Iconic teen detective Nancy Drew first graced the page in 1930, when the first three books in the series were published. Since then, more than 500 Nancy Drew books have been published, including “The Hidden Window Mystery,” which was set in Charlottesville.

Were you a fan of Nancy Drew as a kid or teen? If you’re looking for similar detective mystery novels that are more suited for adults, you can check out these titles from the JMRL catalog:

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear – In her first case, private detective Maisie Dobbs must investigate the reappearance of a dead man who turns up at a cooperative farm called the Retreat that caters to men who are recovering their health after World War I.

The Big Steal: A Sterling Glass Mystery by Emyl Jenkis – Hired to assess the value of broken and missing antiques following a suspicious burglary at a Virginia manor house, intrepid appraiser and amateur sleuth Sterling Glass finds that her job is more complicated than she’d anticipated.

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James – After taking a job assisting a ghost hunter, 1920s Englishwoman Sarah Piper becomes caught up in researching a girl named Maddy Clare who committed suicide in a barn and whose spirit is very real, extremely powerful and bent on vengeance.

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James – Left alone by her partner’s suicide, Cordelia Gray struggles to manage the private detective agency they once shared.

The Best of Ellery Queen by Ellery Queen, edited by Francis Nevins & Martin Harry Greenberg – Four decades of stories from the mystery masters. Stories deal with a dead man’s coded message, a surprise party, a poisoning, a murdered boxer, the death of an alumni, the theft of an antique doll, and a tontine.

Written with help from Joanna Duffett, Reference Librarian at Central Library.