{ "item_title" : "Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective", "item_author" : [" Katie Siegel "], "item_description" : "An immensely fun, voice-y read with a twisty mystery. -Mia P. Manansala, author of the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award-winning Arsenic and Adobo Charlotte is a delight. --The New York Times For anyone seeking to satisfy their Harriet the Spy, Encyclopedia Brown, or Nancy Drew nostalgia, this charming, entertaining 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 of 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 twenty-five, 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 . . . Kept me guessing and left me with a warm and happy glow. -Mary Robinette Kowal, author of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award-winning The Calculating Stars", "item_img_path" : "https://covers1.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/49/674/098/149674098X_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "16.95", "online_price" : "16.95", "our_price" : "16.95", "club_price" : "16.95", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "16.95" } }

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Charlotte Illes’ detective days are behind her. At least, that’s what she keeps telling herself—and anyone who will listen. When she was younger, Charlotte gained fame as Lottie Illes, world-class kid detective. She solved mysteries big and small, nabbing an elementary school crayon thief and helping the British Museum recover a stolen artifact. But Charlotte stopped answering her official detective landline in high school and, at the ripe old age of 25, considers herself officially retired from the mystery-solving business. But then Charlotte’s older brother convinces her to look into some threatening notes his girlfriend received, and Charlotte ends up in the middle of a union-busting scheme, a missing persons case and a murder investigation.  Katie Siegel’s Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective has a wonderful, engaging premise: What happens when a precocious child detective grows up? How do they figure out who they are when the world only knows them as a wunderkind? Relatable, imperfect, funny and brave, Charlotte is a high point of the novel. She’s witty and eager to improvise but more than a little lost in her personal and professional lives. She’s still grappling with the fame she earned before her high school diploma, and more than anything, she doesn’t want to let anyone down. Siegel surrounds her titular sleuth with memorable secondary characters, especially Charlotte’s hilarious friends Gabe and Lucy. Siegel’s dialogue is fresh, funny and authentic to her Gen Z characters as the trio takes on the case while also navigating relatable topics such as dating, queerness, job fulfillment, gender identity and the struggle to find reliable roommates. Longtime genre fans may anticipate some of the twists, but the mystery is still thoroughly entertaining. Charlotte Illes is definitely a detective, and a pretty good one, too.