I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox Series: The Wyatt Investigations Mysteries
Published by Bantam on January 6 2026
Genres: Adult, Mystery
Pages: 352
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Mystery, romance and quirky characters make this a must read for readers who love their stories chock full of humor and hijinks.
Once in a while I step outside my usual genres and try something different, and the end of the year/holiday season seemed like the perfect time for that. Definitely Maybe Not a Detective was a fun, twisty mystery with a bunch of heart and just a touch of romance. And it was very funny! It turned out to be the perfect end-of-the-year antidote to all the stress and pressures of December. Now, I’m not anxious to jump into another contemporary romance/mystery right away, but I’m glad I took a break from my heavier, darker reads.
Emersyn is a down-on-her-luck woman who is trying to keep her head above water. She and her niece Livy—she got custody of Livy when her brother Ethan died—live in a rundown apartment building called the Mirage, surrounded by an odd assortment of quirky residents. She’s also having trouble with her ex boyfriend Hoffman, who managed to steal her life savings without getting caught. When she’s fired from yet another low paying job, her bestie Jemma comes up with a crazy plan: create a fake detective agency (“Wyatt Investigations”), complete with official looking business cards, and scare Hoffman into giving back the money.
Emersyn agrees to try it, and business cards in hand, she goes to Hoffman’s private club to confront him. But an unfortunate encounter with an attractive stranger in the bushes outside the club (don’t ask!) sets off a crazy chain of events, and soon Emersyn is caught up in a real life murder in her building. The stranger, coincidentally named Wyatt, is determined to act as the Wyatt in the fake agency’s name and help solve the murder, but Emersyn isn’t interested. At first. Wyatt seems to be the perfect guy, but Emersyn doesn’t want a guy in her life right now, does she? And when her kind old neighbor Mr. Nagy is taken into custody as a suspect, she knows she’ll do anything to help him. Even if it means pretending to be a detective.
Sarah Fox is a seasoned writer who knows what she’s doing. I absolutely loved the characters and their relationships with each other. There’s Brodie, the hot body builder who has his eye on Emersyn; Agnes Gao who owns a bakery called Tasty Buns (!); Leona, an ex actress who inserts details about her acting days into every conversation; the Nagys, who help Emersyn with babysitting duties; and one of my favorite characters, a teenager named Theo who reminded me a lot of Erica from Stranger Things (IYKYK). Theo is way too interested in setting up Emersyn with a boyfriend, preferably Brodie or Wyatt, and her pushy yet hysterically funny dialog was the perfect foil for Emersyn’s more practical personality.
And of course, we have Wyatt, who is clearly interested in Emersyn as well and inserts himself into her “detective agency” in order to get to know her better. The romance is very slow build, and there are only a couple of very tame kissing scenes, so readers who prefer cleaner romance will love this. What I loved most about the romance elements is that Emersyn is doing a lot of soul searching in this story and doesn’t feel the need to jump into a new relationship right away. She’s focusing on getting her life back on track, and I so appreciated that.
The murder mystery was a lot of fun, with plenty of twists and red herrings to muddy the waters. Most of the action takes place inside the Mirage, giving the story a strong Only Murders in the Building vibe. There are a few silly scenes—like when Emersyn decides to change her clothes behind a bush in front of a building—but somehow those scenes made sense with everything else in the story. The banter was fantastic, especially between Emersyn and Wyatt, and I lost count of the times I laughed out loud, it was so funny.
Fox even adds some emotional moments, especially between Emersyn and Livy, who are still mourning the loss of Ethan. Emersyn desperately wants to honor her brother’s wishes and raise Livy, but Ethan’s parents are just as desperate to take custody away from her, since Livy is the last reminder they have of their son. It was all handled very well, with just enough friction to make the reader worried, but I did love the way the author resolved it in the end.
With all the hijinks and the silliness of Emersyn trying to be a detective, Definitely Maybe Not a Detective would make a fantastic movie! I also loved the ending, which leads me to believe this book will eventually turn into a series. Will Emersyn wind up with Wyatt, Brodie or neither? You’ll have to read to find out!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
It’s refreshing to have a change in pace sometimes, and also sometimes just what you need to keep things feeling fresh. Happy to see you had a good time with this one., a bit of humor and hijinks sounds perfect.
Lynn 😀
I definitely needed a change, so this was perfect:-)
This sounds like a very fun mystery! I can’t resist top-notch banter and I love that the romance seems to be low priority.
The banter was so good!
Tasty Buns? I’m dying laughing. This sounds like something I would really enjoy and I can’t believe this is the first I’m hearing of it. Definitely checking it out eventually!
Right? So funny. I think you’d love this!
Sounds very cute, and definitely something different from all the horror and sci-fi! Glad you enjoyed it!
She’s such a good writer, I’m glad i tried her:-)
This is exactly the kind of book I love. Can’t wait to read it! 😀
I hope you love it!
I love the sound of this one, quirky enough and imaginative enough to be just that little bit different. Will definitely see if the library can deliver.
I hope you get the chance to try it!
This one sounds like a lot of fun! I love trying new things every once in a while, but it’s so hard when I already know what I like. I’m glad this one worked out for you! 🙂
I’m the same way, I usually stick to my usual genres, but I’m glad i tried this one:-)
I have read this author and enjoyed her book; glad you enjoyed this one.
I would definitely read more of her books!
I’ve had my eye on this one, because it sounded really funny! Glad it lives up to that. Might need to snag a copy when I get the chance.
It was very funny and perfect when you want something lighter to read.
I was curious since I saw you mentioning this book in another post but now I am even more curious! It sounds fun and with a lot of good things going on!!
She’s such a good writer, I was impressed!
Huh, this one sounds fun! Might have to give it a shot.
Lots of fun!
Haaa I love great banter! And yes some books make us think they would make for great movies so maybe?
It literally ran through my head in movie form as I was reading, lol.
Great review! I’m a bit fan of murder mysteries, especially if they are a bit quirky so I’ll be taking a good look at this one and see if I can squeeze it in:)).
It was fun, I think you’d enjoy it.
I’m glad switching things up worked so well for you. Its different to my usual kind of read too and the mention of silly scenes has me slightly worried but I did love Dial A For Aunties which was also pretty whacky so maybe this would be a pleasant surprise for me too. Its great that the character has other priorities than romance too, sounds like a refreshing change.
I really loved that the main character doesn’t feel the need to “have a man” in her life. And the silliness fit the story, so I was OK with it.
This is certainly not my go-to genre but every so often I’ll try branching out and find myself pleasantly surprised, as it appears you did here. Glad to see you enjoyed it.
I do like getting out of my routine once in a while:-)
This one is new to me. I do love that cover, and it sounds like one I might enjoy. It is a change from most of your dark reads, but glad it worked for you. Great review!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2026/01/06/2026-challenge-sign-up-post-and-other-new-year-goals/
Interesting! A little outside my wheelhouse so not surprisingly this is new for me but I can see why the humor would be appealing. If it’s a movie, I can definitely see myself wanting to watch it!