Sammy Keyes is a girl detective who lives in California. She solves mysteries, but there are some mysteries about her own life that follow her throughout the series. Her mother is an eccentric actress who lies about her age (and Sammy’s age, too), and she has no idea who her father is because her mother refuses to tell her. (Although she does learn his identity toward the end of the series.)

Sammy is 12 years old at the start of the series, and she does age as the series goes on, although she finds out at one point that her mother actually lied about her age when enrolling her in school so she could begin a year earlier, so she’s actually a year younger than she thinks she is in the beginning.

Sammy lives with her grandmother because her mother moved to Hollywood to try to further her acting career. The problem is that Sammy’s grandmother lives in an apartment building that’s only for seniors, so they have to constantly pretend like Sammy doesn’t live there. She keeps very few belongings there, and when her grandmother’s nosy neighbors get too close to catching her there, she has to either hide in a closet or spend the night at someone else’s house. The secrecy around Sammy’s living arrangements makes things difficult when Sammy gets into trouble at school and the school administration wants to speak to her mother or when Sammy needs to talk to the police about the mysteries she investigates. One person who knows about Sammy’s living arrangements and can be trusted to help her when she needs it is an older man named Hudson Graham, who lives nearby and later develops a relationship with Sammy’s grandmother.

Her best friend, Marissa, helps her on her cases. Marissa is from a wealthy family, but her parents neglect her and her brother because they’re often working. Later, Sammy makes friends with other girls, Dot and Holly, and they also help. Holly is an orphaned runaway, and Sammy helps her to find a new home. Sammy has a nemesis, school mean girl Heather Acosta, but Sammy also has a crush on Heather’s brother, Casey.

The series was written by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Books in the Series:

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief (1998)

Sammy witnesses a theft through her binoculars, but the thief knows that Sammy saw him.

Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man (1998)

A series of strange events on Halloween night point to a crime.

Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy (1999)

Sammy falls under suspicion of theft while volunteering at a church.

Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf (1999)

Sammy is supposed to be watching a prize-winning dog, but the dog is dog-napped during a Christmas parade.

Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary (2000)

An Old West feud leads to a modern case of arson.

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy (2001)

Sammy and Marissa go to visit Sammy’s mother, who is trying to make it as an actress in Hollywood by lying about her age, but soon, her mother becomes a victim of attempted murder.

Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes (2002)

A strange girl at a mall asks Sammy to watch her bag for her, but Sammy discovers that the bag actually contains a baby and the girl has now vanished.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception (2003)

Sammy uncovers a thief at an art gallery.

Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen (2004)

Sammy searches for her missing cat, fearing that he may be among the cats who have been killed recently.

Sammy Keyes And the Dead Giveaway (2005)

Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things (2007)

Sammy faces off against a poacher on a summer camping trip.

Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash (2008)

A dying man gives Sammy wads of cash that he wants her to … just throw away? Why?

Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher (2010)

Nobody really likes the history teacher, Mr. Vince, but who hates him so much that they want to send him death threats?

Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls (2011)

Halloween once again becomes unexpectedly frightening when Sammy and her friends find something sinister in their treat bags.

Sammy Keyes and the Power of Justice Jack (2012)

Sammy is confronted by the mysterious disappearance of a neighbor and the appearance of a bizarre super hero in her town.

Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City (2013)

Sammy confronts some of the mysteries in her own life, including the true identity of her father.

Sammy Keyes and the Killer Cruise (2013)

Now that she knows who her father is, Sammy goes on a cruise with him to get to know him better and solves the mystery of a disappearing heiress.

Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye (2014)

When Sammy is attacked by someone and ends up in the hospital, unconscious, her friends struggle to figure out who Sammy’s unknown enemy is and who could want her dead.