The Answers Are In The Back: More Summer Reading.

In 1963 Donald J. Sobol published Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective, the first in a series of 29 popular children’s books about a boy detective whose wide-ranging knowledge and keen observational powers make him a junior crime fighter.

Now Onlam Publishing is pleased to announce that famed crime writer Eunice Phelan has written the first books in a new series of Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, reimagining the boy detective as an adult.

return1Beginning with The Return Of Encyclopedia Brown the former boy detective Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown, now working for the FBI, leaves Quantico to come back to the quaint seaside town of Idaville following the tragic and mysterious shooting of his father, the local chief of police. Examining the crime scene Brown begins to suspect his old nemesis Emmett “Bugs” Meaney. Meaney is still head of a local gang of criminals that calls themselves The Tigers. They should call themselves The Breadsticks—they’re always getting baked. The search for more clues leads Brown through a dark underworld of auto thieves and drug dealers with henchmen in gorilla costumes. Brown soon decides to quit the FBI in favor of a position in the Idaville police department. Determined to root out corruption and crime in his old home his thoughts soon turn to revenge when his father dies and the solution to the mystery hangs on the answer to one question: what kind of doctor removed the fatal bullet?

Available now.

Hardcover List price: $24..95

ISBN: 978-0060953218

return2Continuing with Down Town Encyclopedia Brown the former boy detective Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown is now working full time as a plainclothes detective for the Idaville police. He’s known for his observational powers and arcane knowledge—a running joke around the precinct is that when he falls out of his chair it sounds “like Google exploded”. When the decapitated body of a prostitute is found in a dumpster behind a nightclub Brown calls on his old friend and mystery solving partner Sally Kimball, now running her own security firm. Together they begin to unearth clues that point to a larger conspiracy and a growing meth problem in the quaint seaside town. Brown suspects his old nemesis Emmet “Bugs” Meaney, head of a local gang of criminals that call themselves The Tigers. They should call themselves The Tiny Adjusters—they’re always tweaking. Then Brown and Kimball stumble upon a plan at the heart of City Hall and the solution to the mystery hangs on the answer to one question: who would benefit most from a large scale rezoning scheme?

Available September 2015

Hardcover list price: $25.95

ISBN: 978-0060953225

return3The mysteries keep coming with Another Shade of Encyclopedia Brown. Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown and his old friend and mystery solving partner Sally Kimball are out to dinner, reminiscing about old times. Romance seems possible when Brown gets a call: shady defense attorney Wilford Wiggins has just been arrested on fraud charges and claims to have information about corruption in the Idaville police department. Having long suspected that it was really a member of the police force who was responsible for his father’s death Brown offers Wiggins a deal: information for the possibility of a reduced sentence. But the information Wiggins holds points to more than just corruption in the police department. In order to unravel a conspiracy that involves some of Idaville’s most prominent citizens Brown will even find himself working with his old nemesis Emmet “Bugs” Meaney, former head of a local gang of criminals that call themselves The Tigers. They should call themselves Ndihmëse–they’re now working for an Albanian drug syndicate. Brown is torn between his growing feelings for Sally Kimball and his responsibilities as a detective, and the solution to the mystery hangs on the answer to one question: can he get a subpoena for a large number of bank records?

Available December 2015

Hardcover list price:$26.95

ISBN: 978-0060516267

Subscribe to the Onlam Publishing newsletter for information about more new Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, as well as her other forthcoming series: Harriet The Spy: Assignment Syria.

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10 Comments

  1. TwerlaP

    If only…
    As a kid I devoured that series. Along with the Hardy Boys, Trixie and etc. Some families play games, and some watch TV. In ours, if you were’nt actually doing something, you were reading. Wild, Wild West might be on, but everyone still had a book in hand. It’s a semi-accepted addiction.
    A quick Google showed some a number of Encyclopedia fanfic. Are you into that? Judging from your summaries you’d be good at it!

    Reply
    1. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

      I had no idea there was Encyclopedia Brown fan fiction. Obviously for some people 29 books aren’t enough, although I was also the sort of reader who, after binging on a series, would try my hand at writing one or two stories of my own. This was long before the internet. I never could manage a real Encyclopedia Brown story because I was always stumped trying to think up that one little detail that would give it away.

      Reply
  2. Gina W.

    Oh man, it’s hard for me to comment on this post because I never read the Encyclopedia Brown books as a kid. I was (and am) a voracious reader, but for whatever reason I completely missed that series. I was probably too busy reading the “Little House on the Prairie” books or “Harriet the Spy”. This one thing is kind of funny– I read the word “tweaking” as “twerking” and I couldn’t figure out what you were trying to say. “They’re always twerking”. Um, OK. Guess they spend a lot of time in nightclubs then.

    Reply
    1. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

      Believe it or not I never read the “Little House on the Prairie” books. I’ve thought about going back and reading them, but then I worry I’m too old to really appreciate them. I did enjoy the TV show, but I was too young to realize all that sweetness was giving me cavities.
      The funny thing is “twerking” might have worked too. The original Encyclopedia Brown books were fun, but, aside from the mysteries, Sobol would put in these puns that I liked too: Bugs Meany’s gang called themselves “The Tigers” but they should have called themselves “The Tea Bags” because “they were always getting into hot water”. Those made me roll my eyes and laugh at the same time, and I wanted to do a tribute to that.

      Reply
  3. kdcol

    Okay, so are these adult versions going to be available via amazon or what? My oldest read several of the Encyclopedia Brown books when he was 3rd/4th grade, I believe. I found myself perusing them as well. I like how it’s such a timeless series. Kids can still enjoy the EB books today. And Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books are also still popular with kids today. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

      Seeing the response I’m giving some thought to actually writing these adult versions. The originals are timeless and fun, and I’m glad they’re still around and popular with kids–and I’m glad the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are also still popular. I had some friends who would say, “oh, those are always so easy to solve!” but for me they were fun because I’d guess I could only figure out the mystery without looking about a third of the time.

      Reply
  4. Chuck Baudelaire

    When you dive so far into satire that no one even knows what to believe any more…

    Reply
    1. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

      Most of the time I only snorkel in satire, so I thought it was time for a serious descent.

      Reply
  5. Jay

    This is crazy making!

    Also: I was on vacation, is it too late for the dinosaur rides?

    Reply
    1. Christopher Waldrop (Post author)

      According to my sources it’s never too late for the dinosaur rides. You just have to tip your waiter. Even in California where everything’s overpriced there are people who’re underpaid.

      Reply

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