Mystery James Returns from the Grave

By Ally Russell

Mystery James was discovered in a cemetery as a baby, grew up in a funeral home, and has an unusual way of detecting spirits: she can smell them. Even for her, the events of this spring break are disturbing. Following a burial, she suspects that a recently deceased resident of Ellis Town has remained much too close to home.

With Coffin, her spider companion, nearby, Mystery investigates unsettling visitors, a presence inside Tia Lucy's house, and clues that connect the haunting to her own life. Shifting friendships complicate the search, while the cemetery that has always been part of her world becomes the setting for a confrontation with its past.

The second installment of Ally Russell's middle grade duology brings Mystery's supernatural abilities and unanswered childhood questions together in a case that asks her to face fears she cannot simply leave at the door.