Fun Historical Mystery Adventure for Middle Grade Readers

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The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin was the first read of 2026 of my Online Kidlit Book Club. I was excited to delve into this one as it was a historical mystery that involved spies, intrigue and Bletchley Park in England. I was not disappointed. This novel was an adventure that was well balanced for the intended reading audience in terms of the history it incorporated in with the fictional suspense. It also had a lot of heart as the two main characters are a brother and sister that have become estranged by loss and the war. 

The story opens with Lizzie, the sister for the main character duo, escaping from her escort tasked with taking her to America where her grandmother resides. Lizzie is determined to do the opposite of escape to safety from the coming German Blitz on London and other parts of England that is imminent. Instead, she had decided to seek out her brother Jacob once she discovers where on the map he's dropped off to and to figure out what happened to their mother who everyone thinks is dead. Finding her way to Bletchely Park, by way of Jacob being tasked with bringing her there, the adventure begins.

Of the two characters I loved Lizzie! She is smart, determined and full of optimism even though everyone keeps telling her that her mother is dead. Lizzie refuses to believe it. She finds coded information hidden in her mother's room right before she is whisked away to Bletchley by her brother that is further proof for her that their mother was more than she seemed and is in fact very much alive still. Add in the historical details of the work that was done in Bletchley Park to break the enigma that is the German intelligence exchange system and this is a mystery that is full of tension, suspense, and heart. Lizzie soon figures out what is really going on at Bletchley despite Jacob's efforts to keep her in the dark. As someone who is hired by the general in charge of the park to be a message courier about the manor she is in able to watch and observe the hive that is the park. As clever as she is, it doesn't take her long to piece things together. 

The backdrop of the start of WWII is also a character in the story. The parts that are told from Jacob's point of view give us a glimpse into British intelligence and recruitment during the war as Jacob is recruited as a university math major to be a part of the think tank that is Bletchley. We see firsthand the pressure the people involved in this code breaking were under to prevent the Germans from invading England and to figure out what their targets would be for the bombing they did of England to break the British spirit. As the British fought largely alone at the start of the war once the Germans occupied France. A few details were also included as to how the British were able to get their hands on the enigma machines in the first place in order to start working at breaking the coded ciphers the Germans used to relay their messages. While I was not as engrossed in Jacob's side of the story, anyone interested in coding, ciphers and complex math would probably enjoy this side of it. I did like getting to see some of the real life people in the story also such as Alan Turing. The ending when the two siblings finally figure out the real story of what happened to their mom was tension filled and very like a James Bond moment. All in all, if you or a young reader that you know enjoys historical mystery fiction set during WWII then I recommend picking up The Bletchley Riddle. I think this book would also be appropriate for those teaching this historical period to upper elementary or middle school students. 

My next review for February will be a really good gothic mystery that I read as a NetGalley ARC, Murder Will Out by Jennifer Breedlove. The book cover and the description are both copied from bookshop.org. To obtain copies of either books mentioned in this post just click on the title to order a copy from bookshop.org and support indie bookstores. I also recommend supporting your local libraries by checking out or requesting they obtain copies of either of these books for their shelves as well. 

Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award winner Jennifer K. Breedlove brings coastal Maine to life in Murder Will Out, a lighter, modern gothic mystery that's as atmospheric as it is heart-warming.

Come for the memories. Stay for the murder...
Little North Island, off the coast of Maine, is so beautiful it could be a postcard. Organist Willow Stone cherishes her memories of childhood summers spent on the island with her godmother Sue... even though her visits ended abruptly, and she hasn't seen or heard from her godmother in over fifteen years. Until a letter from Sue—and word of Sue’s death—brings Willow back to the picturesque island.

The islanders rarely mention Sue without also bringing up Cameron House, and the controversy around Sue’s unexpected inheritance of the sprawling mansion. When Willow overhears someone threatening the next heir to the property, she starts to question whether Sue’s death was really an accident, and can’t help but wonder whether someone on this sleepy island is willing to stop at nothing—even murder—to claim Cameron House for their own.

