This is Kelsey Patterson with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out.
Have you ever wondered where your favorite kid detectives like Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, or Harriet the Spy, might have ended up, say 10-15 years down the line? Would they still be solving crimes or would they have “normal” adult jobs? Have they gone to college? Are they married with kids?
Katie Siegel’s debut novel, Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective seeks to answer some of these very questions. 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 her signature blue landline phone in her “office”—aka the family 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 last time. But that world is a heck of a 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 see her as a credible 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.
Though most (okay, probably all of us) can’t claim a past as a child sleuth, the struggles Charlotte faces as she grapples with her identity, uncertain future, dating issues, and difficulty setting boundaries are all too relatable.
Check out Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective at the Sioux City Public Library.
Support for Check It Out on Siouxland Public Media comes from Avery Brothers.