In this Super Sleuth episode, we talk about “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie” - aka, the first in the series about our second favorite girl detective of all time, Flavia de Luce. Karen gives us some great background on author Alan Bradley and how this book came to be. Then we dig into poison lipstick, the love of libraries, priceless stamps, the need for a Clue Crew, and how Nancy and Flavia overlap (and don’t) in the Venn Diagram of Sleuths. In other news, Karen wants a tertiary understanding of everything in the universe, Kelly wants to visit The Poison Garden, and Karen’s mind is blown by a burning question. Don’t forget - kick ‘em in the Casanovas! Rated 11.75 poisonous lipsticks Recommendations: “Murder in New York” (Netflix) Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In episode 62, we "dig" (get it?) into Nancy Drew & The Clue in the Crossword Cipher. First, we discuss extreme weather events IRL, read a letter from Eloise, talk about raver dolls and cryptid fests, and get a thorough history lesson about the Nazca Lines! Then, we go along with the Clue Crew on a Succession-worthy all-expenses paid trip to South America where Nancy & Co: almost get sucked from an airplane dig up a very important archaeological site find a mummy and a treasure and do lots of judo! Rated 6.5 out of 12 Parachutists Next up - a TBD super sleuth mystery! Recommendations: The It Girl by Ruth Ware Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne PhD Less by Andrew Sean Greer How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In Episode 61, we talk all about Nancy Drew & The Mystery of the 99 Steps! Let’s head off to France with the Clue Crew to explore 400 chateaux, count 2,000 steps, evade one Mr. 9, and have run ins with at least 5 Auberts. Carson disingenuously offers to share his fee with Nancy, George gets yoinked by the throat, Bess continues to demonstrate sound judgement, and Ned probably cried and cried because HENRI! In other news, we talk about cartoons with tasting menu recommendations, Karen is going to punk up an AG and discovers she likes a “big bad”, Kelly is going to a cryptid festival and needs a subterranean alchemical lair IRL, and we need those Super Sleuth recs from our listeners! Rated 8.5 out of 12 dogs named Fifi Recommendations: Dolls of Our Lives by Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks Less by Andrew Sean Greer Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

This week, we’re (begrudgingly and against our better judgement) talking about Nancy Drew and The Phantom of Pine Hill. Kelly would solve the mystery with a Chapter 2 slumber party, Karen would have passed on this case entirely, and Fifi-the-Cat joins the pod. Nancy and Ned engage in some real intense PDA, Dave gets stuck in a chimney, Bess is the hero we’ve always needed, Nancy gets concussed (again), and Ned is a real Dad-jokes kinda’ poet. 6 out of 12 padlocked libraries. Recommendations: In The Hall with The Knife by Diana Peterfreund (listener rec) Elatsoe by Darcy Little Badger Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In this episode, let’s investigate The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes so we can go to Scotland with the Clue Crew! But first, Karen is a baby lamb toucher, did you know Kelly was in Brigadoon?, and our friend Bingo makes a special guest appearance (no spoilers!). Sheep rustling is a whole thing, Nancy is a bag pipetress, vehicular incidents are at an all-time high, and we talk about Outlander an upsetting amount. Rated 9 out of 12 Baby Lambs (redundancy intended) Recommendations: Netflix Show: Fool Me Once First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston The Once and Future Witches (Alix E Harrow) Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In this Super Sleuth episode, we talk about our first-ever Baby-sitter’s Club Book - Super Mystery #1. Karen is a Mary Anne / Dawn / Karen Brewer hybrid, and Kelly is a Kristy (shocker). Kelly gets a brand, Karen made it through roller derby, and we want to watch Elf while reading a book and taking a nap. Karen gets the hiccups, Georgio is ILLEGAL, and we learn how to drop a dime. The Venn diagram overlap with the Nancy-verse and the BSC is substantial, and we’re here for it! Rated 12 out of 12 parade floats Recommendation: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Rayburn Next up: Nancy Drew and the Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In Episode 57, let’s talk about our very first Hardy Boys book - The Tower Treasure! (Spoiler alert, we both friggin’ love the Hardy Boys now!). But first, Kelly loves an earmuff, Karen has a brain meld with Will Shortz, the word “panopticon” is used for the first time on this show, and Aileen’s gonna hook us up with proof of robotic puppets. Over in . . . Bayside? Baywatch? Bayport?….we have our first perishing, there’s lots of reckless driving, and Joe & Frank get paid even though they probably couldn’t take a fingerprint off a moving horse. Rated 9.5 out of 12 Decrepit Water Towers Up Next: Baby-Sitter’s Club Super Mystery 1: Baby-sitter’s Haunted House Recommendations: All the Sinners Bleed by SA Crosby Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

