Mystery From History — Dayle Campbell Gaetz

Mystery From History Dayle Campbell Gaetz Silver Birch nominee A thrilling romp through history and present-day skull-duggery. The large, high-ceilinged entrance hall was dark and lifeless. Empty. As her eyes adjusted to the half-light, Katie saw a staircase emerge from the gloom. It swept up and to the right, with wooden bannisters supported by white spindle posts. Then, slowly taking shape on the far side of the staircase, she saw pale, ghost-like figures, more and more of them. While exploring near an abandoned oceanfront mansion, Katie, Sheila and Rusty stumble across a long-buried mystery and a present-day crime. Seeing themselves as amateur detectives, the three friends take on a case the local police department seems determined to ignore and in the process they put their own lives in the utmost danger. Spanning more than a century and covering a large chunk of history of Victoria, the conspiracy reaches from Spanish pirates to the highest levels of the present-day police department. Intertwined with bloodthirsty pirates, native legends, stolen Gold rush bullion and a lost diary, Katie, Sheila and Rusty uncover an international ring of art thieves and smugglers who are tied to the past in the most unexpected way. Discounted by the police and eager to solve the case on their own, the amateur detectives have their lives threatened several times; they must use all their resources to outwit the thieves. Seamless weaving the historical narrative with a contemporary story, Dayle Campbell Gaetz has written a story to please both crime and history buffs. In the spirit of Eric Wilson, Mystery from History is sure to delight and intrigue young readers. The bestselling author of a dozen books for young readers, Dayle Campbell Gaetz is a full-time author and creative writing instructor. Mystery From History is the first of three books in a series. Book two is Barkerville Gold. Book three is Alberta Alibi.