Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery
Two friends set out to solve the years-old mystery of a murder, testing their friendship and placing them in danger, in this creepy thriller by suspense master Mary Downing Hahn.
A pair of thirteen-year-old boys investigate the unsolved theft and murder that took place in the old house one boy's family has just moved into. Their quest takes them to the highest and lowest levels of society in their small Maryland town, and eventually to a dark and derelict amusement park where someone will go to any length to shut down their investigation for good.
Themes of adjusting to a new town, navigating complex friendships, and resisting a bully are deftly explored in this eerie page-turner.
Mary Downing Hahn’s many acclaimed novels include such beloved ghost stories as Wait Till Helen Comes, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, and Took. A former librarian, she has received more than fifty child-voted state awards for her work. She lives in Columbia, Maryland, with a cat named Nixi.
“Another well-done, action-packed mystery from Hahn. . . . Just the right amount of frightening and dangerous elements to entice readers.” — School Library Journal
“As always, [Hahn] is brilliant at establishing tone—eerie, creepy and surreal. The ‘cold case’ mystery, the over-the-top fun of the Magic Forest scenes and the even darker mysteries of friendship and school life will make this a sure hit.”
— Kirkus Reviews
