SOLVED. YA Mystery series. Japanese American teenage sleuth, she's tech savvy, ongoing relationship with young police officer, her family moved often, works with cousin Caitlin(?). Set in Pacific Northwest. Read in 1990s. [s]

[Danici]

The YA novel takes place in the Pacific Northwest, I think in Washington state. I read it in the mid to late 1990s, but it could have been written earlier. There were at least two of the books, featuring a teenage heroine whose family moves often to flip or renovate homes. She has an ongoing tentative relationship with a young police officer. In one of the novels, she works with her cousin whose name might be Caitlin. The heroine is Japanese American and speaks Japanese as well as English. She's tech savvy and loves reading. She can't resist a mystery, and often puts herself in some danger. I can't remember specific plots, but I believe one story had her crawling around underneath a home and getting kidnapped? I've been trying to remember the name of these novels for YEARS. Please help.

[Kathryn]

Its not Harriet the Spy, but maybe you'd have some luck by looking at book lists that also have it?

[Louie]

Was it The Mystery Files Of Shelby Woo ?

[☯ DαякєηRнαℓ ❛ ᶜʳᵒᵘᶜʰᶤᶰᵍ ʰᵘᵐᵃᶰ ; ʰᶤᵈᵈᵉᶰ ᵗᶤᵗᵃᶰ ❜]

A Slash in the Night - linky (first book in the series)

[Danici]

Nope, not Shelby Woo. Thanks, though!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Danici, are you still looking for this or did you find it?

[Danici]

I am still trying to find it!

[Kris]

Danici, I added a few details to the topic header/title, so your book might be recognized from that description alone. Many members only read the headers.

You can update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the topic header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app. (On the Mobile website, there's a "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)

-- Any chance the girl is Chinese American? Is it set in a large city like San Francisco?

[Danici]

Thank you! No, the protagonist was most definitely half Japanese, half white (the things you remember from your teenage years!), and the setting was not California. I'm pretty sure it was Washington State, but it could have been Oregon.

[Rainbowheart]

Just Do It, Mel?

Total guess because I can't find plot info, but it is part of a series about kids in Seattle, and the girl on the cover looks like she could be Japanese.

[Kim]

I think I am searching for the same book/series. I believe I read them in the early 80s. The details are very similiar. I remember in one novel she was visiting NYC. I had a Japanese pen pal at the time, so that aspect seems clear to me.

[Becca]

The Last Victim and Missing! by Hannah Kuraoka star 16-year-old Kelly Donovan, whose parents have a house restoration business. The Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide, Volume 29 (I found this on Google Books) mentions that she's half-Japanese. I hope these are the ones!

[Danici]

Becca, Yes! These are the ones! Mystery solved :-)

[Becca]

Yay! It took us five years, but I'm glad we finally got there!

[Kris]

Great! Glad you found your book series, Danici. Thanks for the update.

[Rainbowheart]

For anyone who's curious, the first book takes place in Astoria, Oregon, and the second book takes place in Seattle, Washington.