Kirjahaku

1986 - James Huxley, the only son of the Earl of Dorley, loves to spend his time in the attic of the manor house reading fantasy books. In 1986, his summer plans include rereading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so when his father tells him they will have a guest for the summer, and that he expects James to entertain her, James balks, until he sees their guest - a lovely girl his age named Mia. At sixteen, James has never had a girlfriend, but he falls head over heels for the seductive American.They spend the summer wandering around the grounds of the manor house, getting to know each other, and exploring the old ruins of a keep behind the house. Mia, who has had some experience with boys, pursues James, and after an awkward misfire, they finally consummate their relationship and begin spending most of their time on the divan in James' attic.Sometime before Mia's departure, they go to the local festival where Mia is given a gift by the "witch of the woods," a gold disk with a cottage etched on its surface. James thinks the witch and her "charms" are rubbish, but Mia likes it and puts it on, mindful of what the witch said when she gave it to her."If you ever find yourself in dire need, put it on and let the disk lead you to the cottage."On Mia's last night at the manor house, James begs her to marry him, so she doesn't have to go back to New York, but Mia, who believes they are too young to marry, vows to return the following summer when they will be old enough to get jobs and a flat of their own. James falls asleep with his arms around Mia, but when he wakes up in the morning, both she and the disk are gone...

Audrey Glenn lives in a Florida mobile home park. Her sister, Grace, lives in New Jersey. Grace hasn't heard from Audrey in months and she's worried about her ninety-year-old sister. She asks her great-granddaughter, Mel, to go to Florida and check on Audrey. Mel doesn't really want to go, but she hasn't had a vacation in three years. Why not an all-expenses paid trip to Florida?When Mel arrives at her great-great aunt's home, she is greeted by a much-too-young man named Jason who tells her Audrey has gone on a cruise to Hawaii. Mel smells a rat and goes to the police, where she meets good-looking deputy named Conner, who is more than willing to help her find her absent aunt. As the clues pile up and Mel grows closer to the deputy, it soon becomes clear that something terrible has happened to Audrey.

A wealthy family, a dark secret, and sibling rivalry turned deadly.In 1991, Daisy Brady disappeared when she took the family dog for a walk behind Fenway Manor, an old, dilapidated mansion near their home. The dog was found tied to the back porch of the mansion, but Daisy had vanished without a trace. Almost thirty years later, a body is found behind Fenway Manor that is later identified as that of David Friedlander, a man beloved by all who knew him. His family has owned the property for years, and when its discovered that spurned lover David had been stalking Daisy in 1991, it shines a light on the investigation of her disappearance. The cold case had been shelved shortly after it was opened, and now Detective Janet Worthington wants to know why. Janet also wants to know the whereabouts of David's sister, Bethany Arntz. She took off the morning David died and hasn't been seen since. Her son, Ben, would also like to know where she is. The urgency to find Beth is real - she is diabetic and had taken one day's supply of insulin with her. Ben files a missing person report and gives the police a sample of Beth's DNA in the hope she will be found in a hospital. As Ben awaits news of Beth, the police issue an APB for her arrest, and Det. Janet Worthington digs deeper into Daisy's missing person case. With little to go on and a department that might have been complicit in a young mother's disappearance, Janet is still determined to find out what happened when Daisy disappeared.

Kevin Chandler lives next door to Bill the butcher - the meanest man in town. Bill's son, Dylan, bullies Kevin and his friend, Ben. One night, on his way home from Ben's house, Kevin sees Dylan going into the ramshackle garage behind the Butcher house and he thinks he hears a dog whimpering. The Butchers don't own a dog and everyone knows Dylan hurts dogs, so Kevin decides he must find out what's happening in that garage. He asks Ben to help him, and when his sister, Emma, finds out, she wants to help, too. Why does Dylan Butcher have a dog in his garage? Is it the missing dog Ben's father read about in the newspaper? How will the boys get into the locked garage to find out what's going on without Dylan or his mean father finding them? Recommended for ages 9 and up, and for anyone, young and old alike, who enjoys a good mystery.

When Meg's sister dies, she is devastated. The last of three children, Meg misses her siblings and has never felt so alone. Meg's an author, but her emotional state hinders her writing ability. She can't sit in front of her computer without trembling. A trip to Port Revere, MA, recalls memories of the summers spent there with her family when Meg was a girl, and she decides to buy the Christmas Cottage, an abandoned little house on a bluff near town. With the help of her nephew, Zack, Meg refurbishes it and starts to come out of her shell. But then the holidays arrive, and she must again face her loneliness and guilt over something Meg can't forgive herself for - not being there when her sister died. Meg never had a chance to say goodbye. What Meg needs is a Christmas miracle, and strange things begin to happen with the arrival of an unexpected plumber. Soon, other weird things happen, leaving Meg to wonder if her miracle is on the way.