A novel by Katie Siegel, published in 2023, about the titular Charlotte Illes who used to be a Kid Detective — a successful one — but who inevitably had to grow up one day. As an adult, Charlotte is a Genius Burnout who works a string of temp jobs and leaves a pile of failed relationships in her wake, but she won't go anywhere near mysteries because she's not a detective anymore.
Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective provides examples of:
- Former Child Star: She used to be a minor celebrity, something people today always wonder about. Charlotte is annoyed by this, but she later realizes that it is because she doesn't have anything contemporary to talk about.
- Genius Burnout - Charlotte became a victim of her own success and fame, coming to worry that she could never live up to her eight-year-old self's towering legend.
- Kid Detective - Lizzie Illes was one, complete with the garage office, beret, animal companion, and blue plastic landline that she thought was disconnected until it rang one day.
- Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: Charlotte winds up drawn into a mystery about a missing person and possibly murder after she starts off looking for a potential stalker who was leaving love notes with a purple pen. It turns out that the stalker was just her brother and best friend trying to draw her out of her shell with another mystery, but the missing person is very real.
- Novelization: Technically this is an adaptation of a TikTok, with the initial mystery having been done there first.
