The Three Cousins Detective Club consists of Sarah-Jane Cooper, Timothy Dawson, and Titus McKay, whose mothers are all sisters. The family tree, taken from The Mystery of the Dancing Angels, explains how they are related.

The cousins enjoy spending time together and solving mysteries. It’s a series of short chapter books with Christian themes. On the back of each book, under the synopsis, is the theme of the book. Sometimes it’s a concept like faithfulness or patience, and sometimes it’s a particular Bible verse.

Books in the Series:

#1 The Mystery of the White Elephant (1994)

#2 The Mystery of the Silent Nightingale (1994)

Sarah-Jane’s baby-sitter and friend, Kelly, is graduating from high school. Soon, she will be going away to college. Sarah-Jane is sad that she is leaving, but she is happy her family was able to find her a nice graduation present. After they pick out their present, Sarah-Jane sees a locket with a nightingale on it in a store window. The nightingale is a Christian symbol for joy, and Sarah-Jane thinks that it would have made a nice present for Kelly if they didn’t already have one. To everyone’s surprise, someone else buys the locket and leaves it at Kelly’s house. There is no note or card with it to say who it is from. Kelly asks the cousins to help her find out who gave her the locket so that she can thank them.

The theme of the story is joy.

#3 The Mystery of the Wrong Dog (1994)

#4 The Mystery of the Dancing Angels (1995)

The kids are visiting their grandparents over the summer when they learn that their great-great-great-grandfather was a woodcarver, and he did some work in a large house that is now being restored. There is a story that an expensive ruby necklace that belonged to the former owners of the house may be still hidden somewhere on the property. The prospect of exploring the old house and maybe finding the missing necklace sounds exciting, but the kids also must spend their time looking after their distant cousin, Patience, who is only four years old and has a tendency of getting into trouble.

The theme of the story is patience.

#5 The Mystery of the Hobo’s Message (1995)

#6 The Mystery of the Magi’s Treasure (1995)

The three cousins are helping at a Christmas in July art fair when they stumble on a theft.

The theme of the story is goodness.

#7 The Mystery of the Haunted Lighthouse (1995)

The cousins go on a trip to visit an old family friend, Ned, and take a look at an old lighthouse that he is thinking of buying. He wants to turn the lighthouse into a bed and breakfast. However, strange things have started happening there. Could the old lighthouse be haunted?

The theme of the story is faithfulness.

#8 The Mystery of the Dolphin Detective (1995)

#9 The Mystery of the Eagle Feather (1995)

Timothy is excited because he has a chance to meet his pen pal, Anthony Two Trees, for the first time. Anthony is a Native American, and he will be dancing at a powwow. Timothy’s cousins get to come along on the trip, too. Soon after they arrive, though, they learn that someone has been taking pieces of the dancers’ costumes, like fans or headdresses made of eagle feathers. Who could be taking the costume pieces and why?

The theme of the story is self-control.

#10 The Mystery of the Silly Goose (1996)

As soon as they arrive home from their trip to the powwow, the cousins are approached by Timothy’s neighbor, the snobby 13-year-old Lyddie, with another mystery. While they were out of town, someone went around the neighborhood, stealing lawn ornaments. Who hid the lawn ornaments and why?

The theme of this story is Proverbs 24:3-4, “It takes wisdom to have a good family. It takes understanding to make it strong. It takes knowledge to fill a home with rare and beautiful treasures.”

#11 The Mystery of the Copycat Clown (1996)

#12 The Mystery of the Honeybee’s Secret (1996)

#13 The Mystery of the Gingerbread House (1997)

Sarah-Jane’s neighbors live in an old Victorian gingerbread style house. They have been fixing up the old house, and Sarah-Jane has been acting as a messenger, carrying samples of wallpaper to them from her mother, who is a decorator. One day, the kids see someone working in the parlor, but it’s not someone who belongs in the house. Who was it and what were they doing?

The theme of this story is Proverbs 25:13, “A trustworthy messenger refreshes those who send him. He is like the coolness of snow in the summertime.”

#14 The Mystery of the Zoo Camp (1997)

#15 The Mystery of the Goldfish Pond (1997)

Timothy’s father arranges for him to sing at his boss’s retirement dinner because his boss’s wife likes his singing, and his cousins are invited to keep him company at the dinner. However, they accidentally overhear a couple of adults talking after the dinner. Something strange is going on, and something secret is hidden somewhere in the garden.

The theme of this story is Proverbs 11:13, “No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put confidence in someone who is trustworthy.”

#16 The Mystery of the Traveling Button (1997)

#17 The Mystery of the Birthday Party (1997)

#18 The Mystery of the Lost Island (1997)

#19 The Mystery of the Wedding Cake (1998)

#20 The Mystery of the Sand Castle (1998)

#21 The Mystery of the Sock Monkeys (1998)

#22 The Mystery of the African Gray (1998)

#23 The Mystery of the Butterfly Garden (1999)

#24 The Mystery of the Book Fair (1999)

Sarah-Jane is excited about the book fair being held in the public library. She wants to buy a set of old Winnie-the-Pooh books, but from the moment that she claims the books, people keep coming up to her and trying to get her to let them have them or buy them from her. When they learn the reason why so many people are interested in the books, it raises the question of who is the rightful owner.

The theme of the story is Proverbs 3:3, “Don’t ever stop being kind and truthful. Let kindness and truth show in all you do. Write them down in your mind as if on a tablet.”

#25 The Mystery of the Coon Cat (1999)

#26 The Mystery of the Runaway Scarecrow (1999)

Someone has taken a scarecrow that Sarah-Jane’s mother made and has challenged everyone to find out where he is.

#28 The Mystery of the Backdoor Bundle (2000)

Sarah-Jane’s mother owns a decorating business, but recently she and her partner have started repairing dolls because he has a talent for it. One day, while the kids are sitting in the kitchen, someone knocks on the door and leaves a basket with an antique doll inside and a note that says, “Please help me!” Who left the doll and why?

The theme of the story is Psalm 147:3, “[The Lord] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

#29 The Mystery of the Painted Snake (2000)

#30 The Mystery of the Golden Reindeer (2000)

The three cousins are going Christmas shopping at the department store downtown when they find a mystery involving a lookalike.

The theme of the story is Proverbs 8:19: “What you get from wisdom is better than the finest gold.”