This was a truly unique blend of mystery and lit fic that I thoroughly enjoyed. Murdle-lovers will enjoy the bite-sized format and I also found unexpected thought-provoking moments of magical realism and philosophy. Some stories were more successful than others- parallel stories of overdoses during the AIDS epidemic and COVID pandemic felt heavy-handed while the longest story of Killington Manor was an immediate favorite and the allegorical(?) detective Cynthia’s stories had surprising depth.

Nobody does it like Sara Gran. An unexpected, richly earned reappearance from Claire DeWitt: a Silettian treasure.

The title promises exactly what you are expecting! It was a truly fun read and I enjoyed how the author played around with the format for some of the stories!

This was different to what I was expecting (totally on me) but I still really enjoyed it! This was my first book by the author and now I definitely want to go read the Claire Dewitt books

I was so stoked when I stumbled upon this on NetGalley, and it did not disappoint! What a cool, unique collection of mysteries - I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this! My favorite story was “the good smell of New York City/ the ocean-salted air.” It’s two timelines told in separate columns, I have never read a story in the format and it was a special experience for me. I hope others enjoy this as much as I did.

I love a good logic, mystery and puzzle all wrapped up into one. Definitely would get this for myself.

Thanks #NetGalley for the advance copy

Here’s a mystery: how can stories of such depth, expansive breadth, and earthquaking magnitude fit into a collection so slim? The solution of course is Sara Gran, and her razor’s-edge prose that cuts through the surface of genre tropes, deftly slips beyond style and structure, scrapes past expectations and desire, and extracts the very beating heart of it all, the mystery from which all mysteries grow, the raging fire that burns without reason but urges us ever on and on toward the unexpected and unexplained. If we’re talking about word count, the title of this volume makes sense, but in terms of content, context, and revelation, it’s definitely a misnomer. There is nothing little about Little Mysteries. It is, in fact, vast. I loved it with my whole heart. And this is coming from someone who has yet to read any of the Claire Dewitt novels, this is someone coming with fresh fresh eyes. It was beautiful. And heartbreaking. Easy to read, challenging to accept, and honestly pretty life-changing to hold. I’ve read a handful of (what I consider to be) perfect books in my life. This is without a doubt one of them. I couldn’t possibly recommend this highly enough.

This is a wonderful collection of stories for the true crime & mystery aficionado. There is a pleasingly meta quality to these stories, with enough variation between them to appeal to a range of well-read crime fans. (Not one I'd probably handsell to a more casual mystery reader though!)

What if Nancy Drew grew up and started questioning WHY she felt a deep need to solve mysteries, who she would be without them, and what did any of it really matter anyways?

According to Sara Gran, the answer lies with teen sleuth Cynthia Silverton, jaded veteran sleuth Claire DeWitt, and a colorful cast of characters, including a 16-year-old would-be gardener, and a 30-something university dropout and detective lover. In "Little Mysteries," Gran asserts to us that mysteries serve, first and foremost, to help us with making meaning where really, there is none. Sometimes, life just happens - good or bad, and there is not a behind-the-scenes solution or diabolical plot to make sense of it. And this realization can lead us one of two ways: We can lay down and accept that there is no point to anything; that we are, in essence, simply existing. Or we can create meaning for ourselves, with our community and the world around us. The choice, in the end, is our own.

"Little Mysteries" was a delight to read. A truly accessible lit fic anthology, each short story grabbed my attention, and I rarely felt as if the anthology was dragging. Gran is a master of metaphors and quick-witted writing, carefully revealing each mystery and revelation for her characters as they develop over the course of the book. If anything, there were moments I wished the book were longer, or felt it was a bit "on the nose."

What I Really Loved About This Book:

This story is told from the point of view of multiple characters throughout multiple vignettes and short stories, including a second-person narrator that consistently breaks the fourth wall. The jump in POV's and narrator kept the book lively and entertaining as I worked through the mysteries.

Because of the short story setup, the book doesn't need to worry (as much) about pacing, but still effectively moves towards its tidbits of life lessons and revelations for characters in a way that feels natural and engaging.

The callbacks to Nancy Drew mysteries and hallmarks of detective/mystery novels throughout the stories was really fun as a mystery reader, and cleverly done for those who haven't read too far into mystery novels before. As someone who read every Nancy Drew book as a child, I loved Gran's satire and her teen sleuth, who maybe doesn't always have it all together with titian hair and a perfect boyfriend.

If you're a fan of Nancy Drew, life-lesson lit fic, or tongue-in-cheek narration style, this book will definitely entertain you. I was so happy with this book and cannot wait for it to be published!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamland Publishers for this ARC for an honest review.

Publication Date: February 10, 2025

The last mystery, number ten, is alone worth the price of this book. I loved Sara Grans book Come Closer and the last chapter reminded me a little bit of the writing style in her previous book. I would love to have this book in my collection and try the mysteries in all my friends. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.