Cleaning cabins and washing dishes isn't what twelve-year-old Haley Sparks had in mind for her summer vacation. She never imagined she'd be working at her Uncle Jake's new bed-and-breakfast called Rockaby Ranch. And she never dreamed she would spend the summer tracking down an arsonist. On the night of her arrival at the ranch, Haley is greeted by the sight of a cabin going up in flames. Uncle Jake chalks the fire up to bad luck. But Haley suspects foul play. But who among the guests would do such a thing? And why? Could it be Aquanetta Real, an aspiring country singer from Houston? Vivica Dove, the granddaughter of Uncle Jake's old friends the Craigs? Or maybe Rags, the ranch hand, who has a history of trouble? When another fire scatters the horses and almost sets the barn on fire, Haley is determined to find the culprit before Uncle Jake loses his ranch. Marianne Mitchell's riveting mystery, set among the red rocks and canyons of Sedona, Arizona, will engage the minds of young mystery lovers as her plucky young detective inches closer to unmasking the firebug.

 

There are 176 pages in this book. This book was published 2004 by Boyds Mills Press .

Marianne Mitchell is the author of the novels Finding Zola and Over the Waves, as wells as the picture book Gullywasher Gulch. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.