First published 2011
Twelve-year-old Emma Graham won't let go of an old mystery. Twenty years ago, a four-month-old baby named Slade vanished from the Belle Ruin Hotel without a trace. Emma has been digging into the case, and now Morris Slade, the missing child's father, has suddenly returned to town. His arrival only makes Emma more determined to uncover what really happened that night. Then Ralph Diggs shows up at the Hotel Paradise where Emma lives, claiming he needs work. He charms everyone around him, but Emma sees through his act. She knows he's hiding something, and she suspects his timing is no coincidence. As Emma pieces together connections between the past and present, she must figure out who she can trust and what dangers might be lurking behind friendly faces.
Genres: fiction, mystery, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Belle Ruin Hotel, Hotel Paradise
Period: 20 Years Ago
336 pages · Hardcover · Viking