{"id":332277,"date":"2025-12-06T13:57:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T13:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/detective-graphic-novels-round-up\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T13:57:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T13:57:08","slug":"detective-graphic-novels-round-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=332277","title":{"rendered":"Detective Graphic Novels Round-Up"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Detectives don\u2019t only appear in manga<\/a>\u2014there are plenty in graphic novels, too!<\/p>\n

\"Detective<\/figure>\n

Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum<\/em><\/em>
by Hannah Tunnicliffe and Erica Harrison
Flying Eye Books<\/a>, $12.99 paperback
Publisher\u2019s Rating: Ages 5-9<\/p>\n

Detective Stanley is an adorably determined retired detective who finds himself investigating once again when something is stolen from the museum. He has to find out what\u2019s really going on while avoiding being framed! His world feels comfortably Richard Scarry-like, with various animals and roles in the background. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great short read, with plenty of twists, as well as puns and amusing nods to the genre for those who pay attention. For instance, Stanley lives at 221 Barker Street and is reading Cat Among the Pigeons<\/em> (the Agatha Christie classic). The exhibit at the Museum is by Bleat Mondrian, a goat, and there are background pages included on Piet Mondrian\u2019s life and works. There\u2019s a second book coming next year, Detective Stanley and The Green Thumbed Thief<\/em>, which is something to look forward to. Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum<\/em><\/em> is lots of fun and an excellent introduction to mystery stories for young ones.<\/p>\n

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\"Detective<\/figure>\n

Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat<\/em>
by Li Chen
Andrews McMeel<\/a>, $24.99 hardcover, $12.99 paperback
Publisher\u2019s Rating: Ages 8-10<\/p>\n

Kitten Beans loves detectives. He wears a trench coat and fedora to better mimic the hard-boiled investigator he wants to be. But one morning, his hat has gone missing! He sets out to find it, meeting all kinds of characters\u2014a bird mom, twins in the park, a magician, a community gardener, a jazz singer, a fishmonger, a snooty antique store owner, and more\u2014in a very packed day of encounters. This isn\u2019t a mystery so much as a shaggy-dog Rube Goldberg-style \u201cand then the hat was picked up by THAT person!\u201d extended tale.<\/p>\n

Beans is a bit silly, and readers may enjoy realizing they know more than he does about what\u2019s going on. The elements here have been kiddified, but for example, substituting a juice box straw for a cigarette in the classic noir look is funny. There is a bit of \u201cthis couldn\u2019t happen in reality\u201d when it comes to magic, but we are starting with talking cats who wear clothes, so\u2026 <\/p>\n

The second book, Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town<\/em>, is already out. <\/p>\n

\"Who<\/figure>\n

Who Killed Nessie?<\/em>
by Paul Cornell and Rachael Smith
Avery Hill Publishing<\/a>, $19.99<\/p>\n

Lyndsay is a new employee at a deserted lakeside Wisconsin hotel. She\u2019s been left alone this weekend, when the only guests are there for a very special convention. It takes Lyndsay a while to realize that all the attendees are cryptids and other supernatural creatures, including Bigfoot, fairies, a mermaid, the Kraken, the Wendigo, the Jersey Devil, Baba Yaga, and a whole lot more. Plus Bob, the Beast of Bodmin Moor, who\u2019s basically a talking cat, and darned cute. <\/p>\n

Then the Loch Ness Monster is murdered. Lyndsay has the weekend to solve the mystery, complicated by the many shapeshifters at the weekend, while the attendees continue with their panels and debates. Smith\u2019s fluid art makes this all kind of cuddly, even though there are deaths involved. (This book has the most adorable version of Cerberus ever.) It\u2019s a terrific idea for an escapist mystery, comfortably drawn and easy to get sucked into. Once it\u2019s been read, another pass through is worth it just to identify all the creatures in the panel backgrounds. <\/p>\n

Who Killed Nessie?<\/em> is also appealing in its everyday, relatable use of fantasy elements, where these magical creatures are beings just like anybody else, partying at a weekend convention and caught up in their own drives and grudges. An excellent example of supernatural mystery that still plays far and doesn\u2019t require the investigator being put in harm\u2019s way to find the solution. <\/p>\n

\"Cover<\/figure>\n

The Nefarious Nights of Willowweep Manor<\/em>
by Shaenon K. Garrity and Christopher Baldwin
Margaret K. McElderry Books<\/a>, $24.99 hardcover, $14.99 paperback
Publisher\u2019s Rating: Ages 12+<\/p>\n

The sequel to The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor<\/a><\/em> moves from the Gothic to the mystery genre. <\/p>\n

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As we\u2019re reminded in the prequel chapter, Willowweep is a mini universe shaped by our collective unconscious. In this volume, survivors from another universe have sought refuge in the stately manor. They are: <\/p>\n