Is it still called a graphic novel if it’s only as long as a picture book?  This mystery is set in Mr. Venezi’s pet shop, where all the cages are mislabeled, except that of the guinea pig.  When the crash of the door one evening knocks the G off the end of the guinea pig’s sign, the new hamster on the block mistakenly thinks he’s a P.I.  Sasspants is really only interested in returning peacefully to his cage full of books, but the young hamster won’t stop pestering him until he fulfills his duty as local P.I. and solves the mystery of who has been eating the pet store owner’s sandwich each day.  The pestering hamster becomes the begrudging P.I.’s sidekick as they interview witnesses, test hypothesis, and set a trap to catch the culprit.  It’s a cute introduction to both the graphic novel format and the mystery genre for young readers.  It’s got a good, sturdy binding, and it finishes off with a couple pages in the back to offer a brief,kid-friendly, non-fiction explanation about the animals featured in the story.  It’s the first in what I presume will be a series for the Pet Shop Private Eye.  For now I’m calling it an additional purchase, but I reserve the right to come back and edit my review (possibly bumping it up to recommended) after I see how it goes over with the kids.