Through Willow’s eyes, as well as those of others on the island, a mystery unfolds that keeps drawing Willow back to Cameron House and the very real ghosts that walk its corridors.

 

Heartfelt & Humorous Romantic Suspense

 

image copied from NetGalley

Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox is the first in a new mystery series. This is the second novel by the author that I've read, and I loved this one even more than that book. Definitely Maybe Not a Detective is engaging with a full cast of eccentric yet mostly lovable characters. Emersyn Gray is struggling to make ends meet while raising her niece. Fired from yet another job after being laid off from her previous one due to budget cuts, she's unsure how to get her life back on track and keep her parents from taking away her guardianship for niece, Livy. To help, Emersyn's best friend Jemma concocts a scheme to help her recover the savings Em's ex-boyfriend, Hoffman, stole from her. Their plan is to threaten Hoffman with being investigated by a private detective if he doesn't return her stolen money. But the Wyatt Investigation Agency is all made up. That is until a real-life Wyatt turns up at Emersyn's apartment complex to return her lost phone the same day the super of her building is murdered. When Emersyn's elderly neighbor turns out to be the prime suspect she finds herself teaming up with Wyatt to investigate a real murder even though she has no idea where to even begin.

The banter and heat between Emersyn and Wyatt, coupled with her attempts to solve the murder to clear her neighbor's good name was funny and intriguing. Wyatt is as much a man of mystery as the fictitious PI he's pretending to be. Emersyn is leery of getting involved with any more men after her last disastrous relationship. But Wyatt's kindness and determination to help her, make it hard to keep to her no-dating vow. The side characters in the mostly senior living apartment complex were interesting and sometimes over the top, but in a good way. One scene where they help Emersyn follow a lead was particularly amusing. The relationship between Emersyn and her niece added stakes and a tender emotional element to the story that kept me rooting for Emersyn to succeed even when her avoidance at accepting Wyatt's help in the investigation at times, made me frustrated. I truly enjoyed this book and will happily read more adventures about Emersyn and Wyatt in this a series.

If you love mysteries full of unconventional characters, fun banter and slow-burn, low-spice romance then you'll thoroughly enjoy Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox! As always, click on the title to order your own copy from bookshop.org to support indie bookstores, or consider checking out a copy from your local library. 

Next up for review will be The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin. It's a middle grade historical mystery full of spies, intrigue and smart, intrepid characters. Check out the cover and blurb below, both copied from bookshop.org.

Remember, you are bound by the Official Secrets Act…

Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister, Lizzie, share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amid one of the greatest secrets of World War II—Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother.

The Battle of Britain rages and Hitler’s invasion creeps closer. And at the same time, baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep while a menacing inspector lurks outside the gates of the Bletchley mansion. Are the messages truly for them, or are they a trap? Could the riddles of Enigma and their mother's disappearance be somehow connected? Jakob and Lizzie must find a way to work together as they race to decipher clues that unravel a shocking puzzle that presents the ultimate challenge: How long must a secret be kept?

New Year, New Review!!

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Happy New Year!!! I'm starting off my 2026 reviews with a New Year's Day release of a fantasy romance. I was fortunate to be gifted an eARC of Diamond Dust by author KF Breene in exchange for my honest review of it. It's the sequel to the first book in this duology, Obsidian. Both books follow the main character Daisy who is a secondary character in the Demigods of San Francisco by Breene. I highly recommend both series if you enjoy action-packed fantasy romances. I loved finally getting a chance to read Daisy's story. Both books were fast-paced, spicy and intriguing in terms of what's going on with the Fae that has haunted her since her early teens.

In Obsidian, Daisy starts off having dreams about a Fae noble who made things difficult for her and her family years before. Now for some reason he's back and just as annoyingly sexy and cocky. Daisy runs into him while looking into something else with her trainer Zorn. It turns out that the Fae, Tarian, is after something called the crystal chalice. This chalice is important because it can help the Fae form some sort of link between Faerie and the human world. Something that would be devastating to the mortal realm. Daisy is, of course, very much against this as is her family. In the end, Daisy must decide if she is willing to form a pact with Tarian when she's kidnapped and taken into Faerie. However, the deal could prove to be deadly for her. 

