Enola Holmes has been released on Netflix, but did you know it was based off a book series by Nancy Springer? The series follows Enola, the younger sister of the famous Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, as she tries to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. Along the way she becomes a private detective who specializes in missing persons all while doing her best to elude her brothers! Each book includes a new mystery and lots of adventure through the streets of London!
We’ve gathered a list of other Sherlock Holmes-inspired books for mystery and Holmes enthusiasts alike! If you’re a fan of the movie, the book series, or Sherlock Holmes in general, we think you’ll enjoy some of these titles below!
Picture Books and Early Readers
While not all of these picture books or early readers are Sherlock Holmes-themed, they all deal with detective main characters, and are a fun dip into the mystery genre for younger readers!
- 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story by Tara Lazar — This adorable picture book takes readers on a mystery adventure via a play on words! “6” has heard that “7” ate “9” and now “7” is after him! Will “6” get away? Luckily Private I is on the case!
- Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation by Mark Teague — Ike LaRue has been wrongly accused of scarring the Hibbins’ cats and stealing their treats! Now he must go on the hunt to find clues to prove his innocence! Teague brings adventure and humor to this picture book!
- The Case of the Fidgety Fox (The High-Rise Private Eyes) by Cynthia Rylant — Bunny Brown and Jack Jones are best friends and ace detectives! Follow along as they solve the mystery of Melvin’s missing lucky, fluffy dice. Without these dice, Melvin can’t drive his bus. Luckly the High-Rise Private Eyes are on the case! A great read for beginner readers who enjoy a fun mystery.
- Nate the Great Series by Marjorie Sharmat — In this series for beginner readers, follow along with detective Nate as he solves all types of mysteries. First up: the case of the missing picture! Nate will have to gather all the facts, asks the right questions and narrow the list of suspects so he can solve the mystery! eBook link.
- Pigeon P.I. by Meg McLaren — This feather-filled mystery picture book follows Private I. Murray, who takes on a case to find Vee’s missing friends (and later to find Vee herself!). Can Murray find the kidnapper and save Vee and her friends before it’s too late?
- Sherlock Bones and the Missing Cheese by Susan Crummel — Follow along with this comical picture book story as Sherlock Bones tries to find a stolen cheese only made once a month! What happened? Who stole the wonderful, smelly, scrumptious cheese?
- Sherlock Chick’s First Case by Robert Quackenbush — Hatched from his egg already set to be a detective, Sherlock Chick is off on his first case. Who stole the corn from the chickens’ feed bin? Will Sherlock Chick be able to solve the mystery in this farm-themed picture book?
- Young Cam Jansen Series by David Adler — Another great series for beginner readers who love a mystery plot line! Join Cam Jansen, a young detective who solves a new mystery in each book. Can she put the clues together and solve the mystery?
Juvenile Fiction
- The 100-Year-Old Secret by Tracy Barrett (The Sherlock Files #1) — What would you do if you just learned you’re a descendant of the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes? For Xena and Xander Holmes, they decide to follow in their relative’s footsteps and solve some mysteries! They inherited Sherlock Holmes unsolved casebook and set off to solve the cases their famous ancestor couldn’t. First up: the mystery of a prized painting that vanished more than a hundred years ago! Using modern technology and good old-fashioned detective work, these two siblings set off to solve the mystery!
- Basil of Baker Street (Basil of Baker Street #1) by Eve Titus — In this first book of the Basil of Baker Street series, readers discover Basil, the mouse living in the cellar of the famous Sherlock Holmes’ house! Basil learned everything he knew about being a detective from the famous Holmes himself—listening as Holmes solved his own mysteries. Now, twins Angela and Agatha, are missing and Basil has been tasked with finding them! Can this mouse detective solve the case?
- Down the Rabbit Hole (Echo Falls #1) by Peter Abrahams — Drawn into a murder investigation because her shoes were in the wrong place at the wrong time, Ingrid quickly realizes she must solve this murder on her own! With soccer practice, schoolwork, and the lead in her town’s production of Alice in Wonderland, Ingrid is already swamped. But as the mystery deepens in Echos Falls, she knows that only she can solve the mystery before it’s too late! Luckily, her idol is Sherlock Holmes and she just might have the know-how to do it! eBook link.
