This gave me “Only Murders in the Building” vibes! Loved reading this with & to my kids! Minerva always the curious one forms a detective club that includes her brother Heck and their friend Santos. Mysterious deaths are happening to their neighbors & they go searching for clues. This is a quick read with a twisty plot! Thank you to the publisher for a copy.

My 10 year old reader and I were excited to check out this new mystery release :)

As a mom, I love a strong, confident, smart female lead character, and the focus on kids with different talents was a plus. Minerva’s parents and guardians left her a little too loose-reined for my liking, but I don’t think my mini readers put that together :) I liked the age-appropriate crime analysis - nothing too over the top or scary, and I definitely did get some “Only Murders in the Building” vibes for sure.

E’s commentary? “This might not be great for younger kids, or kids who get creeped out at nighttime to read before bed, but I thought it was cool.” She also liked the short chapters and the way each one ended that had her questioning what would come next and begging for, “One more chapter?”

Packed full of all the things that make Middle-Grade mysteries such fun, even when they're a little scary, is Minerva Keen's Detective Club. The creepy is offset by humor and a few moments of grossness, but the excellent way the kid detectives figure out whodunnit (or might have an affiliation to the crimes won me over and made me think.

Written for readers between the ages of around 11 - 14, each character had strength, wisdom, and just enough kid humor and kid mentality to make the story memorable. Each child has a reason to be there, and the twist, though maybe slightly predictable, kept me reading. I had to find out what Minerva was up to, and I loved her spunk. More, please!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Minerva Keen's Detective Club is a great middle grade mystery. The short chapters help to keep it fast paced.. I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

Minerva is a budding detective and when people in her apartment complex start getting poisoned she is on the case. Patterson and Graff do a great job of keeping kids engaged and on their toes going along with how Minerva and her detective club help solve the case. There will be more adventures for the club and I think middle school kids will really enjoy this book.

In “Minerva Keen’s Detective Club” we follow Minerva who is starting her own detective club after some tragic events at her building. The detective club has to find out who is behind the poisoning before other people will die.

This is definitely a page-turner! I enjoyed every second of this, book, even though I’m definitely not the targeted audience. This book is definitely full of humor, twists, and turns and I found myself liking these amateur detectives quite quickly.

The writing style is fast-paced and, if you are a Patterson fan, you will love this collaboration with Keir Graff.

Overall, this was a quick and fun read and if you like middle-grade mystery thrillers, this is a must-read.

After her chess partner Kermit gets poisoned in their apartment building she decides she is going to solve the case! She starts a detective club with her little brother Heck who is a budding chef and super accident-prone, and Santos her silent anxiety-ridden classmate, who shows bravery when he least expects it.

This is a fun fast-paced middle-grade mystery, with a great cast of characters and an engaging mystery that had me flying through the story!
I had a lot of fun reading this and would definitely pick up the next book in the series.

James Patterson’s books are always great reads, and his latest middle-grade release with Keir Graff Minerva Keen’s Detective Club is no exception. Headstrong, intelligent and humorous young detective Minerva Keen takes on a new mystery as people in her apartment building start dying, and she’s determined to find out what’s going on. If you want a kid-friendly book with Only Murders in the Building vibes, I think this would be a great choice.

The book is filled with relatable characters. Minerva is super chatty and smart, and she has a quirky group of friends and family surrounding her. I particularly enjoyed little brother Heck’s character, and the exasperation Detective Taylor displays when he deals with Minerva’s near constant presence in the investigation. For audiobook fans, it’s worth noting that narrator Lauren Fortgang did an excellent job bringing Minerva’s character and personality to life with her performance in the audiobook.

Despite being older than the target audience, I enjoyed the childish humor in the book, with various fart and burp related jokes making an appearance. I also enjoyed the relatable middle-school problems that Minerva faces; making friends, recruiting members for her debate club, and dealing with her absent minded babysitter while her parents are away. On a separate note, the mystery of the story was fun to puzzle out; lots of red herrings and twists and turns until a surprise at the end of the book. The case files/notes that Minerva narrates periodically were helpful to keep track of things, and added a fun spin to the book.

Overall, Minerva Keen’s Detective Club was an entertaining read. It’s a great book for young readers who enjoy a good mystery, but I think it has the potential to appeal to older readers as well. It was a great start to the series, and I’m excited to get to read more about Minerva’s adventures in the future.

Thank you to the authors, the publisher jimmy patterson, the team at TBR and Beyond Tours, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed Minerva Keen’s Detective Club. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974


Minerva is trying to solve a mystery. So done is poisoning her neighbors. Her parents are away and the babysitter doesn't pay such close attention. Throw in a diverse array of friends, toilet humor and you have a winner for kids of all ages.

I loved every page of this book, it kept me guessing and laughing at the same time. Minerva is such a great character and her brother and their new unlikely friend made a wonderful group. I am so happy it’s the first in a series!

Oh man, a bunch of kids taking on a poisoning case. This mystery has a fairly fast pace and is a good level for middle grade readers.

My daughter really loved the comedic parts since it kept the story a lot lighter and this book inspired her to want to be in a detective club with her friends. What case will Minerva take on next, since this one had everyone guessing due to so many suspects.

Thank you to Little Brown Books and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Ok, we’ve established that I’m not the biggest fan of middle grade books, although I have read quite a few and the ones I’ve read have been very good. But I’m a huge fan of James Patterson, so my reading Minerva Keen’s Detective Club seemed like a no-brainer… with the exception of the fact that I’m not a big fan of James Patterson having co-authors. For some reason, the only books I’ve been able to read that he’s had a co-author for were The President is Missing and The President’s Daughter, which he co-wrote with Bill Clinton. Other co-written books have just fell flat for me. But this one? Oh, this one definitely was to my liking.

For one, it was funny. From the hilarious reaction Minerva has to being nervous to a scheme Heck1 comes up with, I kept finding myself laughing out loud at this book. My roommates thought I’d lost my mind because I don’t often laugh while reading books2.

For another, the book was seamless. One of my biggest pet peeves with James Patterson’s co-written books is that I can usually tell the difference between the authors and it drives me bananas. But with Keir Graff and James Patterson writing together, I couldn’t tell who had written any particular chapter or part of the book. While it seemed at one point there might have been a continuity error, it’s also possible that I just wasn’t paying attention.

Minerva Keen’s Detective Club is a very well written, fast-paced book. I read the entire book in a total of about 3 hours. I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to know what would happen next. After all, there are several things going on in this book – and an ending you won’t expect. I know I certainly didn’t. I think this a great book to get your middle-grade aged kiddo into James Patterson and into reading.

I gave the book 5 stars because it truly is an amazing middle grade novel that deserves every one of the stars I gave it. I highly recommend this book – even if you aren’t a middle grade reader, if you like James Patterson, I think you’ll like this.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, jimmy patterson and TBRBeyond tours for providing me this arc for an honest review*

I really loved Minerva Keen's Detective Club. Minerva was such an adorable kid. As ever Patterson delivers a great book for this genre. It reminds me a lot of that show called Only Murders in The building. Aside from that this book had it all. The mystery, the fun lovable characters. I loved it.

It had enough twists to be believable, yet not boring. It was a really good book.

Absolutely nerve tingling and rocking
Minerva Keen's Detective Club by James Patterson & Keir Graff is an absolutely marvelous thriller and mystery YA book. The book is the first in Minerva Keen series, and, you cannot just miss it for being only for young readers. The plot starts in a posh building where unexplained murders start happening. Amateur detective Minerva Keen takes on the responsibility to uncover the truth. Then the story takes a new turn with every page. The book is so absorbing that I finished it within a day. I eagerly waiting for the next book in the series. Minerva Keen's character has everything which a teenage girl should have. She is funny, responsible and interesting. The climax is open ended, yet to reveal more of itself. It was really an enjoyable read.