Let’s dig into Nancy Drew & the Moonstone Castle Mystery! But first, we’re in the chute to the holidays, Kelly’s crowd sourcing a cookie recipe, and Karen had a full-on mail mystery. Meanwhile, George and Bess are full-on BEEFING, the entire Clue Crew finally gets arrested, we’re missing a people talker to tell us about the random castle in the middle of Indiana, Nancy fears being a friendship pusher but is an #influencer, and moats are swum (ew). A group of Corvettes is a cascade, Mrs. Hemstead is an NPC, and Baby Joanie-Jolene-Judy-Jodine’s grandparents have Stockholm Syndrome. Rated 11 out of 12 River Police Up Next: Hardy Boys 1: The Tower Treasure Baby-Sitter’s Club Super Mystery 1: Baby-sitter’s Haunted House Recommendations: Bad Cree by Jessica Johns Silver Nitrate - Silvia Moreno-Garcia Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In Episode 55, we discuss Nancy Drew & The Clue of the Dancing Puppet. First though, Kelly tells us about The Soupening, Karen is in “snuggalump mode”, and we get to see each other this week IRL! Tammy puts the A in “Amateur” but needed more villainous agency, Nancy receives a gratuitous number of head injuries, and some California-based slippery operators slap a giant puppet on a non-existent problem, which seems like a bad idea. In other news, we left in some outtakes, Kelly references a ridiculous number of movies and musicals, and Karen hates a cute little bait-and-switch ghost. Be sure to help us decide if it was it a police electrician or an electrician for the police. Rated 9.5 out of 12 Falling Cannonballs Recommendations: Sisters of the Lost Marsh, by Lucy Strange One of the Good Guys, by Araminta Hall (out in 2024) Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

Let's go to Hong Kong with Nancy Drew in "The Mystery of the Fire Dragon"! It is well nigh Halloween, Karen has been going all around but found time to update her eyeballs, and Kelly has read so many vampire books she's terrified after sundown. This book is a solid "meh" on the Nancy-o-Meter, but on the plus side: there's a stop in NYC before a trip to Hong Kong, and a bookstore smuggling front that is giving "Joe-from-You Bookstore Lair" vibes. Everyone gets individually kidnapped, we believe in thought transference, Karen could eat a piece of cheese, Officer Tommy has 54 problems, and don't forget your lipstick in case of a 505 emergency. Rated 6 our of 12 exploding ovens. Recommendations: Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll Dracula by Bram Stoker Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

Let's go to Adult Summer Camp & investigate "The Clue in the Old Stagecoach" with the Clue Crew! Karen wants to know which side of the tree lichen grows on, and Kelly wants to flirt around a campfire in a uniform. Then on to one of our favorite light-hearted, laugh-out-loud funny capers yet! Nancy solves the mystery of Sally the Bear, the gals are hilarious water ballet-ers, Rick demonstrates Kenergy, and we get a valuable PSA about the importance of dead tree removal. Don't forget to Googer geigle counters. Rated 11.75 out of 12 Hand-Knitted Sweaters Recommendations: - The September House by Carissa Orlando - Holly by Stephen King - The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In Episode 52, the Clue Crew heads to Hawaii to investigate The Secret of the Golden Pavillion! Karen loved the horror elements of this book, but not the gratuitous Mr. Rogers-ing. Nancy almost gets taken down by tripping off a volcano, and she probably irons her underwear. Kelly rebrands magnifying glasses and can’t remember Gilligan’s Island. Togo is a prize winner and is rewarded in scritches and helicopters. And the boyfriends survive a near-miss and help take down a bunch of scorps. All in all, an unsatisfying mystery, but Hawaii sounds fantastic! Rated 10 out of 12 Double Scorps, or 20 out of 24 Single Scorps. Recommendations: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros Knock at the Door (film by M. Night Shyamalan) Hide by Kiersten White The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In Episode 51, Kelly & Karen discuss Nancy Drew & the Haunted Showboat! After a refreshing summer during which time Kelly reunited with her Barbies and Karen took on the roller derby alter-ego "Sylvia Wrath", your hosts are officially ready to take a literary trip to New Orleans with the Clue Crew. Join them as they discuss inappropriate methods to diffuse car bombs, what pecan-caramel things are called, and why it's called a showboat. Plus some suggestions for plot improvements by Kelly and additions to Nancy's list of life-skills by Karen. Brought to you by canoes. Book recommendations: - Safe & Sound, by Mercury Stardust - Mister Magic, by Kiersten White - The Quiet Tenant, by Clémence Michallon Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

