The Small Detective: The Key Beneath the Steps

By Nico Jaxen

Some keys open doors. This one opens a family.

Eight year old Josie Rook notices everything. So when her puppy Crumb Bum stops dead at the bottom of the porch steps on moving day, she notices. When a loose board shifts and a cold dark space opens beneath it, she notices. And when her hand closes around a large brass key that has been sitting in the dark waiting for who knows how long, she notices that too.

Somebody hid it there on purpose.

And Grandpa Walter knows exactly why.

A warm mystery full of family secrets, old houses, apple pie, and a puppy named Crumb Bum who finds everything first. Perfect for grandparents and parents to read aloud with children aged 8 and up. The kind of story that makes everyone want to stay up just a little bit later.

Book One of The Small Detective series.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H17X77HX
• ISBN13: 9798195966065
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 88 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.2" x 6.0"