Books in Sammy Keyes series

While serving a detention in the soup kitchen at St. Mary's Church for an infraction committed during her last case, Sammy Keyes becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of Father Mayhew's prized ivory cross. Ace detective that she is, Sammy manages to prove her innocence but soon discovers that, under its calm exterior, St. Mary's is abuzz with gossip, jealousy, and intrigue--just like junior high! Meanwhile, back at school, Sammy's beloved catcher's mitt--her only connection to her father--disappears just when her team makes the semifinals. Add to this mix: a dog who eats everything in sight, a lesson in safe cracking from a homeless girl who bears a striking resemblance to Sammy, and an exuberant trio of gospel-singing nuns called the Sisters of Mercy, and you've got one wild ride of a mystery--or just another week in the life of Samantha Keyes.

The normally unflappable Sammy Keyes is reeling--not from her encounters with a corpse, an arsonist, or an irate policeman, these she can handle. No, what completely unbalances her is the teen-scene at a New Year's Eve party. Caught up in this adolescent ambush, Sammy begins to doubt herself. And if she can't trust her own instincts, how can she possibly figure out who burned down a pioneer-era cabin, how a 200-pound pig has disappeared , or why Casey might want to hold her hand?In this fifth Sammy Keyes mystery, Wendelin Van Draanen gives us her most ambitious work to date. While her prose is as comic as ever, there's a very serious undercurrent here--Sammy is tossed and torn, both literally and figuratively, as she shoots the rapids of this plot. But in puzzling out whodunit and how and why, she manages not only to turn the culprits over to the police, but also to reclaim a belief in her own strength.

In this fifth Sammy Keyes mystery, the normally unflappable heroine encounters a corpse, an arsonist, and an irate policeman -- and her first real experiences with adolescent angst. On a quiet weekend in the country, Sammy and her friends meet Lucinda Huntley and her 200-pound pig, and become involved in a centuries old family feud involving Lucinda's great grandma Moustache Mary. When Mary's pioneer cabin burns to the ground, it's up to Sammy to dig up the cause as the past collides with the present in this highly combustible mystery!

Actress Tara Sands narrates this third adventure in the series by Wendelin Van Draanen. This time Sammy is serving detention at St. Mary's church where she find herself a suspect when Fr. Mayhew's gold cross is stolen from the safe. Intertwined around this main event are equally riveting ones: Sammy's relentless curiosity about Holly, who she notices while working at the Homeless Shelter; the junior high school rivalry between Sammy and Heather that escalates during baseball season; and the flamboyant manners of the Sisters of Mercy who descend upon St. Mary's. Sands retains the voices, evoking a continuity of images for the more familiar characters. Listeners can almost touch the soft, gray hair of Grams, with her gentle and caring voice, while Officer Borsch's gruff and gravely one epitomizes the image of an overweight, street-smart cop. Adding to her repertoire of voices, Sands stretches her abilities with more subtlety. Meeting the homeless girl Holly, Sands is able to give her a feral-like quality, yet inflict a vulnerability that tugs on listeners' heartstrings. With the Sisters of Mercy, she offers just the right amount of lightness in tone, and her renditions of their singing will make listeners laugh out loud. Sands' voice personifies the Sammy Keyes character, with all its adolescent love, anger, and humor. Listeners who love baseball will delight in this novel, as the playoffs for the championship highlight this story. Mystery fans will enjoy this 1999 Edgar Award winner for Best Children's Mystery.

IT'S SAMMY'S BIRTHDAY, which should be a good thing, except that Heather, Sammy’s arch enemy, turns out to be her star sister. And El Gato, the creepy new student at Slammin’ Dave’s Pro Wrestling School, keeps hissing at Sammy to stay away. And Dorito, Sammy’s cat, is missing, and while Sammy’s searching for him, she finds three dead cats in dumpsters around town. And as if that weren’t gross enough, Miss Kitty, a psycho cat lady, blames Sammy when it turns out one of the dead cats belonged to her. And then last, but certainly not least, Lady Lana, Sammy’s mom, confesses that she lied about Sammy’s age so she could start her in school a year early. So—surprise!—Sammy isn’t turning 14 at all, she’s going to have to be unlucky 13 for another whole year! Better luck next year, Sammy. . . .