Two stars for this junior mystery story, that offers some genre interest but ends up really quite flawed. We watch as our young narrator discovers a child's skull in the grounds of his grandparents' ranch, which opens up a can of worms with everyone aware of who the dead could be, and which proves to be a cold case still of interest to many people. Facing threat, he and his friends then encounter the ghost of the skull's previous owner, who needs help before moving on, etc etc. Add in rumours of treasure, murderous thieves and so on, and you have a lot to contend with, and on the whole the bulk of it is done poorly.

For one thing, this seems modern day and yet I could never get a handle on when the past crime was supposed to be – at one time it seems ancient and the next thirty years ago. Stylistically this seems for older children, and yet I think it would have worked a lot better if shorn of a lot of nonsense detail (just why do we need to know the number of aircon fans in the library?!) and presented as one of the hi-impact stories from dyslexia-aware publishers. The run-up to the end really could have avoided the pathetic fallacy that it indulges in – but it's the ending that knocked stars off for me, for being so blatantly rushed and far, far too open.

<spoiler> Just far too little is resolved. Would the fishing trip still go on? Was it him who left the threatening notes, and if so why, as it wasn't really justified? Why were the house plans marked, and who by? </spoiler> OK there are other questions as well, and really it is a waste of mental energy for me to remember those, and/or sit and work out the answers, for this seemed a weak and very forgettable effort. The author doesn't seem to have spent too many hours in this genre for this age range for her preparation, and it shows. It's not heinously dumb, but it doesn't work nearly like enough for me to deem it enjoyable.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book, it had a great supernatural feel to it. I enjoyed getting to know Tyler and go on this quest with him. It had a great plot overall and I was invested in the story. It had a great writing style and left me wanting to read more from Jan Burns.

Overall, this book is ... fine! The narrator is engaging, but skims over a lot of detail in a way that's very typical of middle grade. (For example, we get very little if any information about the protagonist or his friends before we jump into the story.) The skimming plus its length (inoffensively short!) makes it a good candidate for a younger tween who wants to explore darker subject matter. Unlike some middle grade titles, it does not have crossover appeal for teens.

This is a perfect October book for kids who like stories that are eerie but not terrifying. Set in a small Texas town, the story is about kids who solve a 30-year-old missing persons case while setting the soul of the ghost boy, Ben, free. Along the way, there are plenty of things to hold your interest...a closed silver mine, threatening anonymous messages, secret panels, a hidden journal, and a monster storm.

Ben & Tyler are close to the same age, lived in the same house, and both lost their moms to cancer. As a teacher or a parent, these are great personal issues to explore. With climate change affecting all of us, even the intensity of that summer storm could lead to some wonderful discussions. As a retired teacher and a grandmother, I can't help noticing opportunities like that. I plan to give this book to my younger grandchildren, a third-grader & a fifth-grader, and I know they will love it! (It's available in paperback.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.

Thank you so much to Atmosphere Press and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Tyler finds a skull of a dead boy in the quarry on his grandpas land, and suddenly feels drawn to solving the entire case. He his friends Addy and David with help of the ghost of Ben, sneak around, asking questions and solving a 30 year old cold case.

This was interesting it got you into the mystery behind it as you really wanted to solve it with the characters, needing to know exactly what it was that had happened all those years ago. After being introduced to the dead boy you start to get the answers which you get slowly as you read through the story.

I liked that it was a mix of mystery and paranormal, we got a few different storylines merged into one, with the mystery of Ben and his dad, then the ghost of Ben appearing, the owner of the mines and his secrets, the brewing storm, the stalker following them. There were lots of elements that kept you reading the story, they all worked really well entwined together.

The friendships of the kids was great, it didn’t sound like many kids lived in that place much, so I liked how they’d formed a friendship. I liked the setting in the middle of nowhere, everyone knows each other and each others business, it enhanced the story as he was getting information from them all, different people knew different things from what happened.

The ending was a little anticlimactic honestly, I was really hoping for a bigger ending we just got one final answer and it was done. I also hoped we’d have gotten a bit more with the stalker storyline, that also felt a bit rushed and short when it came to fruition.

Overall I enjoyed reading this story, it was gripping and you were certainly wanting to know what had really happened all those years ago in the small town, what happened to Ben’s dad, who took the missing silver. I would recommend you read this especially if you enjoy a good mystery this would be a fun read, I enjoyed figuring it all out with Tyler a pond his friends.

An engrossing yet sad story about three youngsters in a tiny Texas community, once a frontier outpost. Tyler, son and grandson of local sheriffs, and his dad have resided with Tyler's grandparents since the demise of his mother. When Tyler discovers a skull and belt buckle at the old quarry, an unsolved set of cases from three decades earlier rear up, and Tyler is petitioned by the boy's ghost. Together with his friends, siblings Addy and David, Tyler determines to set the record straight and discover the answers to his grandfather's only unsolved case.