Books with author Kathryn Reiss

Beth’s mother, Hanny Lynn, hasn’t spoken to her parents or her sister, Iris, in twenty years. But she decides it’s time to set aside old grievances, so sixteen-year-old Beth and her brother, Tom, find themselves spending a sweltering summer with their mother and her family in a sleepy Pennsylvania town. More than just homesick, Beth is troubled by deep family tensions and Aunt Iris’s sudden drunken outbursts. As Beth begins to delve into family history, she discovers a chilling and inexplicable tragedy.

A summer job, dangerous secrets… and deathSixteen-year-old Juliana is excited to work for the English grandfather she never knew at Heatherstone Hall, his ancient manor house-turned-hotel-and-spa. But beneath its elegant veneer, Heatherstone Hall is a place with more than one terrible secret. Soon after Juliana’s arrival, the hotel is shaken by murder, and everyone—guests, staff, and Juliana’s own relatives—are suspects. Who among them is a killer?Juliana discovers, to her horror, that she might be the next target. As she and her boyfriend Duncan race to discover the truth before the murderer strikes again, a tale from the past merges with events of the present—with staggering consequences. In Murder at Heatherstone Hall, Kathryn Reiss leads readers into a maze of suspense and old-fashioned sleuthing—tinged with a hint of the supernatural.Praise for Blackthorn Winter, the first Juliana mystery“Atmospheric… Mystery fans and Anglophiles alike will appreciate this creepy tale with a genuinely surprising (and thrilling) conclusion.”—The Bulletin“Mystery fans will enjoy this well-plotted story which [combines] budding romance, family problems and murder.” —Kirkus ReviewsA masterful storyteller in the realm of mystery and time travel for teens, Kathryn Reiss has twice been a finalist for the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery.

Something is terribly wrong with Connor's mom. She is uncharacteristically wearing old-fashioned clothes and cooking dinner from scratch, and she has removed all of the TVs from the house. What's even more troubling is her descent into increasingly disturbing trances. Connor suspects that an old art book with paintings of a woman who looks exactly like his mom is the key to her strange behavior. But because the artist who created them died before she was even born, he's not sure what the connection could be. When Connor is unexpectedly transported back to the 1920s, he realizes that it's up to him to solve the mystery--and to break the evil hold an obsessive artist has over his mom.

When Miranda moves with her family to a new house in a small Massachusetts town, she discovers a mysterious antique--a dollhouse. Through the windows, she is shocked to find what seem to be living people in the tiny rooms, and gradually she realizes that scenes from the lives of the big house’s past inhabitants are being replayed there. “With numerous deftly sketched characters, including a sympathetic boy next door, an intriguing plot, and such dividends as a secret room used to hide escaping slaves, this should keep readers interested. Well wrought and entertaining.”--Kirkus Reviews

Miranda isn't happy when sullen orphan Abby Chandler comes to live with her family. But Miranda's anger turns to shock when she learns the girl's horrible secret: Abby's parents and sisters were killed in a house fire in this very town--more than three hundred years ago. Somehow Abby survived the fire and has been living in a virtual limbo ever since. Fifteen-year-old Miranda Browne, the extraordinary protagonist from Kathryn Reiss's first novel, Time Windows, returns for a new time-travel adventure.

The last place fifteen-year-old Juliana wants to be is halfway around the world in Blackthorn, England, an idyllic seaside artists' colony her mother has dragged her off to while her parents weather a trial separation. Juliana misses her father terribly and doesn't understand why her mother needs to travel so far to resurrect her artistic self, which she claims to have lost in the marriage. Soon after they arrive in the tiny village of Blackthorn, the artists' colony is set on its heels by the murder of one of its own. Juliana feels compelled to solve the crime, but she is shocked and frightened when it seems that clues in the matter are hitting a little too close to home. Can she figure out who the murderer is before anyone else--herself included--gets hurt?

Julie discovers a mysterious note written in Chinese. She brings it to her friend Ivy to translate, and learns that the note once belonged to Ivy's grandmother, from long ago when she was a girl immigrating from China to San Francisco. The note promises great treasure, but it doesn't quite make sense--it's almost as if the writer was sending a secret message in code. Soon after the discovery of the note, Julie's and Ivy's beloved dolls are stolen. Who would do such a thing, and why? Seeking clues, Julie and Ivy search all over Chinatown and even visit the immigration station on Angel Island. Gradually, Julie realizes that in order to find the doll thief, she must figure out the real message hidden in the Chinese note.

A summer job, dangerous secrets… and death Sixteen-year-old Juliana is excited to work for the English grandfather she never knew at Heatherstone Hall, his ancient manor house-turned-hotel-and-spa. But beneath its elegant veneer, Heatherstone Hall is a place with more than one terrible secret. Soon after Juliana’s arrival, the hotel is shaken by murder, and everyone—guests, staff, and Juliana’s own relatives—are suspects. Who among them is a killer? Juliana discovers, to her horror, that she might be the next target. As she and her boyfriend Duncan race to discover the truth before the murderer strikes again, a tale from the past merges with events of the present—with staggering consequences. In Murder at Heatherstone Hall, Kathryn Reiss leads readers into a maze of suspense and old-fashioned sleuthing—tinged with a hint of the supernatural. Praise for Blackthorn Winter, the first Juliana mystery “Atmospheric… Mystery fans and Anglophiles alike will appreciate this creepy tale with a genuinely surprising (and thrilling) conclusion.” —The Bulletin “Mystery fans will enjoy this well-plotted story which [combines] budding romance, family problems and murder.” —Kirkus Reviews A masterful storyteller in the realm of mystery and time travel for teens, Kathryn Reiss has twice been a finalist for the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery.