Nancy Drew fueled Caruso's career of writing about dead mystery writers. Caruso's latest research brings her to Carolyn Keene, the fictitious author of the Nancy Drew books. Caruso delves into everything that made up the teen sleuth's stories: the ghostwriters, illustrator Russell Tandy, model Grace Horton, and the publisher Stratemeyer Syndicate. When the opportunity arises to meet millionaire and collector Edgar Edwards, Caruso jumps at the chance. A huge collector of Nancy Drew memorabilia, Edwards shares a rare find with her: a peek at his acquired portrait of Grace Horton. More shocking than an original portrait is that Horton is nude. With a borrowed Cadillac and Edwards' invitation to his Palm Springs mansion, Caruso and her girlfriends cruise to the convention. Her delight turns to shock with Edwards' murder at the Palm Springs mansion. A disappearing boyfriend is just one of the collector's acquaintances who look suspicious. Will Caruso's vintage clothing make her as much of a fashionable sleuth as the buttoned-up Nancy Drew? Could her one and only meeting with Edwards hold the key to solving his murder?

In Not a Girl Detective, Susan Kandel presents a delightful, funny, and believable main character. The secondary characters are rich with their own strengths and quirks. Within the fiction, Kandel weaves facts about Nancy Drew books, the Drew authors, Grace Horton, Russell Tandy, vintage clothing, and Southern California. I enjoyed reminiscing over the tidbits about the popular Nancy Drew books. Not a Girl Detective will take you on delightful twists, all in a sleuth's shoes.