Into the Dark

Thirteen-year-old Ingrid Levin-Hill is in Echo Falls, snowshoeing on her grandfather's land with Joey Strade, when she finds a body lying in the snow. The day that began pleasantly turns into something else entirely.

The discovery throws the town into turmoil. Old secrets begin to surface, and Grampy is arrested and sent to jail. Ingrid, who has a habit of playing detective, sets out to clear his name and learn what happened to the man in the snow.

The search costs her. The more she digs, the more she learns about the people around her, and some of it she would rather not know.

Outside the investigation, Ingrid has a part in the Prescott Players' production of Hansel and Gretel, where she plays Gretel. Like the character, she has to go deep into the dark to reach the truth.

This is a suspense mystery for young readers with a teenage amateur sleuth at its center, set in a small town with a wintry backdrop. It is the third book in the Echo Falls series, which has been nominated for an Edgar Award. The tone turns darker as family secrets come out, and the stakes are personal, since her grandfather's freedom depends on what she finds.