Caden Chronicles

A body in a hay loft. . . A mystery in the Badlands . . . A shoot out on main street . . . Is there a "ghost killer" running loose in this Old West ghost town? ★ Selah Award Winner for Middle Grade Fiction ★ It's all for show...right? Nothing more than Hollywood theatrics? "This is an authentic Old West ghost town," the sheriff tells Nick. "Around these parts the dead don't stay dead." But Nick Caden's vacation becomes a nightmare when this Old West reenactment ghost town takes a deadly turn toward trouble. Soon Nick finds himself trapped in a stable with the infamous outlaw Jesse James. The shooter whirls, aims and... vanishes. Great theatrics, Nick thinks. Only then does he discover the body of Billy the Kid-or so it appears. Soon Nick is caught in a deadly chase-from an abandoned gold mine, through forbidden buffalo hunting grounds, and across Rattlesnake Gulch-around every turn he finds another suspect. Will Nick solve the "ghost" murder before his family leaves Deadwood? Or will the town's desperate attempt to attract tourists bury the haunting truth that dead don't stay dead on ghost towns? Recent Reader Comments "A well-written mystery page turner that is full of unexpected twists. It is imaginative and humorous with a good ending. Very creative and witty. This would make a great gift." - Bookworm Parents can trust the Caden Chronicles. There is no sexual dialogue or situations, violence, or strong language, only positive moral values and a wee little bit of humor. :)

"A whip-smart mystery series with a touch of paranormal and much-needed humor, realistic crime-scene drama plays out in each book, including this latest, when a girl goes missing and her brother is wrongfully imprisoned. Only this time, Nick's brilliant wit and sleuthing skills are seriously tested when he is brought into a world of spiritualists, mediums and ghosts coming back from the dead. In the spirit of Scooby Doo, "is it a ghost or not," and "those meddling kids," I highly recommend this series, especially for boys and reluctant readers." -Kim Childress, Book Editor, Girls' Life Magazine Nick Caden is no stranger to supernatural mysteries and paranormal phenomena. He and his buddies have been TV crime fans for years, which led to Nick solving his first murder case during an Old West ghost town family vacation when it seemed there wasn't "a ghost of a chance" of catching the killer. His success landed Nick a job as a reporter for The Cool Ghoul Gazette, where he debunks all kinds of crazy, so-called paranormal murders. From uncovering the killer of a vampire, to catching zombies and werewolves, Nick relies on truth, facts, and watching cop and detective shows to solve cases. In Medium Well Done, an all-star basketball player goes missing, her brother has been implicated in a murder, and "Sistah Séance," a Gullah woman on Georgia's Sea islands, claims to "bring up the dead. Nick suspects this psychic-spiritualist is somehow involved, but his efforts to uncover the truth is hampered when local police insist he keep his distance from the case. Preferring to work alone, Nick becomes annoyed when Officer Crowder demands he work with Jaz, Crowder's teen relative, who has a "spiritual gift" that allows her "to know things about the dead." As the pair work to find Nick's friend, Keisha, the victim of a hit and run near the entrance to a graveyard, Nick discovers a world of darkness, where "evil thoughts and spirits flourish." This time, Nick doesn't have all the answers. But he does ask the right questions. And what he learns is worse than any lies a fake fortuneteller might pass off as truth.