What makes a Murder Most Unladylike book, a Murder Most Unladylike book<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It helps to know what you’re matching. To a mystery fan, it’s not about who drank the last of the milk or who’s the local litter bug. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Mystery” can cover everything from ghost stories to spy antics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But mystery-obsessed readers want red herrings and jaw-dropping plot twists. Not just a simple Scooby-Doo mask unveiling (although those have their place too).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Murder Most Unladylike books are proper whodunnits. There’s a real crime, a pile of suspects, clues to spot and a solve at the end that scratches an insatiable itch in your brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the heart of these books is a clever girl, usually with a best friend at her side. Then there’s the setting, the kind you want to set up camp in. A boarding school, a country house, a train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I’ve gone for books with a genuine puzzle to crack, a young detective worth following, and a world worth getting lost in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five books like Murder Most Unladylike to try next<\/h2>\n\n\n\nAggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano<\/h3>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ebookupload-1671798123481-201x300.jpeg\")
<\/div>Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen – The Body under the Piano<\/p>
Marthe Jocelyn<\/span><\/span>Age 10<\/span><\/span>Mystery<\/span><\/div><\/div>›<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\nAggie Morton lives in a sleepy seaside town in 1902, and not a lot happens to her. Then one day she finds a body on the floor of the dance hall (no biggy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She teams up with Hector, a Belgian boy with an eagle eye. Together they set out to find the killer before the whole town turns on itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’d say it’s the closest match to Daisy and Hazel. A girl detective, a clever sidekick, a real murder and a proper old-fashioned setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The series even takes inspiration from the childhood of Agatha Christie, which is a fun thing to know (by Marthe Jocelyn<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow<\/h3>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ebookupload-1661162823635-195x300.jpeg\")
<\/div>The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow<\/p>
Katherine Woodfine<\/span><\/span>Age 9<\/span><\/span>Mystery<\/span><\/div><\/div>›<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\nSophie Taylor has just started work at Sinclair’s (London’s fancy new department store). Then someone steals a priceless clockwork sparrow, and she gets the blame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To clear her name she joins forces with Lil (an actress with a nose for trouble). Together they go after a crime ring far bigger than one missing toy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edwardian London, two clever girls, codes to crack and iced buns, what’s not to love? If your reader loved the friendship and the bun breaks in Murder Most Unladylike, this by Katherine Woodfine<\/a> is the one.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMalamander<\/h3>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ebookupload-1704386333115-195x300.jpeg\")
<\/div>Malamander (An Eerie-on-Sea Mystery)<\/p>
Thomas Taylor<\/span><\/span>Age 9<\/span><\/span>Mystery<\/span><\/div><\/div>›<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\nNobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in winter. And this suits Herbie Lemon just fine. He works as the Lost-and-Founder at the old hotel, returning lost things to their owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then a girl called Violet turns up. She is the lost thing, and she wants Herbie’s help finding her parents, who vanished twelve years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This one is a bit softer but has a touch of spookiness about it too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s a sea-monster legend lurking under the mystery which makes it fun to read too. It’s still a proper puzzle to solve just with a slight eeriness to it. This by Thomas Taylor<\/a> is good for a reader who likes their detective work to send a lil’ chill down the spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWinterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery<\/h3>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ebookupload-1687255547083-200x300.jpeg\")
<\/div>Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery<\/p>
Ally Carter<\/span><\/span>Age 9<\/span><\/span>Adventure<\/span><\/div><\/div>›<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\nApril thought life at Winterborne House was finally sorted. New home, new friends, new guardian. The catch is that her guardian, billionaire Gabriel Winterborne, is secretly a sword-wielding vigilante.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then a masked intruder breaks in looking for something. April and the other Winterborne kids have to work out what’s going on before anyone gets hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More action than the others, with a gang of kids solving things together rather than a neat detective duo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This one does feel like a more thought-provoking Scooby-Doo with a touch of Famous Five thrown in for good measure. I’d say this by Ally Carter<\/a> would be great for a reader who likes their mystery with a side of mayhem.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMystery of the Night Watchers<\/h3>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1715000608_6638d520449b3-197x300.jpg\")
<\/div>Mystery of the Night Watchers<\/p>
<\/div>Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen – The Body under the Piano<\/p>
Aggie Morton lives in a sleepy seaside town in 1902, and not a lot happens to her. Then one day she finds a body on the floor of the dance hall (no biggy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She teams up with Hector, a Belgian boy with an eagle eye. Together they set out to find the killer before the whole town turns on itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’d say it’s the closest match to Daisy and Hazel. A girl detective, a clever sidekick, a real murder and a proper old-fashioned setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The series even takes inspiration from the childhood of Agatha Christie, which is a fun thing to know (by Marthe Jocelyn<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow<\/p> Sophie Taylor has just started work at Sinclair’s (London’s fancy new department store). Then someone steals a priceless clockwork sparrow, and she gets the blame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To clear her name she joins forces with Lil (an actress with a nose for trouble). Together they go after a crime ring far bigger than one missing toy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Edwardian London, two clever girls, codes to crack and iced buns, what’s not to love? If your reader loved the friendship and the bun breaks in Murder Most Unladylike, this by Katherine Woodfine<\/a> is the one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Malamander (An Eerie-on-Sea Mystery)<\/p> Nobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in winter. And this suits Herbie Lemon just fine. He works as the Lost-and-Founder at the old hotel, returning lost things to their owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then a girl called Violet turns up. She is the lost thing, and she wants Herbie’s help finding her parents, who vanished twelve years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This one is a bit softer but has a touch of spookiness about it too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s a sea-monster legend lurking under the mystery which makes it fun to read too. It’s still a proper puzzle to solve just with a slight eeriness to it. This by Thomas Taylor<\/a> is good for a reader who likes their detective work to send a lil’ chill down the spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery<\/p> April thought life at Winterborne House was finally sorted. New home, new friends, new guardian. The catch is that her guardian, billionaire Gabriel Winterborne, is secretly a sword-wielding vigilante.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then a masked intruder breaks in looking for something. April and the other Winterborne kids have to work out what’s going on before anyone gets hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More action than the others, with a gang of kids solving things together rather than a neat detective duo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This one does feel like a more thought-provoking Scooby-Doo with a touch of Famous Five thrown in for good measure. I’d say this by Ally Carter<\/a> would be great for a reader who likes their mystery with a side of mayhem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mystery of the Night Watchers<\/p>The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow<\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/div>Malamander<\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/div>Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery<\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/div>Mystery of the Night Watchers<\/h3>\n\n\n
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