Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective - The Library of the Uncommons

384 pages

English language

Published Feb. 15, 2023 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.

ISBN:: 978-1-4967-4098-4

For anyone seeking to satisfy their Harriet the Spy or Encyclopedia Brown nostalgia, this modern, witty debut based on the popular @katiefliesaway TikTok series stars a twentysomething former kid detective who’s coaxed out of retirement for one last case.

The downside about being a famous child detective is that sooner or later, you have to grow up . . .

As a kid, Charlotte Illes’ uncanny sleuthing abilities made her a minor celebrity. But in high school, she hung up her detective’s hat and stashed away the signature blue landline in her “office”—aka garage—convinced that finding her adult purpose would be as easy as tracking down missing pudding cups or locating stolen diamonds.

Now 25, Charlotte has a nagging fear that she hit her peak in middle school. She’s living with her mom, scrolling through job listings, and her love life consists mostly of first dates. When …

For anyone seeking to satisfy their Harriet the Spy or Encyclopedia Brown nostalgia, this modern, witty debut based on the popular @katiefliesaway TikTok series stars a twentysomething former kid detective who’s coaxed out of retirement for one last case.

The downside about being a famous child detective is that sooner or later, you have to grow up . . .

As a kid, Charlotte Illes’ uncanny sleuthing abilities made her a minor celebrity. But in high school, she hung up her detective’s hat and stashed away the signature blue landline in her “office”—aka garage—convinced that finding her adult purpose would be as easy as tracking down missing pudding cups or locating stolen diamonds.

Now 25, Charlotte has a nagging fear that she hit her peak in middle school. She’s living with her mom, scrolling through job listings, and her love life consists mostly of first dates. When it comes to knowing what to do next, Charlotte hasn’t got a clue.

And then, her old blue phone rings . . .

Reluctantly, Charlotte is pulled back into the mystery-solving world she knew—just one more time. But that world is a whole lot more complicated for an adult. As a kid, she was able to crack the case and still get her homework done on time. Now she’s dealing with dead bodies, missing persons, and villains who actually see her as a viable threat. And the detective skills she was once so eager to never use again are the only things that can stop a killer ready to make sure her next retirement is permanent . . .

2 editions

David Atwell reviewed Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective by Katie Siegel

Review of 'Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The cover review is right on: it's very "voice-y." It's also clever and fun and cute and just cozy as all get-out. And it's a clever premise and a snappy story and some really lovable characters (the titular Charlotte is a burnt-out gifted & talented young millennial, and her friend group are hilarious). Good story arc, too. And it's genuinely funny in several places.

Sure, at some points it feels like a debut novel. Which it is, that's allowed. Some of the dialogue and plot whips are a little tough to keep up with, though maybe as an elder millennial it's just going over my head?

But overall I had a great time with this. It felt like a book about the grown-up version of a kid detective I read when I was a kid and had just forgotten about.