Definitely, 5 stars for the book. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an opportunity to read and review the book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC of Minerva Keen’s Detective Club!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🔍 wanted to be a detective as a kid
😂 like to laugh
🕷️ hate spiders and other crawly creatures
😠 love to argue

• 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄

Minerva wants to start a debate club, but when no one joins, she creates a detective club instead.

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Minerva and her brother, Heck (short for Hector), live in an old building in Chicago. One day, while playing chess with her older neighbor, Kermit, he keels over. Confused, Minerva calls 911 only to end up in the middle of a suspected poisoning case. When more residents in her building start dropping dead, the police and Minerva believe they have a serial killer on their hands. With her brother and her new friend Santos, they form the Detective Club and decide to solve the mystery themselves!

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a really fun read. It had a lot of laugh out loud moments - “A debate club with only one member would never work. People look at you funny if you talk to yourself--if you argue with yourself, they cross to the other side of the street.” - this one for example. I also loved how tenacious Minerva was. She wasn’t going to let anyone stop her or slow her down. The big reveal was perfect for middle grade readers, too! I can’t wait to read more in this series!

People from the apartment building are found dead. Minerva decides to find out who is poisoning them...
Little Brown Books for Young Readers and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published in the 1st of May.

The lady who takes care of the apartments thinks that Minerva is the one poisoning them since she finds them all. Could she be right?

MInerva decides to check with the apartments and make sure everyone is safe.

When she gets to the penthouse, she finds a surprise...

With her friends, she is in a particularity situation.

Does she make it out alive?

I love a good middle-grade mystery and this one didn't disappoint! It definitely gave me Only Murders in the Building vibes and this team of detectives was fun to follow along with.

Minerva is a funny and headstrong little detective who won't let anything stop her from solving who is poisoning people in her building. She does a pretty good job of finding clues even the real detective on the case can't find. The twist ending even made it so I didn't see it coming - so I think this would be a perfect addition to your middle grade or school's library.

There was definitely some middle-grade humor in here with a lot of burping and some farting. But there is other humor along the way that everyone will enjoy. As a parent myself, I did find the lack of parental supervision disturbing - but this is a kid's book and also a middle schooler's dream to have parents away in another country and a flighty babysitter.

Quick, lighthearted read that I hope eventually becomes a series. Don't hesitate to let your children read this or put it in a school library. I highly recommend this one for fans of a fun mystery story. It got a 4-star rating from me.

Big thanks to Little Brown Books, James Patterson & Keir Graff, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

** “Our members have to be curious, creative, and good at spotting clues.” **

James Patterson and Keir Graff join forces to deliver a fun new series with “Minerva Keen’s Detective Club.”

When residents in her apartment building mysteriously start facing death, Minerva Keen creates a detective club with her brother Heck and the school’s largest kid, Santos, to figure out who is trying to kill everyone … and why?

As they search for clues, they join forces with Detective Wesley Taylor to figure out the deadly situation.

Patterson and Graff develop a fun and twisty plot filled with not only mystery but humor. They create delightfully plucky and intriguing characters. Readers of all ages will truly love “Minerva Keen’s Detective Club,” which is due out May 1.

One word of caution for parents: there is one incident of a couple of very mild curse words used.

Fans of Patterson’s other “Treasure Hunters” series and other similar series will enjoy this book.

Five stars out of five.

jimmy patterson provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

When Minerva's friend and neighbor dies while they're playing chess together, she is immediately curious. She decides to use her detecting skills to find the culprit in her building even though the detective in charge keeps insisting he doesn't want her help.

Cute although I think it could've gotten to investigating quicker.

Only Murders in the Building for tweens. This is a fast-paced mystery filled with lots of humor, red herrings, and action. This will appeal to a wide variety of middle grade readers. Recommend for all libraries.