Bibliographical information:

Abrahmas, Peter. Behind the Curtain: An Echo Falls Mystery. New York: Harper Collins, 2006.

Sequel to Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery

Brief summary:

Eighth-grade sleuth Ingrid Levin-Hill is back, and she's worried. Her football-playing brother may be using steroids, her father's job seems to be in danger, and her grandfather is under pressure to sell his farm. One Saturday morning when she's supposed to be going to MathFest, she's kidnapped. She escapes from the kidnapper's moving car, but is accused of faking her kidnapping, especially when her efforts to find the duct tape used to bind her are mistaken for efforts to plant evidence. In between soccer games and amateur theater, she investigates, trying to clear her name and find out who's selling steroids to her brother.

Comments:

The story and characters are compelling, and I found Ingrid's reasons for keeping adults (both her parents and the police chief) out of the loop more plausible than in Down the Rabbit Hole. (In this case, they think she's lying, and she also doesn't want to get her brother in trouble.)

Grade/Age level:

 Age ten and up.

Cautions:

As in Down the Rabbit Hole, there's some violence.

--Lisa Gordis

Feel free to add comments by clicking the comments tab above.