A double mystery complete with the pursuit of truth, justice, and love.
Plot
Note: Co-authored with Chris Fabry.
Bryce and Ashley Timberline want to know what's up with their stepdad, Sam. He seems to be keeping secrets that affect the whole family. On top of that, the twins are looking into an attack on two middle-schoolers.
Morality
Even if they don't really know what to think of Sam, Bryce and Ashley still care about him as well as the rest of their family. The twins are all for the pursuit of truth and justice. A cafe owner shows kindness to a man viewed by most as a drinking bum.
Bryce snoops for info on Sam. The twins eavesdrop on a couple people for investigative purposes; this is justified as the answer to the mystery is found.
Spiritual Content
Bryce, Ashley, and their mom are Christians. The cafe owner is as well and hopes that the man he shows kindness to will come around. The man's mother prays for him, though she admits that sometimes she thinks that God doesn't hear her prayers.
Violence
Two girls are grabbed and bound with duct-tape. A basketball hits Bryce's face hard and causes his nose to bleed. The twins find out about a past accident that cost a life. They hear a mountain lion scream nearby. Ashley takes the opportunity to think of cougar stories, including one in which a bighorn sheep is torn apart and there's "blood everywhere"; she also states that Bryce likes to repeat that story, exaggerating the bloody part. Bryce has a nightmare involving a cougar.
A man falls and breaks his arm while climbing rocks. The subject of the plane crash that affected the family's lives is revisited. A former military man mentions that his group captured or killed two dozen men on a mission.
Drug and Alcohol Content
A non-central character is said to have taken up drinking after he blames himself for something. A couple other secondary characters smoke, one of them being a middle-schooler.
Sexual Content
None. Ashley likes Bryce's friend; another boy likes her.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
Bryce recounts a bathroom-visit contest between himself and a friend.
Conclusion
The cliff-hanger that readers experience at the end of book #1, "Haunted Waters", is what drives part of this story along. It's a far more peaceful mystery than the last one with a more believable plot.
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