Charlotte Illes Is Not a Teacher

Not a Detective

By: Katie Siegel

Narrated by: Katie Siegel

Former child detective Charlotte “Lottie” Illes is all grown up and going back to school in this fresh, delightfully modern mystery in the Not a Detective series, based on the much-loved TikTok web series.

Mention “returning to the scene of a crime,” and people don’t usually picture a middle school. But that’s where kid detective Lottie Illes enjoyed some of her greatest successes, solving mysteries and winning acclaim—before the world of adult responsibilities came crashing in …

Twentysomething Charlotte is now back in the classroom, this time as a substitute teacher. However, as much as she’s tried to escape the shadow of her younger self, others haven’t forgotten about Lottie. In fact, a fellow teacher is hoping for help discovering the culprit behind anonymous threats being sent to her and her aunt, who’s running for reelection to the Board of Education.

At first, Charlotte assumes the messages are a harmless prank. But maybe it’s a good thing she left a detective kit hidden in the band room storage closet all those years ago—just in case. Because the threats are escalating, and it’s clear that untangling mysteries isn’t child’s play anymore …

“Charlotte Illes may not be a detective, or a teacher, but she is an absolute delight.”—Kemper Donovan, author of The Busy Body

©2024 Katie Siegel (P)2024 Recorded Books

Charlotte working her way through being a grown-up

I think this is an excellent 2nd installment to the series. I feel like I've gotten more insight into a generation and demographic of people I don't get to interact with. I'm not sure what to think about learning that many of the issues faced by people in their mid twenties today are the same as we had four decades ago. We should have done better by them. But I'm sure Charlotte and company will persevere!

Cannot wait to hear what else Charlotte Illes is not

I’ve enjoyed both Charlotte Illes books and I hope there are many more in the pipeline! All of the characters have flaws that are entirely relatable and just like IRL they struggle to identify their flaws and then deal with them. What I enjoy most about the characters is how much they love and respect each other regardless of, or maybe even because of, the flaws. I especially appreciate the matter of fact acknowledgment of various ethnicities and gender identities.