SOLVED. Middle Grade Mystery. Collection of short Detective stories about adult amateur detective (Sara(h)? librarian??). Read by mid 1980s. Spoiler [s]

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I had this book when I was a kid, so I would have read it in the 1980s. I'd say it had to have been published by 1985 at the latest. It was a modern story, so it was probably set in the 1970s. American setting. I feel like the detective's name was Sara or Sarah, but I'm not absolutely certain about that. Possibly she is a librarian? I can't remember if this was middle grade or if I just think it was because I read it around the same time as my Encyclopedia Brown book.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR TWO CASES







Cases I remember:
1. She is checking into a hotel and sees someone else about to check in and realizes he may be an assassin. (There is a presidential motorcade coming through town.) She has the clerk room the guy on the side of the hotel next to the fountain so he'll think it's raining and the motorcade will be closed car. (There is a closing comment that she knew because she remembered JFK, I think.)

2. I don't remember the crime at all, but she catches one villain because she insists on learning whether to call the detective Miss or Mrs. (rather than just using Ms.) when the villain is supposed to be impersonating a feminist (they may be at a women's rights convention?) I think?

I've tried searching every way I can think of, and I just don't remember enough details to find the book. Please help. I'll update if I remember something else.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Bump.

[Kris]

Amy, I copied a few plot details to the header/ topic title. Feel free to edit it.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Somehow I missed the notification; sorry for the delay. I corrected a few details. Thanks, Kris.

[Kris]

You're welcome. About how many mysteries in this book? Did they all take place in the woman's hometown?

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I don't remember enough details to say. Maybe 8 to 10 mysteries? It was like an Encyclopedia Brown collection, only with an adult maybe librarian detective. No memory of how much traveling there was.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Bumpity.

[Ann]

Maybe Julia Remine Piggin's book Mini Mysteries? I can't see the mysteries themselves, but the main character is a librarian named Sara Hull and the book is described as having a series of short mysteries with clues that you can then turn the book upside down to find the answers to the mysteries.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

THAT'S IT!!! Thank you so much! I recognize that cover and there is something in the reviews about a case solved by Russian being written in the Cyrillic alphabet and I remember that now, too. (Oh, and the redhead with the pink blouse! Yup that's my book.)