The Usborne Detective's Handbook
Published on 4. June 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-1-83604-577-9 (ISBN)
Description
It's back! Usborne's much-loved handbook that teaches YOU how to be a detective. Follow Detectives Diss and Datt and their team as they investigate all sorts of nefarious criminals and wrong-doers.
A mix of step-by-step instructions and comic strips explains all the tricks detectives use to find clues at a crime scene, uncover evidence, follow a trail, interview suspects and witnesses, see through disguises and lies. Each example also features a story to show how the detectives use these skills, and there are all sorts of puzzles that readers can solve to see if they can identify crooks, spot strange goings on, and make sense of different clues.
The characters and situations in the book are all made-up, and appropriate for kids age 8 and up to read about and enjoy. The tips and tricks are all safe to use in and around the home. But, do note, these tricks are all GENUINE detective skills, that would help any budding detective who might dream of becoming a crime-solving sleuth when they grow up.
A mix of step-by-step instructions and comic strips explains all the tricks detectives use to find clues at a crime scene, uncover evidence, follow a trail, interview suspects and witnesses, see through disguises and lies. Each example also features a story to show how the detectives use these skills, and there are all sorts of puzzles that readers can solve to see if they can identify crooks, spot strange goings on, and make sense of different clues.
The characters and situations in the book are all made-up, and appropriate for kids age 8 and up to read about and enjoy. The tips and tricks are all safe to use in and around the home. But, do note, these tricks are all GENUINE detective skills, that would help any budding detective who might dream of becoming a crime-solving sleuth when they grow up.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 7 to 10 years
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
418 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83604-577-9 (9781836045779)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Colin King (Illustrator)
Since studying at the Royal College of Art, Colin has enjoyed a long career as an artist and illustrator, mainly working from Norfolk. He has illustrated countless books for Usborne Publishing that have had international success, from the original Spy's Guidebook to the best-selling See Inside Your Body.
Heather Amery (Original Author)
Heather Amery was born and brought up in Bath, Somerset. Heather has written over a hundred books for children, including alphabet books, science and history books, craft books, classical fairy tales, a series for beginner readers called Farmyard Tales,
Bible stories, and Greek Myths. She has also compiled word books, song books, and books of poetry.
Since studying at the Royal College of Art, Colin has enjoyed a long career as an artist and illustrator, mainly working from Norfolk. He has illustrated countless books for Usborne Publishing that have had international success, from the original Spy's Guidebook to the best-selling See Inside Your Body.
Heather Amery (Original Author)
Heather Amery was born and brought up in Bath, Somerset. Heather has written over a hundred books for children, including alphabet books, science and history books, craft books, classical fairy tales, a series for beginner readers called Farmyard Tales,
Bible stories, and Greek Myths. She has also compiled word books, song books, and books of poetry.
Content
Chapters in this book include:
- Detective work: need to know
- Being a detective
- What detectives do
- Detective training
- Setting up an office
- Know your terrttory
- Danger point map
- Observation games
- Detective disguises
- Hijack
- Looking at people
- Suspicious characters
- Giveaways
- Detecting near and far
- How old are they?
- Tracking crooks
- How crooks work
- Looking for fingerprints
- Taking fingerprints
- Fingerprint game
- Break-in
- Gathering evidence
- At the lab
- Searching a house
- Signs of a break-in
- Diss's deductions
- Criminal files
- Know your crook
- Identi-sketches
- Is this the crook?
- Seeing through disguises
- Identifying Lurchpast
- Who stole the Cadillac?
- Nightalert
- The sting
- Watching crooks
- Surveillance
- Bank raid
- The chase
- Call-up
- Information room
- Finding the hideout
- At the hideout
- Training dogs
- Nosework
- After the crime
- Searching a suspect
- Making an arrest
- Questioning witnesses
- Which is the getaway car?
- Looking for suspects
- Questioning suspects
- Checking alibis
- Theft at the Manor
- The suspects' statements
- Who stole the painting?
- On the lookout
- Eleven crooks with eleven tricks
- Framed (a case of false evidence)
- Misleading evidence
- The Case of the Dirty Burglar
- Detecting fake clues
- Fake evidence
- Forgers and other tricksters
- Detecting counterfits
- Quick tricks
- Inside the forgers' den
- How forgers work
- Tracking forgers
- Forgery smugglers
- Finding hidden loot
- The Farmhouse Forgery Raid
- Discovering the loot
- Forged paintings
- Detecting a forged painting
- Find the forger's mistakes
- The forger's mistakes
- Famous fakes
- Know your experts
-Spot the fakes
- Forgers' tricks
- Forged siganatures
- Handwriting identification
- The Case of Miss Atkins' Will
- Checking a document
- The Museum Mystery
- Burglar alarms
- Has your room been searched?
- Escorting a VIP
- Escorting valuables
- Which is the safest route?
- Detective work: need to know
- Being a detective
- What detectives do
- Detective training
- Setting up an office
- Know your terrttory
- Danger point map
- Observation games
- Detective disguises
- Hijack
- Looking at people
- Suspicious characters
- Giveaways
- Detecting near and far
- How old are they?
- Tracking crooks
- How crooks work
- Looking for fingerprints
- Taking fingerprints
- Fingerprint game
- Break-in
- Gathering evidence
- At the lab
- Searching a house
- Signs of a break-in
- Diss's deductions
- Criminal files
- Know your crook
- Identi-sketches
- Is this the crook?
- Seeing through disguises
- Identifying Lurchpast
- Who stole the Cadillac?
- Nightalert
- The sting
- Watching crooks
- Surveillance
- Bank raid
- The chase
- Call-up
- Information room
- Finding the hideout
- At the hideout
- Training dogs
- Nosework
- After the crime
- Searching a suspect
- Making an arrest
- Questioning witnesses
- Which is the getaway car?
- Looking for suspects
- Questioning suspects
- Checking alibis
- Theft at the Manor
- The suspects' statements
- Who stole the painting?
- On the lookout
- Eleven crooks with eleven tricks
- Framed (a case of false evidence)
- Misleading evidence
- The Case of the Dirty Burglar
- Detecting fake clues
- Fake evidence
- Forgers and other tricksters
- Detecting counterfits
- Quick tricks
- Inside the forgers' den
- How forgers work
- Tracking forgers
- Forgery smugglers
- Finding hidden loot
- The Farmhouse Forgery Raid
- Discovering the loot
- Forged paintings
- Detecting a forged painting
- Find the forger's mistakes
- The forger's mistakes
- Famous fakes
- Know your experts
-Spot the fakes
- Forgers' tricks
- Forged siganatures
- Handwriting identification
- The Case of Miss Atkins' Will
- Checking a document
- The Museum Mystery
- Burglar alarms
- Has your room been searched?
- Escorting a VIP
- Escorting valuables
- Which is the safest route?