For some background on Daisy, she is a non-magical human living in the magical zone of San Francisco in an alternate reality version of the city. She's what magic users call a Chester. But Daisy has trained and worked hard to survive in spite of not having any true powers of her own. She has been gifted some extra strength and healing abilities by her demigod adoptive mother, Lexi. But this is a quality that makes Daisy just the sort of human that Tarian is interested in. 

Both books in this series are told from dual points of view, though Diamond Dust is primarily told from Daisy's perspective. It picks up right where Obsidian left off. Daisy has made a bargain with Tarian in order to save the human world from a Fae invasion. This deal involves her being Tarian's champion in a gladiator-style competition held by the Obsidian Faerie Court. As a human with no known magical abilities both of them are counting on the Fae underestimating just how ruthless and dangerous Daisy can be. The second book in the series is definitely steamier than the first and you learn something about Tarian that was quite surprising. The love that develops between Daisy and him is compelling and believable for both of these damaged characters who have been through so much trauma in their lives. I also enjoyed seeing a more tender and vulnerable side to Daisy in this book. She knows what she's up against could be tortuous and gruesome. There are a few instances where Daisy is caught off guard by the sheer power of these Fae who see her as little better than an animal. Despite the love that grows between both characters no happy-ever-after is guaranteed and is in fact highly unlikely. These stakes kept me eagerly turning pages to see how it would all end.

I really enjoyed both books and highly recommend them and the Demigods of San Francisco series if you haven't read them. But you can read Daisy's series as a stand alone without needing to read the other earlier series first. In fact, I might go back and re-read the earlier series again and then read this one a second time around now that I've spent the last couple of months engrossed in this world. 

For this year, I plan to review more mysteries than I did in 2025 since my debut mystery is coming out in a little over a year from now. With that in mind, my second review for 2026 will be a fun cozy mystery by Sarah Fox that comes out this week, Definitely Maybe Not a Detective. This is the second book by Fox that I've read and is what I hope will be the start of a new series by her. Because I enjoyed it even more than the previous book in a different series of hers that I read. Check out the book cover and blurb below, both copied from bookshop.org. You can also click on the titles for any of these books to order your own copies from bookshop.org. But they're also available online wherever books are sold and you could very likely request your library get copies as well if you're interested in supporting your local library.

In this delightfully charming rom-com mystery, a woman becomes accidentally entangled in a murder investigation (and with a handsome stranger) when her fake detective agency is enlisted to solve a real homicide.

Emersyn Gray is definitely not a detective.

Really, she’s an unemployed twenty-eight-year-old raising her beloved niece in the only place she can afford after her ex-boyfriend ran off with her life savings: a run-down, seniors-only apartment complex that was desperate for tenants. But never fear—her wild best friend has the perfect plan to get Emersyn back on her feet and stick it to her thieving ex: scare him into returning her money by hiring a private investigator to prove he stole it. Only, there won’t be an actual detective, just a fabricated business card from Wyatt Investigations . . . and a ridiculously hot stranger, who steps in to play the part—a stranger whose name is, coincidentally, Wyatt.

Emersyn can’t help but notice the real-life Wyatt is capital H-O-T hot, even though she’s wary of his intentions. But her ex does seem flustered, and if she can get her money back and regain control of her life, maybe it’ll finally prove to her parents that she can be a responsible caregiver to her niece.

But the day after they set their plan in motion, the superintendent of Emersyn’s apartment building winds up dead, and her neighbors turn to her fake detective agency for help after finding one of the phony business cards. With so many eyes on them—or maybe just their eyes on each other—Emersyn and Wyatt agree to take on the case. Now the question is, Can they solve the murder without getting tangled up in their own fictions—or each other?

“Fast-paced and quippy.”—Catherine Mack, USA Today bestselling author of Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies