Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Premeditated Myrtle | 2020 | Elizabeth C. Bunce | Buy |
| 2 | How to Get Away with Myrtle | 2020 | Elizabeth C. Bunce | Buy |
| 3 | Cold-Blooded Myrtle | 2021 | Elizabeth C. Bunce | Buy |
| 4 | In Myrtle Peril | 2022 | Elizabeth C. Bunce | Buy |
| 5 | Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity | 2023 | Elizabeth C. Bunce | Buy |
The Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries by Elizabeth C. Bunce are middle grade mysteries set in a small Victorian English town. Myrtle is twelve, obsessed with forensic science, and far more capable of solving crimes than the local authorities. Each book presents a new murder for Myrtle and her governess, Miss Judson, to investigate.
Bunce writes these with real attention to the mystery genre’s conventions while keeping them age-appropriate. The crimes are genuine puzzles with fair clues, and Myrtle’s narration is witty without being precious. The Victorian setting is well-drawn, and readers get a sense of the era’s social rules through Myrtle’s constant friction with them. Five books in the series were published between 2020 and 2023.