Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective

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)