The Case of the Pilfered Pearls (The Shrew Detective #1)

Preus (Windswept) channels animal sleuth classics such as The Great Mouse Detective in a radiant series opener. Pygmy shrew Minerva usually reserves her investigative prowess for cases close to her woodland abode, until her cousin Tenacity summons her to a human house, hopeful that the detective can help prevent potential animal murder: the homeowner believes that mice have stolen her pearl necklace, and if it’s not recovered, she’ll hire an exterminator to fumigate the building. Donning her spectacles and deerstalker hat, and tapping into her vast vocabulary—learned from reading the dictionary definitions that wallpaper her quaint den—“shrewd shrew” Minerva interviews acrobatic squirrels, a bumbling dog, and other denizens in and around the house as she seeks out suspects and evidence to find the pearls before it’s too late. The unique biology of the novel’s adorable sprawling animalian cast proves vital to plot momentum, as when Minerva uses echolocation to explore too-dark surroundings and a chipmunk’s large mouth offers the key to reclaiming the pearls. Shaded graphite illustrations by Wu (The Girl Who Tested the Waters), reminiscent of Syd Hoff’s, are sprinkled with clues, allowing readers to join in as Minerva’s investigation encounters household perils, punctuated by her many meals (shrews will die if they don’t eat every hour). Human characters present as white. Animal facts conclude. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. (May)