- Eye of the Crow (The Boy Sherlock Holmes #1) by Shane Peacock — Travel back in time to the 1860s in London where Sherlock Holmes is just 13! Bullied in school, Sherlock turns to sharping his skills of observation. Then out of boredom and just to see what happens – he turns his attention to a sensational murder. But things get complicated when he finds himself accused of the murder! Now he must solve the case and clear his name!
- The Great Shelby Holmes (The Great Shelby Holmes #1) by Elizabeth Eulberg (I read this one and really liked it!) — When eleven-year-old John Watson moves to a new town, he meets Shelby who lives downstairs. Shelby Holmes isn’t your typical sixth grader. She’s the best detective her Harlem neighborhood has ever seen! Now Watson joins Shelby on her latest case – the kidnapping of a local dog. It’s going to take BOTH of their talents to solve this case and in the end, maybe even become friends?
- Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond (Baker Street Academy #1) by Sam Hearn — After just joining a new school, Bake Street Academy, John Watson is whisked away with his class for a field trip to one of London’s top museums. When they arrive, they find out the museum’s famous jewel has been stolen! Police have caught the thief and the case is closed—or is it? Join Sherlock Holmes as he tries to uncover the mystery behind the famous jewel and what really happened!
Young Adult Fiction
- Death Cloud (Young Sherlock Holmes #1) by Andy Lane — Take a step back in time to 1868 England. There you will find 14-year-old Sherlock Holmes who has been unexpectantly shipped off to his relatives for the summer. There he meets a cast of characters and discovers some unusual deaths. So begins his adventures! Along the way he meets an American tutor who teaches Holmes about the art of logic and detection.
- Jackaby (Jackaby #1) by William Ritter — Doctor Who meets Sherlock Holmes. In 1892 in New Fiddleham, New England, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with talents and skills for the extraordinary—this includes being able to see supernatural beings! Abigail isn’t without her own talents. She has a gift for noticing ordinary, but important details—making her a great fit for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. When a serial killer emerges, Abigail is thrown in on her first case with Jackaby. The police think the killer is human but Jackaby has other ideas. With humor and adventure, Ritter brings reads on a thrilling ride as these two characters try and solve the case and capture the killer! eBook link.
- Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1) by Heather W. Petty — From partners to…enemies? Sherlock “Lock” Holmes and Miss James “Mori” Moriarty are two brilliant high school students living in modern-day London. One night while studying, both Lock and Mori learn of a murder in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads so they decide to crash the crime scene and solve the murder themselves. The catch? It’s a competition! Lock has challenged Mori to see who can solve it first. The only rule—they must share any clues found with each other. But both of them might be keeping secrets. Who will solve it first and will they be able to trust each other again in the end?
- A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro — Jamie Watson takes a rugby scholarship at Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school. Here he meets Charlotte Holmes, the great-great-great-granddaughter of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Charlotte may be brilliant, but she’s got a volatile temperament. From the moment the two meet, Jamie believes they’re destined to be rivals instead of friends. Then a student dies under suspicious circumstances and Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for the murder. As danger mounts, the two must come together in a truce to solve the mystery and clear their names. eBook link.
- Truly Devious (Truly Devious #1) by Maureen Johnson — True-crime fan, Stevie Bell, has just begun her first year at Ellinham Academy, a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. When the Academy was first opened, the founder’s wife and daughter were kidnapped. Only one clue was left: a mocking riddle listing methods of murder and signed “Truly, Devious.” The kidnapping became one of the most famous unsolved mysterious of American history. Now Stevie has the ambitious plan to solve this cold case. While working on the case, strange things begin to happen and Truly Devious makes a surprise return—and death revisits Ellingham Academy. Now Stevie has two mysteries to solve. Will she survive long enough to do so? eBook link.
— Nicole S., Youth Services Librarian
