Murder Is Bad Manners / Poison Is Not Polite / First Class Murder / Jolly Foul Play / Mistletoe and Murder

The Murder Most Unladylike series, which includes these titles, was initiated by British author Robin Stevens to provide a contemporary homage to the golden age of detective fiction. Set in the 1930s at the fictional Deepdean School for Girls, the series centers on schoolmates Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong as they establish a secret detective agency. The stories were conceived to blend the charming, atmospheric traditions of Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton with more modern explorations of friendship, boarding school dynamics, and the complexities of being an outsider in historical British society.

The aesthetic of these editions, often featuring distinct, stylized covers and endpapers, was designed to evoke a sense of period-appropriate mystery while remaining accessible to a young adult and middle-grade audience. The series has been widely praised for its clever plotting and its ability to introduce young readers to the nuances of the classic whodunit format. Since its debut, the series has received numerous accolades, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, solidifying its place as a significant contribution to modern children's detective literature.