THE SECRET BOOKSTORE SLEUTH SOCIETY, by Lindsay Currie, Sourcebooks Young Readers, Sept. 15, 2026, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 8-12)
Four best friends must solve a murder while trapped in a book-themed inn during an ice storm in Lindsay Currie’s The Secret Bookstore Sleuth Society.
Merrick McGee has been having a tough time. When her Grandma Ida gets sick and moves in, the family can’t afford to keep sending Merrick to her beloved private school. So, she spends most of her time in the small room at the back of the bookstore/inn her mother works at being homeschooled, bored out of her mind, and lonely for her best friends.
But when an ice storm hits their town, and fate brings her friends together to ride out the storm at the inn with her, she’s stoked to finally be able to spend time with the people she loves the most. Until… the unthinkable happens, and someone is found dead―facedown in a birthday cake sitting right at Merrick’s own desk.
With the storm picking up the police remove the body and suggest the victim died of old age. But to Merrick it seems more like a murder. Luckily, she and her friends love solving mysteries, and with the suspects all under the same roof, and her friends eager to crack the case―the Secret Bookstore Sleuth Society is born! As the club begins to investigate, more questions come to light, and Merrick soon realizes her own grandmother may be the key to solving the case… —Synopsis provided by Sourcebooks Young Readers
Lindsay Currie (The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street, What Lives in the Woods, The Delta Games series) is a reliable choice in the middle-grade mystery genre, and The Secret Bookstore Sleuth Society is no different.
The Secret Bookstore Sleuth Society is a locked-room mystery that forces Merrick and her friends to look at things they thought they knew in a different way.
As is always the case, Currie has crafted characters that readers can not only relate to but want to learn more about. And even though Merrick is the star, her three friends (and grandmother) are all well realized.
Currie’s strong world-building helps set the stage for a mystery full of twists and turns. Her writing is confident and accessible.
The Secret Bookstore Sleuth Society is an exciting start to a new series that amateur sleuths are sure to enjoy.
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