A photo of a selection of children's crime books on a red background with a magnifying glass hovering over the book The London Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

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Children's reading lists

16 must-read crime and mystery books

The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency

The Case of the Girl in Grey

The second thrilling history-mystery starring the Wollstonecraft Girls – Ada Byron Lovelace and Mary Shelley.

Jordan Stratford has been pronounced clinically dead, and was briefly (mistakenly) wanted by INTERPOL for international industrial espionage. He is an ordained priest, has won numerous sword fights, jaywalked the streets of Paris, San Francisco, and São Paulo, and was once shot by a stray rubber bullet in a London riot. He lives on a tiny windswept Pacific island populated predominantly by realtors and carnivorous gulls.

The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency was supposed to be a secret constabulary, but after the success of their first case, all of London knows that Lady Ada and Mary are the girls to go to if you have a problem. 
 
Their new case is a puzzle indeed. It involves a horrible hospital, a missing will, a hasty engagement and a suspiciously slippery servant. 
 
But Mary’s stumbled onto a mystery of her own. She spotted a ghostly girl in a grey gown dashing through the park. A girl who is the spitting image of their new client. 
 
The two cases must be linked . . . or else there’s a perfectly supernatural explanation.

The Case of the Missing Moonstone

History meets mystery in this fantastic new series! Debut author Jordan Stratford imagines an alternate 1826, where Ada Lovelace (the world's first computer programmer) and Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) meet as girls and form a secret detective agency!

An enjoyable plot borrowed from Wilkie Collins - not to mention resourceful heroines and fun writing

The telling is sprightly and vaguely reminiscent of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Skilled illustrations and comical narration and dialogue will charm readers thoroughly

Smart and clever girls will enjoy this refreshing mystery and the start to what’s sure to be an intriguing series

Equal parts laughs and adventure, this lively mystery will keep you guessing till the end!

When Mary Godwin and Lady Ada Byron first meet, they don’t exactly hit it off. But with crime on the rise, the unlikely pair form a detective agency to hunt down clever criminals on the streets of London. 
 
Their first case involves a stolen necklace, a false confession, and lots of suspicious suspects – but these are no match for Ada and Mary. 
 
Filled with daring balloon chases, vile villains and two unforgettable heroines, The 
Case of the Missing Moonstone is the first in a thrilling new series; perfect for all aspiring sleuths.

Jordan Stratford

When the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency is approached by famous fossil hunter Mary Anning, the team know that this could be their most important case yet. 
 
Mary Anning’s precious dog has been snatched – to get her back, the kidnappers demand she lie about fake dinosaur bones, and pretend they are genuine. 
 
Now the Wollstonecraft detectives have just three days to track down the fossil fakers, and save the integrity of science! The game is afoot: blood-sucking leeches, smoke bombs and diabolical disguises abound. 
 
And behind the lies and fakery, a genuine criminal may finally be revealed . . .

The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals

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16 must-read crime and mystery books

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