Ever since the pseudonymous Carolyn Keene first created the plucky heroine Nancy Drew in 1930, so-called Girl Detectives have remained an object of cultural fascination. Netflix’s riveting new series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder introduces audiences to Pip Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers, the breakout of Tim Burton’s Wednesday), a worthy successor to Nancy and her compatriots like Harriet the Spy. In just six tightly-written episodes, Good Girl’s Guide unspools a satisfying small town mystery that will captivate teenage fans and adult viewers alike.

Eschewing her original thesis proposal on feminism in Gothic literature, self-possessed seventeen-year-old Pip decides to spend her final year of school before university investigating the mysterious disappearance of her older classmate Andie Bell (India Lillie-Davies). Andie’s boyfriend Sal (Rahul Patni) supposedly confessed to her murder before taking his own life, but Pip has her doubts from the jump, and not without reason: she may have been the last person to see the doomed couple together. Her fledgling case grows even more complicated when she connects with Sal’s charming younger brother, Ravi (Zain Iqbal), and finds herself developing romantic feelings for the first time in her life.

Myers confidently anchors the fun, diverse ensemble of newcomers with spunk and aplomb, her wide blue eyes searching every scene for clues. Iqbal and Patni are perfectly cast as crush-worthy sadboys, while Asha Banks and Yasmin Al-Khudhairi (Rye Lane) stand out as Pip’s practical best friend Cara Ward and her troubled older sister, Naomi. Familiar British favorites like Anna Maxwell Martin (Becoming Jane, A Personal History of David Copperfield) and Mathew Baynton (Wonka) round out the adult side of the cast, playing Pip’s loving mother and kindly English teacher, respectively.

The writing team, headed by series creator Poppy Cogan, does an excellent job letting exposition about each character trickle out through naturalistic dialogue; for example, we only learn that Cara is a queer character through snippets of dialogue about her female crush. There are no painfully obvious red herrings either, which lets the audience participate in coming up with theories and looking for hints until the very final episode.

Good Girl’s Guide also has a gentle sense of humor that smartly cushions the Murder part of the premise. Pip’s mother earnestly scolds her that “Forty-percent of teen car accidents are caused by clowning around!” and makes her recite a jingle about the importance of buckling up, complete with choreography. Later, when Pip’s younger brother Josh (Kamari Loyd) frets about their dog going missing, their father (Gary Beadle, Persuasion) comforts his son by reminding the boy, “He’s a sheep dog. They’re number one on the smart list.” “But he’s afraid of sheep,” Josh wails in reply, without missing a beat. “That’s why we have him!”

The investigation leads Pip and her friends to a variety of humorous and exciting setpieces, including a seedy underground club and a bougie Old Hollywood-themed party where Pip and Cara go “undercover” in giant, sparkly star costumes. The production design makes the most of the story’s quaint British village setting. Ravi drives Pip through hypnotic, deep green forests, and even though the Fitz-Amobis can’t afford “the posh crisps” Pip likes on her sandwiches, they just so happen to live in a drop-dead gorgeous classic cottage covered in creeping trails of roses.

As for the actual mystery at the heart of The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, it may not reinvent the wheel, but it feels gratifyingly weighty and grounded in real world issues. Patriarchal violence, racial prejudice, and class disparity all rear their heads, but Cogan roots them in character-driven subplots instead of regurgitating online talking points. Details like examining a suspect’s text message style keep the story feeling planted in the present day, but they’re not overwhelming to the point of distraction. This honestly makes for a refreshing change, especially compared to effects-heavy TV mysteries like the BBC’s Sherlock.

The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the best Nancy Drew analog since the WB’s cult classic Veronica Mars, and it’s easy to imagine viewers latching onto plucky Pip the same way they did Veronica. The disappearance of Andie Bell may have been Pip’s first case, but with any luck, it won’t be her last.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder hits Netflix August 1st.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Trailer: