By Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp

For anyone who likes a good whodunnit, we’re lucky in the UK to have some excellent authors in the genre writing gripping narratives, many with strong female protagonists, including Robin Stevens and Sharna Jackson. 

But what of mysteries set in other locations? Here I recommend three very different books, one a fantasy, and two historical fiction. Each of these stories stars a similarly determined, fearless female sleuth!

The Nkara Chronicles: Yomi and the Fury of Ninki Nanka and Yomi and the Power of the Yumboes

These two slim novels for the 7-10 age range, packed full of adventure and West African mythology, are the start of a developing series that takes Yomi and her little brother Kayode on a quest from The Gambia, to Senegal, and beyond, to protect the sacred Nkara from the threat of extinction at the hands of the malicious Beast Hunters’ Guild. The Nkara are mythical beasts, whose health is fundamental to the balance of ecosystems and to human life, but to the Beast Hunters they are nothing but a trophy to be won.

Spending the summer in The Gambia with their uncle Olu, Yomi quickly becomes suspicious about his job as a ‘researcher’. After witnessing the disappearance of the legendary river dragon, Ninki Nanka, she discovers the Beast Atlas, full of clues about the mysterious goings-on, and she knows she can help solve the mystery. And if Uncle Olu and the Sacred Beast League won’t let her and Kayode in on the secret, then she’ll just have to investigate herself, dragging poor Kayode out of bed and along for the ride.

This is the perfect next series for readers moving on from the Beast Quest series, offering a fresh perspective as it overturns the beast and hunter dynamic. Here, the so-called ‘beasts’, or Nkara, are sacred protectors of the natural order, and their cold-hearted hunters are the ones to be stopped at all costs. 

Nush and the Stolen Emerald

When her father, the Maharaja of the Indian kingdom of Jaisalmer, sets sail for London to visit Queen Victoria, gutsy Maharani (princess) Anushka sneaks aboard the ship, determined to rescue her family’s prized jewel in this exciting historical adventure.

From the opening pages, we know Nush – or Anushka – as an intrepid and more confident version of her brother, the heir. She’s much more suited to the royal voyage to England than her brother, and he doesn’t take much persuading to let her take his place, disguised in his clothes. It’s a diplomatic mission, with the Maharaja seeking to push back against the ever-growing threat of the British East India Company, but Anushka doesn’t have much patience for diplomacy. Improving her English and settling into the court’s way of life with the Queen’s children, Anushka always has an eye out for clues about the whereabouts of the stolen jewel, and hones her investigative skills with a determination and a fearlessness she’ll need when someone close to her is in danger. 

This page-turning adventure is based loosely on the true story of the Indian Maharaja of Coorg and his daughter, Maharani Gowramma, who took the long voyage to London to visit Queen Victoria in 1852. Like Anushka, the historical Gowramma was left behind by her father to live in London under Queen Victoria’s guardianship, at the age of eleven. That’s about where the historical connection ends, but Nush’s story is a fabulous one that will make you want to dig deeper into the early days of the British Raj and the Indian resistance … in which case, you might want to follow up with the thrilling middle grade novel Swordswoman! The Rani of Jhansi in the Indian Mutiny of 1857 by Devika Rangachari (Pushkin Press, 2021).

The Night Raven (The Moonwind Mysteries)

Twelve-year-old Mika has to keep her wits about her to survive in the harsh world of poverty-ridden, freezing cold 19th century Stockholm. One of the oldest children at the orphanage where she has grown up, she is worked to the bone caring for the other children on top of her job at a bar. Because she’s too old for anyone to be interested in adopting her, she has little hope of a route out. But when a baby is left at the orphanage in suspicious circumstances, she finds herself becoming useful to the investigation. She has a keen eye for detail, a sharp mind and an impressive ability to see clues where the chief investigator fails to, and it isn’t long before he takes her on as his assistant.

One for slightly older readers, perhaps 11+, this is full of atmospheric detail of a harsh, wind-swept Stockholm where the mysterious ‘Night Raven’ stalks the grim, dark streets.

About Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp