Case Closed Series by Lauren Magaziner

A bookseller recommended the Case Closed series by Lauren Magaziner when I mentioned loving both mysteries and middle grade/young adult books. I'm also a huge Choose Your Own Adventure fan, so this series was a dream come true! I'd recently been wanting to re-read Encyclopedia Brown books anyway, because I think my kid would like them, so these books were a great new treat.

Mystery in the Mansion

I actually bought the second book when I was visiting a bookstore out of town, without realizing it was the second! However, like many mystery series, you don't necessarily have to read them in order. I'm going to put my reviews in order, though.

I dove into the first book (after starting with the second) and really liked it! It’s such a fun way to kick off the series.

On the morning of a huge investigation that could save his mom's struggling detective agency, she ends up getting hit with a nasty flu. And with everything on the line, she can’t afford to drop the case.

With his best friend Eliza and her little brother Frank, Carlos takes on the investigation, which involves a quirky millionaire who’s been getting death threats. Someone’s after a buried fortune, but things get tricky with riddles, shady suspects, and a ton of secrets.

Since it's structured like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, you get to pick which suspects to interview, what questions to ask, and which clues to chase down.

Stolen from the Studio

The second book in the series has a touch of Hollywood glam when Carlos’s mom gets a big assignment to find a famous teen actress who’s gone missing. It's a serious case, so she doesn't want Carlos around, even though he solved the last mystery for her.

However, with Eliza and Frank by his side again, Carlos sneaks onto the set of the show to gather clues and interview suspects. He has to keep his detective work under wraps from his mom, who has a knack for spotting trouble.

Just like the first book, you get to choose which suspects to interview, what questions to ask, and which clues to follow.

Haunting at the Hotel

I love ghost stories, so this book had such a great premise! I was all in with the choose-your-own-adventure vibe mixed with puzzles and codes. It made the whole experience super fun.

In the third book of this interactive middle-grade series, we’re back with Carlos and his friends, but something is different... Carlos is now officially an apprentice detective at Las Pistas Detective Agency—he finally earned his mom’s trust!

Guests at a creepy mountain hotel are freaking out over strange disturbances, scary messages, and some seriously spooky howls. Carlos, Eliza, and Frank dig into what’s really going on: is it a ghost? What secrets is this haunted hotel hiding?

Danger on the Dig

This book seemed really different from the other three—maybe because they were all mostly set indoors, and this is outside on an archaeological dig? But it was still good and had some really great puzzles!

Carlos and his friends go international on an archaeological dig in Greece. But Carlos and Eliza are fighting, so they split up to tackle their own parts of the case. Still, their main goal is the same (and so is yours!): keep the booby traps from taking down their detective agency!