Humorous Mysteries

When the Problim children’s ramshackle bungalow in the Swampy Woods goes kaboom, the seven siblings—each born on a different day of the week—have to move into their grandpa’s bizarre old mansion in Lost Cove. No problem! For the Problim children, every problem is a gift!

With danger dodging his heels at every turn, Private Investigator Zachary Nixon Johnson, while protecting Sexy Sprockets, a talentless redheaded teen media superstar, from terrorists, finds himself at the mercy of three psionic, superhuman dominatrices bent on world domination.

Dirt, Sugar, Sweetie, and Poppy are the four members of The Chicken Squad, and business is booming. A weird blue bird has just flown into Chicken Squad headquarters squawking on about a house-napper (yes, house-napper), and it is once again up to the squad to uncover who is up to no good. But there is something nuts about this story that the squad can’t quite put their feather on.

Charlie Lewis is really good at math. So good that he’s approached by a mysterious woman who needs his help. The woman is carrying an incredible item: An actual moon rock, one of the most valuable objects on Earth, and she’s investigating the theft of a box of moon rocks from NASA’s vault at the Johnson Space Center and believes the stolen rocks are now in the possession of a former astronaut. Although she claims to work at NASA, Charlie suspects she is something else.

In this 13th mystery, Sammy is entering eighth grade with more than the usual angst - add to it being a bridesmaid in Officer Borsch's wedding, dealing with the break-up of her friend Marissa's parents, and her own mother dating the father of arch-enemy Heather. How will she be able to solve the mystery of who's making death threats against the history teacher that nobody likes (especially with her name at the top of the suspect list?) With wit, style, and spirit as usual!

It all starts with Hank the puppy enjoying his family's backyard home. Feathers start to fly when Hank defends his backyard against invading...phantom ducks? Hank's mother says it's a good time for him to go out on his own before the dogcatcher arrives. So Hank makes his way to the Twitchell Livestock Auction. Will he join up with Slim, the cowboy he meets there? Or will the dogcatcher provide his new home?

A train gets waylaid in the middle of nowhere, and Luke and his dad find themselves with four hours to kill before it’s fixed. Just enough time for a trip to the mysterious, decrepit old museum on the edge of town. A short story from Guys Read: Other Worlds, edited by Jon Scieszka.

Young dairymaid Begonia has lost her cow Alfalfa. So she has set off on a search across the countryside even though she has nothing but a magical map to guide her. Along the way she meets a mother and baby, a woodcutter, a very dirty young man, and an eight-foot ostrich. Meanwhile, the emperor has gone missing from the royal palace in a most mysterious manner. Was it murder? Was it magic? It will take all of Begonia's wits to save the empire and get Alfalfa home safely.

Kate’s going to prison—Alcatraz, that is! When her brother, Andrew, comes to San Francisco on a business trip, Kate takes some time off sleuthing to hang out with her family and tour the city’s best sites. She thinks the hardest part will be playing nice with her Instagram influencer sister-in-law. But then Andrew’s work rival winds up dead—and Kate, nearly seven months pregnant with twins, is trapped on Alcatraz with the killer.

When Kate’s best friend Paula is hired to renovate one of San Francisco’s famous Victorian-style “painted ladies,” it seems like the gig of a lifetime. But when a stiletto-brandishing tenant chases Kate and Paula off the front steps, it quickly becomes clear that finding the perfect paint swatches is going to be the easy part. And that’s before a skeleton in a Victorian-era gown tumbles out of the attic. Kate knows she has to take the case . . . but what’s she supposed to do with nine-month-old Laurie now that her main babysitter’s found a new job?

All Kate was supposed to do at this swing-dance lesson was master the triple step, which seemed like a breeze . . . when she wasn’t pregnant with twins. But now a dead body has lindy-hopped its way off the studio’s roof, clutching a cryptic note with a dire warning: if the studio goes ahead with the upcoming 1950s-themed benefit dance, one of the attendees will die on the dance floor.

Harold and Chester could hardly believe it. The Monroe family was going on vacation without them. Bunnicula, the family rabbit, would be boarded with a neighbor. But they, the family's loyal dog and cat, were to be sent away with strangers; they were to spend a week at Chateau Bow-Wow. Chateau Bow-Wow, observed Chester, soon after they arrived, could more properly be called Howliday Inn. Though what was howling, neither of them knew. Chester had his suspicions, however; only a werewolf could make that chilling sound.

When a tween boy (Codename: Furious Popcorn) picks up what he thinks is a cookbook and finds a diabolical parenting manual, his world turns upside down. The Ultimate Guide to Hacking Your Kids was written by an organization called F.A.R.T. (Families Against Rotten Teens), a secret society of grizzled parents whose origins date back to antiquity.

Eighty years ago, D. H. Lawrence moved to Taos to make a home for himself in the mountains of New Mexico. To welcome the famed writer, his neighbor brought over a stew and left the container as a gift. But this was no Tupperware - it was a handcrafted pot made in the ancient tradition. Decades later, the neighbor’s great-grandson wants it back, and there is no one in New Mexico better at stealing artifacts than Hubie Schuze. Hubie agrees to search the Lawrence ranch for it. But then a blizzard descends on the estate, trapping Hubie and other guests indoors with a killer....

Nancy Clancy is growing up and ready for a whole new adventure... in her chapter book debut! Nancy and her best friend, Bree, have everything they need to solve a mystery, from their totally professional trench coats to their top-secret code. But when crime strikes in their classroom, will these super sleuths be able to crack the case? Find out in the glamorous start to an all-new chapter book series featuring everyone s favorite fancy girl!

Jaclyn Hyde is almost perfect. Whether she’s baking cookies for her classmates, building a replica Mt. Vesuvius for the science fair, or practicing her lines for Fog Island: The Musical, she almost never makes mistakes. But when she discovers the last batch of perfection potion in an abandoned laboratory, Jaclyn decides that being almost perfect isn’t perfect enough anymore.

From rags to riches...When Pete the Barncat offers to trade good, juicy steak scraps for a couple of old corncobs, Hank the Cowdog smells a rat. Why would Pete want to trade - unless the cobs are worth a fortune? So, armed with his Incredible PricelessCorncobs, Hank sets out to plan his Early Retirement. But retirement and the life of luxury don't come as easily as Hank expects. It seems as though everyone is after his treasure - even his faithful sidekick, Drover!

Digging up Trouble...Hank the Cowdog is on the case in his 50th mystery, and it's an extra long, laugh-out-loud adventure! When Hank gets invited, that is, invites himself on an archaeological dig, all he can think about is impressing the head scientist's beautiful lady dog. But Hank's heart isn't the only thing that's about to get stolen!

Someone has been stealing feed out of the feed shed, and Hank knows that it's his job to do whatever he can do to help nab the culprit. So when Slim sets a live-animal trap in the shed, Hank takes it upon himself to check it in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, the trap is a little trickier than Hank anticipated, and in the process of his investigation Hank manages to get himself...well...trapped.

Nurse Cherry Aimless's first vacation from her hectic career in a big-city hospital takes her to visit her spinster Aunt Gertrude in thrilling San Francisco. Wistfully trading her starched white cap and dress for a bright yellow poplin frock with a flared skirt, young Cherry takes to the highway, never imagining the gay adventures that await her. Imagine her surprise to learn that Aunt Gertrude has been kidnapped! Armed only with the contents of her purse, and with the help of new chums, Cherry must save her aunt.