Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Following in the footsteps of authors like Mark Haddon (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Canadian author Alan Bradley has created a surprise hit with Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.  How he came to publish his first novel is an equally great story.  From Quill and Quire:  

"It took Alan Bradley only 15 pages to convince Doubleday Canada to publish his debut novel, a mystery starring an 11-year-old girl. It had taken him nearly seven decades, however, to get around to writing those 15 pages."  [read more] 

Check it out if you like great mysteries that are focused more on plot and character than on violence.