Convincing his overworked mom to accept an all-expenses-paid weekend vacation at the Barclay Hotel, 12-year-old JJ discovers upon arrival that his mother and the other guests are prime suspects in their host’s murder. Simultaneous eBook. Illustrations. - (Baker & Taylor)

Five murder suspects are invited to the haunted Barclay Hotel for a weekend getaway, and it is up to twelve-year-old JJ and eleven-year-old Penny--and a lonely ghost--to figure out who committed the crime. - (Baker & Taylor)

Hunting ghosts and solving the case before checkout? All in a weekend's work.

Read the novel that New York Times bestselling author, Chris Grabenstein calls, "My kind of mystery!"

When JJ Jacobson convinced his mom to accept a surprise invitation to an all-expenses-paid weekend getaway at the illustrious Barclay Hotel, he never imagined that he'd find himself in the midst of a murder mystery. He thought he was in for a run-of-the-mill weekend ghost hunting at the most haunted spot in town, but when he arrives at the Barclay Hotel and his mother is blamed for the hotel owner's death, he realizes his weekend is going to be anything but ordinary.

Now, with the help of his new friends, Penny and Emma, JJ has to track down a killer, clear his mother's name, and maybe even meet a ghost or two along the way. - (Penguin Putnam)

Fleur Bradley is an active member of SCBWI and MWA, where she has judged for the Edgars. She regularly does school and Skype visits, as well as librarian and educator conference talks on reaching reluctant readers. Originally from the Netherlands, she now lives in Colorado, not too far from the historic (and haunted) Stanley Hotel, which partly inspired this manuscript.

Xavier Bonet is an illustrator and comic book artist who lives in Barcelona with his wife and two children. He has illustrated a number of middle grade books including Omnia by Laura Gallego; Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories series; and the Keepers trilogy by Lian Tanner. He loves all things retro, video games, and Japanese food, but above all, spending time with his family. Visit him at xavierbonet.net and follow him on Twitter or Instagram @xbonetp. - (Penguin Putnam)

Kirkus Reviews

Five strangers (with secrets!) are invited to a historic (haunted) hotel—to solve a murder. The secluded Barclay Hotel, one of Colorado's most haunted places, sends five invitations to a carefully selected guest list: a cowboy, a librarian, a CEO, an actor, and a detective. The CEO's preteen son (ghost-hunting aficionado JJ, who hates reading) and the detective's granddaughter (aspiring detective Penny, a bookworm) tag along and immediately connect with the hotel's lonely resident kid, Emma, daughter of the head chef. Once the guests are assembled (and the driver has left, natch), the butler reveals that they've been gathered to solve a mystery—who killed Mr. Barclay?—and, with the exception of the detective, they are the suspects. The kids jump into action, interviewing suspects to tease out motive, means, and opportunity—and all of the adults have secrets. The mystery features some fun reversals, allowing just enough convolution for mystery novices (who will learn the terms "whodunit" and "red herring"); Agatha Christie references abound, and the hotel setting shines. The ghostly supernatural storyline is mild and unthreatening and not prominent enough for kids looking for a paranormal scary story. The murder mystery is gentled through temporal distance (the murder happened a week prior; there are no bodies or graphic moments). While the ending relies on a villain's monologue, the happily-ever-after is an earned one. Aside from dark-skinned Penny and her grandfather, the other characters default to (and are illustrated as) white. A quirky, kid-friendly introduction to the murder mystery. (Mystery. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus 2020 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

When 12-year-old JJ Jacobson's CEO mom wins a weekend at the haunted Barclay Hotel in Aspen Springs, Colo., paranormal investigation enthusiast JJ convinces her to bring him along. The Jacobsons seemingly have nothing in common with the other guests: cowboy Buck Jones; Fiona Fleming, an actress and occasional medium; retired Detective Frank Walker; and children's librarian Chelsea Griffin. But, save for Detective Walker, each of the guests has a Barclay-related secret—and, as they learn upon their arrival, all are suspects in the murder of Mr. Barclay. Detective Walker's 11-year-old book-loving granddaughter, Penny, and lonely 12-year-old hotel resident Emma, who is prone to mysterious disappearances, team up with JJ to discover "who had motive, means, and opportunity," while JJ simultaneously attempts to prove the existence of ghosts to skeptic Penny. Bonet's black-and-white illustrations are appropriately mellow; all characters are portrayed as light-skinned except for Penny and her grandfather. Though readers already exposed to the genre may consider this well-trod ground, Bradley (the Double Vision series) offers a fast-paced, lightly spooky entrée to mystery fare. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author's agent: Laurel Symonds, the Bent Agency. Illustrator's agent: Hannah Whitty, Plum Pudding Illustration. (Aug.)