The 96th Street Detectives logoTHE 96th STREET
DETECTIVES
Futuristic neon New York City street at dusk, the setting of The 96th Street Detectives
A Middle-Grade Mystery Series

THE 96th STREET DETECTIVES

Flying cars glide over 96th Street. Robots share the sidewalk. And somewhere between the neon and the noise, three kids keep finding the secrets the grown-ups miss. Meet Elowen, Killian, and Roland — the sharpest detectives in a city of tomorrow.

Read Book One Watch the Trailer
3 Books in the SeriesAges 7–13By Daniel Brienza
The Drone's Empty Drop book cover — Book 1 of The 96th Street Detectives
The Series

Every Case, One Neon City

Each book drops the detectives into a new mystery hiding in plain sight across a futuristic New York — read them in order, or jump straight to the case that hooks you.

The Drone's Empty Drop cover — Book 1 of The 96th Street Detectives
Book 1

The Drone's Empty Drop

Every night at 8:17, the same drone drops the same box. It's always empty. Until it isn't.

Explore the case
The Whispering Subway cover — Book 2 of The 96th Street Detectives
Book 2

The Whispering Subway

Something is moving through the tunnels beneath 96th Street. It sounds almost like a voice.

Explore the case
The Clock That Froze the City cover — Book 3 of The 96th Street Detectives
Book 3

The Clock That Froze the City

At 6:03, the great plaza clock stopped. So did every self-driving car in sight.

Explore the case
Inside the Series

Scenes From the City

A first look at the neon streets, hidden tunnels, and frozen plazas where the detectives chase down every clue.

The detectives huddled at a glowing subway entrance on a rain-slicked neon street at night
“The signal just spiked again.” — Elowen, at the subway entrance
The detectives facing a strange glowing door in a foggy underground passage
A door that wasn't on any map, glowing faintly at its seams
The detectives caught mid-conversation at a neon subway station, tablet flashing an urgent signal
“Then that's where the case begins.” — Roland
The detectives near a frozen clock tower, spotting a mysterious bicycle courier
At the plaza, the clock stopped — and so did every self-driving car in sight
The three detectives crouched near a pillar on a futuristic subway platform, tracking a ghostly whisper
Something is moving through the tunnels beneath 96th Street
The detectives studying a holographic map beside an ornate hidden door
“The map just changed. There's a door that wasn't there before.”
Meet the Team

Three Kids. Zero Boring Cases.

Elowen, The Analyst of The 96th Street Detectives

Elowen

The Analyst

Curly blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and a homemade tablet interface she built herself. Elowen sees the pattern before anyone else even notices there's a puzzle.

Killian, The Tech Lead of The 96th Street Detectives

Killian

The Tech Lead

AR goggles pushed up on his forehead, flashlight always in hand. Killian built the Casebook app the team uses to crack every case.

Roland, The Nerve of The 96th Street Detectives

Roland

The Nerve

Backpack stitched with a bold '96', a steady head for maps and routes, and just enough nerve to knock on the door nobody else will.

Get to know the full team
Wide neon cityscape banner for The 96th Street Detectives
From the Pages of Book One
“Fourth night. 8:17. Same drone, same box. D-7842-K. Empty again?”

Elowen's first message in the Casebook app — the shared workspace Killian built after they solved the mystery of who was stealing Mrs. Delgado's newspaper.

Written by Daniel Brienza for readers ages 7–13 who love a mystery that moves — and a city that never quite tells you all its secrets.

Read the Full Chapter List

Never Miss a New Case

Get an email the moment a new 96th Street Detectives book drops — plus bonus scenes and first looks at upcoming covers.