Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries Series by Elizabeth C. Bunce

A 2021 Edgar ® Award Winner, Best JuvenileA BookPage Best Book of 2020: Middle GradeA Mighty Girl's 2020 Books of the YearIntroducing Myrtle Hardcastle, your favorite new amateur a wickedly smart twelve-year-old with a keen interest in criminology and a nose for murder in Victorian England.Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle has a passion for justice and a Highly Unconventional obsession with criminal science... moreA 2021 Edgar ® Award Winner, Best JuvenileA BookPage Best Book of 2020: Middle GradeA Mighty Girl's 2020 Books of the YearIntroducing Myrtle Hardcastle, your favorite new amateur a wickedly smart twelve-year-old with a keen interest in criminology and a nose for murder in Victorian England.Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle has a passion for justice and a Highly Unconventional obsession with criminal science. Armed with her father’s law books and her mum’s microscope, Myrtle studies toxicology, keeps abreast of the latest developments in crime scene analysis, and Observes her neighbors in the quiet village of Swinburne, England.When her next-door neighbor, a wealthy spinster and eccentric breeder of rare flowers, dies under Mysterious Circumstances, Myrtle seizes her chance. With her unflappable governess, Miss Ada Judson, by her side, Myrtle takes it upon herself to prove Miss Wodehouse was murdered and find the killer, even if nobody else believes he —not even her father, the town prosecutor.With sparkling wit and a tight, twisty plot, Premeditated Myrtle , the first in a series from an award-winning author, introduces a brilliant young investigator ready to take on hard cases and maddening Victorian rules for Young Ladies of Quality in order to earn her place among the most daring and acclaimed amateur detectives of her time or any other. less

An Edgar ® Award Winning SeriesBefore the train has left the station, Victorian England’s most accomplished new detective already is on a suspect’s trail, and readers will be delighted to travel along. Myrtle Hardcastle has no desire to go on a relaxing travel excursion with her aunt Helena when there are More Important things to be done at home, like keeping close tabs on criminals and murder trials. Unfortunately, she has no say in the matter... moreAn Edgar ® Award Winning SeriesBefore the train has left the station, Victorian England’s most accomplished new detective already is on a suspect’s trail, and readers will be delighted to travel along. Myrtle Hardcastle has no desire to go on a relaxing travel excursion with her aunt Helena when there are More Important things to be done at home, like keeping close tabs on criminals and murder trials. Unfortunately, she has no say in the matter. So off Myrtle goes—with her governess, Miss Judson, and cat, Peony, in tow—on a fabulous private railway coach headed for the English seaside. Myrtle is thrilled to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Bloom, a professional insurance investigator aboard to protect the priceless Northern Lights tiara. But before the train reaches its destination, both the tiara and Mrs. Bloom vanish. When Myrtle arrives, she and Peony discover a dead body in the baggage car. Someone has been murdered—with Aunt Helena’s sewing shears. The trip is derailed, the local police are inept, and Scotland Yard is in no rush to arrive. What’s a smart, bored Young Lady of Quality stranded in a washed-up carnival town to do but follow the evidence to find out which of her fellow travelers is a thief and a murderer? less

Finalist for the 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Agatha Christie Award, and the Anthony Boucher Award! Myrtle Hardcastle—twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective—is back on the case, solving a string of bizarre murders in her hometown of Swinburne and picking up right where she left off in Premeditated Myrtle and How to Get Away with Myrtle... moreFinalist for the 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Agatha Christie Award, and the Anthony Boucher Award! Myrtle Hardcastle—twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective—is back on the case, solving a string of bizarre murders in her hometown of Swinburne and picking up right where she left off in Premeditated Myrtle and How to Get Away with Myrtle. When the proprietor of Leighton’s Mercantile is found dead on the morning his annual Christmas shop display is to be unveiled, it’s clear a killer had revenge in mind. But who would want to kill the local dry-goods merchant? Perhaps someone who remembers the mysterious scandal that destroyed his career as a professor and archaeologist. When the killer strikes again, each time manipulating the figures in the display to foretell the crime, Myrtle finds herself racing to uncover the long-buried facts of a cold case—and the motivations of a modern murderer. less

This twisty, cozy murder mystery finds Amateur Detective Myrtle Hardcastle investigating the case of an heiress lost at sea—an inquiry that runs aground when a murder in plain sight has no apparent victim. When a mysterious girl attempts to stake her claim to the Snowcroft family fortune, Myrtle Hardcastle’s father, a lawyer, is asked to help prove—or disprove—the girl’s identity... moreThis twisty, cozy murder mystery finds Amateur Detective Myrtle Hardcastle investigating the case of an heiress lost at sea—an inquiry that runs aground when a murder in plain sight has no apparent victim. When a mysterious girl attempts to stake her claim to the Snowcroft family fortune, Myrtle Hardcastle’s father, a lawyer, is asked to help prove—or disprove—the girl’s identity. Is she truly Ethel Snowcroft, believed to be lost at sea with her parents, or is she a con artist chasing a windfall? Myrtle is enthralled by the case, but Mr. Hardcastle’s investigation takes a detour when he’s hospitalized for a tonsillectomy—and then witnesses a murder. Or does he?​With Mr. Hardcastle incapacitated and possibly hallucinating, Myrtle must step into the breach, and find the murder victim and the real Miss Snowcroft before the killer comes after her father.With stakes this high, sleuthing puts Myrtle, her family, and the patients and staff of the hospital all In Myrtle Peril . less

What is Amateur Detective Myrtle Hardcastle to do when her beloved governess inherits an estate on a Scottish island? Why, find a haunted brooch, break an ancient curse, and catch a murderer, of course!When her governess inherits an estate on a Scottish island, amateur detective Myrtle Hardcastle couldn't be more excited. Unfortunately, the ancestral castle is both run-down and haunted... moreWhat is Amateur Detective Myrtle Hardcastle to do when her beloved governess inherits an estate on a Scottish island? Why, find a haunted brooch, break an ancient curse, and catch a murderer, of course!When her governess inherits an estate on a Scottish island, amateur detective Myrtle Hardcastle couldn't be more excited. Unfortunately, the ancestral castle is both run-down and haunted. Ghostly moans echo in the walls, and there are rumors of a cursed treasure lost on the island—an ancient silver brooch that may have cost the former lord his life. But who had the motive, means, and opportunity to kill him? And could this Scottish trip mean the end of Myrtle's plans to get her father and governess together?Then Myrtle's investigation stirs a villain out of hiding. The estate’s boat is stolen, so there’s no escape from the island. Myrtle is forced to play a deadly game, hunting for the brooch with a thief breathing down her neck—someone who will stop at nothing to get the treasure, even if it means murder. less