Zoinks: 7 Mystery Books Like Scooby-Doo

In 1977 in a small mining town in Oregon, four teenage friends spent the summer solving mysteries, calling themselves the Blyton Summer Detective Club. Andy, Nate, Kerri, Peter, and their dog, Tim the Weimaraner, ended their summer catching the notorious Sleepy Lake monster.

The culprit was unmasked as a low-level thief attempting to steal the fortune hidden in Deboen Mansion, and those “meddling kids” were responsible for sending him to prison.

By 1990, the group had grown apart, and each of their lives had been badly affected by the frightening memories from that case years ago. Something had happened to them that was much more horrifying than catching a common criminal in a mask.

Unable to cope any longer, Andy decides to reach out to the group and convince them to return to Sleepy Lake to investigate what really happened to them. Only by facing their demons can they save themselves and quite possibly save the world.

Deirdre “Foxtrot” Lancaster is an administrative assistant to the ultra-wealthy and colorful Zelda Zoransky. Her duties include managing the chaos her boss creates, from running the mansion, a private zoo, and whatever new project catches her eye. 

Foxtrot’s world becomes more complicated after she encounters a giant ghost beast in the pet cemetery on the property. Something has caused her to suddenly start seeing animal spirits, like Tiny, the ghost dog who changes breeds.

Things get even stranger when she comes home to find her previously dead cat, Tango, alive and communicating with her telepathically. 

When a coworker suddenly drops dead, Foxtrot turns to her new spectral friends to find the killer. Can her otherworldly friends help her find the truth before it’s too late?

Marie Fortune, dog groomer to the wealthy elite in Boston, feels the need for a change in her life. She decides to visit a small town on the Maine coast where she spent summers as a child.

To her surprise, her great-aunt has left her an old historic house that is badly in need of repair. When Marie decides to stay in Maine and renovate the house as a B&B, she is shocked to discover that the house is haunted.

Fortunately, her aunt also left her a very unusual dog, Casper, who has a penchant for ghostbusting. Marie has barely settled in when an unexpected death occurs that will have a huge effect on Marie’s life.

Skye Brigid O’Shea is having a bad year. She just went through a nasty divorce and, as a nurse, took the blame for a patient’s recent death.

When she inherits her grandmother’s B&B, she gladly pulls up her roots and moves to Ireland. Before long, she finds herself back in trouble when she investigates strange noises and finds the neighbor she recently had a loud argument with very dead.

As the prime suspect, Skye relies on information from her new friend, the local constable’s wife, for her defense. She also works tirelessly to decipher clues from her grandmother’s talking black cat.

When all the clues point to a supernatural suspect, Skye questions her own sanity and worries how she can prove the truth.

Tubby tabby Max shares a secret with his person, Odelia Poole. He can communicate with Odelia, which comes in handy since she’s a reporter for the Hampton Cove Gazette.

With the help of his feline friends, Dooley and Harriet, Max has a talent for sniffing out stories for his human. 

When the body of a local bestselling author is found in an old outhouse, Max jumps in to help Odelia investigate. But the investigation stalls when a new detective arrives on the case, with his own gruff cat, Brutus, and dismisses Odelia’s attempts to follow the story.

Now Max must find a way to outfox the detective, help Odelia get the facts, and catch a killer.

Westbrook’s “most trusted private investigator,” Brooke Harris, has a secret that gives her the advantage. She hears what people are thinking. 

When the Westbrook Halloween Monster Mash ends in the death of a prominent citizen, Brooke must trust herself and her paranormal ability to wade through the suspects and lies to find a killer.

It’s not easy being dead in New York. Mildred Heavewater tries not to get hungry at the crime scenes she’s investigating, but it’s not easy when you live off of human blood.

She specializes in the messiest crimes, inter-species murder. 

When a young rabbi is killed and encased in clay, the clues point to a peaceful Golem who works as the school janitor. Tempers flare throughout the city and inter-species violence starts to rise as the press begins to stir things up.

It’s crucial that Mildred solve the case quickly before New York City becomes a battleground for every kind of monster.