Detective Beans & The Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen

I am all about the comfort reads this week, and I’ll be blessed if I read anything as charming as this graphic novel is anytime soon!

Detective Beans is a young cat obsessed with being a detective, even if that usually just takes the form of acting out his favorite movies for his mom and his best friend Biscuits. While he dreams of fighting crime and helping his community, his most pressing case at the moment is the mystery of whomever is leaving little post-it notes with sweet messages of encouragement on his belongings for him. The handwriting doesn’t match Biscuit’s, and Mom swears that it isn’t hers either.

That case is put on hold, however, when Beans realizes that his beloved fedora hat has somehow disappeared. As he begins tracking it down all through town, he soon finds himself embroiled in greater mysteries than he’d ever dared imagine. Will he be able to reclaim his hat, while proving himself as resourceful as any “real” detective?

This delightful romp through a fictional anthropomorphic town is peak cozy reads, as Beans bounces from one small adventure to the next on his quest for his hat. Li Chen peppers her narrative with gentle humor and a genuine sweetness that is balm to this adult reader’s rumpled heart. When we find out at the end who the post-it writer is, I awwed aloud.

That said, I really do think that the art is absolutely the best thing about this book — which is saying a lot given how adorable the story is! Ms Chen will be rightfully lauded for how cute and expressive her characters are and how soothing her color palette, but I really want to shout out her excellent use of layouts, which really give her words and story the space they need to breathe. Her jokes and emotional beats all land perfectly due to her mastery of space, which is a much harder skill than some might think!

This graphic novel is allegedly aimed at middle grade readers but skews a little younger, I feel. And that’s not a bad thing, as it’s an uncomplicated all-ages read that’s perfect for anyone searching for whimsy in a gentle fantasy of detecting and justice.

Detective Beans & The Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen was published October 15 2024 by Andrews McMeel Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including