Books like Chocolate Money Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith

A charming and clever women detective, Precious Ramotswe, solves mysteries in Botswana's small town of Midsomin, South Africa, from 1986 to 1997, facing dangers and love in the process. The novel is beloved by readers worldwide for its clever dialogue and characters who are as flawed as the rest of us. The book is a bestseller and has been translated into 45 languages, including Polish, German, and Japanese, among others. It was also voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement.

Two orphaned brothers flee Hamburg for Venice, join a gang of street children led by a 13‑year‑old thief lord, and evade a detective sent to bring them home.

A Botswana-based detective series with Mma Ramotswe solving mysterious cases

A story of a dog thief, told by Barbara O'Connor, 0374334978

A Montgomery brother and a Maryland innkeeper's unexpected romance sparks a journey of self-discovery and reconnection in a cozy bed and breakfast setting, blending contemporary romance with family dynamics and small-town charm in the state of Maryland.

20s Young Woman’s Adventures in Old Edinburgh

While sightseeing in San Francisco, the Boxcar children uncover a fishing‑boat mystery that turns into a suspenseful plot of sabotage and detective work.

When a renowned orchestra visits the Alden children’s hometown, an original Mozart score disappears—prompting the siblings to uncover the culprit and restore the priceless music.

Alden siblings investigate why classmates’ dogs vanish during watch training, turning a routine lesson into a mystery that tests their detective skills.

The Alden siblings and their grandfather investigate a missing ranger at Everglades National Park, and a panther gives them a vital clue.

In a quiet Alabama town, the Alden siblings hear midnight howls that may be the legendary ghost dog. Their investigation blends mystery, family bonds, and the supernatural.

The Alden siblings visit Grandfather's friend Amy at the Ogopogo Retreat in Canada, where tourists hunt for the legendary Ogopogo creature in the lake.

Isabel Dalhousie, a former school headmistress turned sleuth, investigates a scandalous allegation against a candidate for a new principal position at her alma mater.

When her police‑dog puppy disappears, third‑grader Judy Moody starts a detective agency to find him, channeling her idol Nancy Drew.

Hank the Cowdog finds himself in a town with a mystery involving "soap hydrophobia" as he navigates new adventures while guarding the ranch.

On Halloween, four siblings—Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy—enter a haunted hotel and discover it’s a mystery unlike any other: every guest who has entered has vanished, leaving them to solve the supernatural puzzle.

In Brooklyn, twelve‑year‑old Maggie, a devoted dog‑walker, teams up with her twin brother Finn and best friend Lucy to investigate a suspected pet thief.

Siblings Digger and Daisy convince each other to visit the doctor when Digger feels ill, learning courage and caring in a humorous, animal‑friendly adventure.

In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. It is the summer of 1950--and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia's family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. "I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn't. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life."To Flavia the investigation is the stuff of science: full of possibilities, contradictions, and connections. Soon her father, a man raising his three daughters alone, is seized, accused of murder. And in a police cell, during a violent thunderstorm, Colonel de Luce tells his daughter an astounding story--of a schoolboy friendship turned ugly, of a priceless object that vanished in a bizarre and brazen act of thievery, of a Latin teacher who flung himself to his death from the school's tower thirty years before. Now Flavia is armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together, to examine new suspects, and begin a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself. Of this much the girl is sure: her father is innocent of murder--but protecting her and her sisters from something even worse....An enthralling mystery, a piercing depiction of class and society, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a masterfully told tale of deceptions--and a rich literary delight.From the Hardcover edition.

PI Rachel Alexander tackles a hit‑and‑run in New York’s Greenwich Village, with her intuition‑sharp pit bull Dash as her aid. The victim: a gay painter; suspects include art thieves and dog‑fancying rivals.

When the Alden siblings visit an old mansion, they uncover clues that suggest the house may be haunted.

Rachel Alexander, a seasoned New York private investigator, takes on the murder of wealthy businessman Gardner Redstone and must disguise herself as a homeless woman to uncover the truth among the city’s most marginalized.

The Boxcar children visit Niagara Falls and untangle a series of souvenir shop thefts, blending adventure with detective work for young readers.

In the lively frontier town of Wildcat Crossing, the Boxcar Children uncover who’s stealing horses and spreading trouble, all while enjoying a Wild West show packed with cowboy fun.

A warm tale of friendship and loyalty, following young Mike and his beloved dog Penny as they share adventures and a deep bond.