On episode FIFTY (!!!!) of It's A Clue, Kelly and Karen are joined by professional podcast host—and a true Helen Corning if there ever was one—CRAIG! Join us as Craig moderates this hard-hitting Q&A session, featuring questions submitted by you! In this episode, we discuss: - Why we started the podcast - When we first fell in love with Nancy Drew - What's George's actual problem - How we got our jingle - Which book Karen didn't read before recording - And many more ridiculous topics. Thank you to all of our listeners who have supported us through 50 episodes and 2 seasons! We're off on a summer break, but we'll be back to you with Season 3 when the leaves change color (aka September). Happy Sleuthing! Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In this Super Sleuth episode, we delve into the genius brain of Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective, following which we have a few mysteries of our own to solve such as: The Mystery of the Missing Golf Ball The Clue of the Burlesque Racing Snake The Secret Behind Corporate Jargon Kelly apologizes in advance for turning pages directly into her microphone, we verbally generate an Encyclopedia / Nancy Venn Diagram, and Karen yada yadas through a watermelon robbery. Rated 11.5 out of 12 stolen roller skates. Unofficially brought to you by The (American) Office. Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

Let's chat about Nancy Drew & the Hidden Window Mystery! Are you superstitious, neutralstitious or substitious? Karen encounters a loose dog, Kelly is distracted by a decimated tailbone, Nancy sinks a canoe for old time's sake, Bess steals the show yet again, Luke and Annette fake date, and phones get un-invented. This book is filled with unnecessary double peacockery which may or may not be a good thing. Rated 8 out of 12 screaming peacocks. (Did we mention peacocks?) Nancy Drew Action Figure Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wanderingplanettoys/nancy-drew-retro-style-action-figures Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

Let’s chat about the Witch Tree Symbol! But first, we take our “corpuses” on walks, Karen likes A banana (emphasis on “a”), Kelly is excited about all the quilts, and we need a rec on which ND game to play first. George falls into the earth, a child uses slingshottery to fell a witch, Ned is all leg and sideburn, and Nancy does an actual muscle up. Please send us your questions for our upcoming Q&A episode! Brought to you by baked goods. Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In this episode of It’s A Clue, we delve into Nancy Drew & the Scarlet Slipper Mystery. Spoiler Alert: we hated it. In Karen’s words, “a swing and a miss”. In some positive news, we learn that Karen doesn’t rob bookstores, Kelly’s joining bookclubs, and Nancy has perfected her fall-downs. Written by Shark Shooter McGee, and sponsored by heavy sighing. Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

Let’s discuss our NEW FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME: Nancy Drew & the Ringmaster’s Secret! Nancy survives over 5 murther attempts, George is on the struggle bus, Ned fights off a lion (retold by Karen in an Emmy winning performance), Nancy gets to go on a 30 minute shopping spree in London, and it’s all topped off by a circus wedding (upsettingly with no one guarding the presents)! In other news, Karen’s gonna graze her way through Icemageddon, Kelly jumped off a moving train, and we all want to know how Karen will use her $1 jingle proceeds. Rated 11.75 out of 12 enraged lions. Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/

In Episode 44, we delve into Nancy Drew & the Clue of the Velvet Mask. This episode is brought to you by Costumes. Kelly reveals what she was carrot teasing about, Karen did in fact read the book, George wears a Nancy Suit and almost gets murthered, Bess is terrible at being on the Clue Crew, and Nancy bails during peak cloak clerking time. We bid farewell to our girl Mildred Wirt Benson, and we revise our end of show sign-off so stick around to watch us nail the landing. Rated 9 out of 12 Slippery Rascals. Support the show https://www.instagram.com/itsacluepodcast/