MYSTERY JAMES DIGS HER OWN GRAVE

Thirteen-year-old sleuth Mystery James must find a missing object to help save her family’s business.

Mystery lives with Tía Lucy, her Puerto Rican adoptive aunt, who found her as an infant in the Olde Ellis Town Cemetery. Mystery, who has “bronze-brown” skin, longs to know more about her birth parents and how she ended up left behind a tombstone, swaddled in a blanket embroidered with the words “Baby James.” When local philanthropist Lady Ellis dies, her son Owen entrusts Tía Lucy’s business, Garcia Graves & Funeral Home, with her interment. But before Lady Ellis can be buried, Mystery, who’s comfortable with the dead, receives the fright of her life when the old woman’s spirit speaks to her. According to her wishes, Lady Ellis was buried with an heirloom necklace, so when a mysterious person sells it to an antiques dealer after the funeral, Owen accuses Tía Lucy of stealing it—even insinuating that she’s been robbing other clients. To clear Tía Lucy’s name, Mystery sets out to find the real thief, accompanied by best friend Garrett and new friend Eliza, Lady Ellis’ granddaughter, who may hold the answer to another supernatural mystery. The book includes illustrated pages from the notebook where Mystery records important information. Readers who enjoyed Daka Hermon’s Hide and Seeker (2020) will delight in this novel, which combines strong character development and relationships with a well-drawn small-town setting that’s both creepy and quaint.

A fast-paced and deliciously thrilling duology opener.