Review by Booklist Review
Charlotte Illes is not a detective, at least not anymore. Charlotte, unemployed and unmoored, has tried to leave Lottie, her former kid detective identity, behind for years. But when she is called to New York City to help her brother's girlfriend figure out who is leaving her mysterious notes at his apartment, she decides to go "poke around" to see what she can find. Soon enough, a deeper mystery reveals itself. Siegel's debut novel is full of heart, strong platonic and familial love, humor, queerness, and wit, and to top it off, it's a killer mystery. Fans of the TikTok series that inspired the book will love the fleshed-out story and characters, and the author's voice shines through the pages. A fun read through and through.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Siegel's easygoing debut (based on a character she debuted on TikTok) checks in on the eponymous sleuth 15 years after she gained semi-fame as a child detective. Charlotte's early cases involved identifying a crayon thief in her kindergarten class, tracking down a culprit who stole $500,000 from a charity auction, and investigating a diamond heist at a local jewelry store. In high school, she put sleuthing behind her in hopes of pivoting to a more sensible career, but at 25, she's still living with her mother in New Jersey, casually searching for work and making a habit of going on bad first dates. One day, she gets a call from her brother Landon asking for her help: his software developer girlfriend, Olivia, has been receiving threatening anonymous messages and is desperate for Charlotte to investigate. Meanwhile, a delivery driver for the app Olivia works on is found shot to death in a local park. Are the two crimes connected? Charlotte reluctantly comes out of retirement and launches an investigation that puts her in far greater danger than the obstacles she faced as a prepubescent gumshoe. Siegel has whipped up an amusing premise and populated it with charming characters, but her plotting is loose, and the mystery lacks tension. There's potential here, but it's not quite realized. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, Knight Agency. (July)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Podcaster Siegel's charming comic debut, which is based on a popular TikTok series created by the author, is terrific fun. Charlotte Illes is perfectly fine. At least, that is what she tells her family and friends. But they know better. Charlotte hasn't really been "fine" since she quit being Lottie Illes, kid detective, almost a decade ago. Now, in an effort to help Charlotte reboot her life, her brother Landon asks Charlotte to look into a series of anonymous notes that are being left for Landon's girlfriend Olivia. Charlotte reluctantly agrees to "look around" a bit, all the while insisting to anyone who will listen to her that she is definitely not getting back into the detection business! VERDICT Not since Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files has there been such a delightful literary marriage of endearingly quirky characters and deliciously dry wit. Fans of Francine Prose's The Maid or Meg Cabot's Heather Wells mysteries will equally embrace the arrival of Charlotte and her cohorts on the detecting scene.--John Charles
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A former child detective grapples with her identity now that she's neither child nor detective. When you were a wunderkind pre-tween detective, there's nowhere to go but down. While 25-year-old Charlotte Illes still has all her curiosity and eye for detail, early semifame has turned her from investigative work to checking job listings from her mother's couch in New Jersey. It's not that Charlotte isn't motivated. Maybe she's just in the throes of a quarter-life crisis now that her closest friends, Lucy and Gabe, have abandoned her for city life and full-time (technically Gabe is in social media, so fullish-time) work. Charlotte's spinning her wheels, hanging with her mom, and going on bad first dates, like the one with that girl who wants to hear all about those early days rather than get to know Charlotte now. When your whole identity is defined by not being what you used to be, it's easier to know who you aren't than who you are. Charlotte is almost ready to ponder these big questions when she gets a call on the old detective phone--think landline Batman--with a case from her brother Landon's girlfriend, Olivia. Charlotte's pretty sure Landon and Olivia are only humoring her out of her slump with the promise of a mystery, but maybe, just maybe, an investigation is the best way for Charlotte to define who she is if she's not a detective. Notes of a Gen Z-er, with writing on the edge. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
