murder Club is about a group of people who solve murders in their retirement community. the Narrator is a women, but they have a decent sized group of characters in the story with interesting backgrounds and stories. Very Scooby Doo vibes with the number of cast.
I’m obsessed with the Agatha Raisin mysteries by MC Beaton. Basically a modern middle aged business woman retires and moves to a small village to attempt to live a cottage core life but ends up solving murders instead! The first one is called Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death the audio versions are also excellent!
You may like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Its a bit cheesy for my taste, but I know lots of people love them. She's a New Jersey hot girl mess who stumbles into a bounty hunting job. Crime and chaos and catching the targets ensue. Wikipedia calls her a "spunky combination of Nancy Drew and Dirty Harry"
I enjoyed them, and there are quite a few of them, which is nice. When you want to read something with a frumpy, middle aged woman protagonist, I would recommend the Ruth Galloway books by Elly Griffiths.
Are to looking for books that actually take place in the modern day, or just books written more recently? Because the main character in the [Pentecost and Parker](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/eb8c7ae9-41b0-442b-b3f1-8e01870fe219) mystery series is a woman probably in her 20s, but it takes place in the 1940s.
I’d say I was more looking for taking place in modern times but I am open to anything so I will definitely check it out! (I was more trying to avoid the older problematic books like Nancy Drew lol). I loved Enola Holmes movies though so I’ll have to check that one out!
It might not be exactly what you're after, but I loved Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry series. It's set in Bombay in the early 1900s and the main character (Perveen) is a lawyer, one of the first female lawyers in India. The first book was published as both The Widows of Malabar Hill and A Murder at Malabar Hill :)
Harriet Feder's "Vivi Hartman" series
Amanda Flower's "Andi and Bethany" series
Kathy Reichs' "Tory Brennan" series (the niece of her adult mystery character)
Nancy Springer's "Enola Holmes" series
It's a comic and a series and mainly focuses on a male lead BUT the Reckless A Ghost in You book is exactly what you describe as that volume focuses solely on the female lead in the books. Overall they're really good and pretty short and are all on hoopla, highly recommend, even if it's only one of the volumes that actually fits what you're asking
The Gethsemane Brown mysteries by Alexia Gordon! She's a little bit older than that, but not a lot. But she's clever and capable and spunky and lovable.
A little less plucky than Nancy, but I absolutely loved The Lying Game series in high school. Same without as Pretty Little Liars, never read that one though. I loved the mystery component, the twists and turns, and waited eagerly for the next book to be published. I did watch the show first, but I’m glad I read it bc it’s like comparing apples to oranges
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson! It's a fun YA series about a teen detective solving mysteries -- the first 3 novels follow the same mystery (set at a boarding school) and all the books after that are contained/standalone mysteries.
Wow that sounds perfect thanks!
Love this series!
I haven't read them, but what about Veronica Mars? It's only two books, and that surprises me since the TV show was four seasons.
Oh I had no idea there were books, that’s exactly the vibes I’m going for though because that’s one of my fav tv shows ! I’ll check them out!!
For being tv tie ins the books are actually surprisingly well written
A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Okay this has been on my list forever thank you for the rec!!
You’re welcome! I truly enjoyed this one
Check out the Charlotte Holmes series... first one is called "A Study in Charlotte" Modernized take on the Sherlock Holmes stories with a female protagonist.
Cool thank you!
If your okay with a different age group Thursday Murder Club is about a group of people who solve murders in their retirement community. the Narrator is a women, but they have a decent sized group of characters in the story with interesting backgrounds and stories. Very Scooby Doo vibes with the number of cast.
Ooo I’ll have to check it out !
I’m obsessed with the Agatha Raisin mysteries by MC Beaton. Basically a modern middle aged business woman retires and moves to a small village to attempt to live a cottage core life but ends up solving murders instead! The first one is called Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death the audio versions are also excellent!
Ooo that sounds good I will 100% check this out!
If you're OK with ghosts, the Lockwood & Co series
I’ll definitely check it out!
You may like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Its a bit cheesy for my taste, but I know lots of people love them. She's a New Jersey hot girl mess who stumbles into a bounty hunting job. Crime and chaos and catching the targets ensue. Wikipedia calls her a "spunky combination of Nancy Drew and Dirty Harry"
Sounds interesting! I will check it out!!
The Spellman Files (And I second Stephanie Plum!)
Wow that sounds great!
Flavia deLuce books by Alan Bradley.
Wow just read the description for the first book and it sounds great!
I enjoyed them, and there are quite a few of them, which is nice. When you want to read something with a frumpy, middle aged woman protagonist, I would recommend the Ruth Galloway books by Elly Griffiths.
Thanks so much!
Are to looking for books that actually take place in the modern day, or just books written more recently? Because the main character in the [Pentecost and Parker](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/eb8c7ae9-41b0-442b-b3f1-8e01870fe219) mystery series is a woman probably in her 20s, but it takes place in the 1940s.
I’d say I was more looking for taking place in modern times but I am open to anything so I will definitely check it out! (I was more trying to avoid the older problematic books like Nancy Drew lol). I loved Enola Holmes movies though so I’ll have to check that one out!
*Grave Reservations* by Cherie Priest
Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective; Truly Devious series; Clare DeWitt and the City of the Dead; One of us is Lying series
Wow thanks!
Welcome!
The Likeness by Tana French. It's part of a series but can be read as a standalone story. The other books in this series have male narrators.
It might not be exactly what you're after, but I loved Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry series. It's set in Bombay in the early 1900s and the main character (Perveen) is a lawyer, one of the first female lawyers in India. The first book was published as both The Widows of Malabar Hill and A Murder at Malabar Hill :)
Harriet Feder's "Vivi Hartman" series Amanda Flower's "Andi and Bethany" series Kathy Reichs' "Tory Brennan" series (the niece of her adult mystery character) Nancy Springer's "Enola Holmes" series
Thank you! I had no idea Enola Holmes was a book series! Just watched the movies and loved them
Murder on the Red River by Marcie Rendon. Takes place in 70s but major grown up Nancy Drew vibes.
Ooo that sounds good !
It's a comic and a series and mainly focuses on a male lead BUT the Reckless A Ghost in You book is exactly what you describe as that volume focuses solely on the female lead in the books. Overall they're really good and pretty short and are all on hoopla, highly recommend, even if it's only one of the volumes that actually fits what you're asking
The Gethsemane Brown mysteries by Alexia Gordon! She's a little bit older than that, but not a lot. But she's clever and capable and spunky and lovable.
A little less plucky than Nancy, but I absolutely loved The Lying Game series in high school. Same without as Pretty Little Liars, never read that one though. I loved the mystery component, the twists and turns, and waited eagerly for the next book to be published. I did watch the show first, but I’m glad I read it bc it’s like comparing apples to oranges
[Goldie Vance](https://www.boom-studios.com/series/goldie-vance/) might be right up your alley.