GOLDIE VANCE

Curious clues, high-speed car chases, and dashes of romance mark a teen detective’s charming debut.

Crossed Palms Resort in St. Pascal, Florida, is home to a young valet, Goldie, who doubles as assistant to Walter, the on-staff detective. After an expertly paced opening chapter that sees Goldie chatting with coworkers Rob and Cheryl, answering to her resort manager dad, helping the resort’s residents, and drag racing in disguise, readers are up to speed on Goldie’s background, connections, and capabilities. Increasing levels of intrigue and theft around a missing necklace lead to hitting up a gas station and casino for clues before Goldie revs up more cars to chase down suspects. References to the Space Race between the U.S. and the USSR, as well as gas costing less than a quarter a gallon, cue the 1963 setting. The stories, reprinted from the original 2016 series, include reveals involving era-appropriate science fiction content, though Goldie’s grounded investigative methods are the main attraction. Speaking of attraction, Goldie goes adorably red in the face for cool girl Diane, interactions that see the usually calm and determined Goldie turn shy and vulnerable. In all her modes, Goldie’s animated expressions light up the page. Goldie is biracial, with a Black father and white mother; the rest of the cast is racially diverse.

A girl detective’s well-deserved 10th-anniversary reprint feels just as fresh today.