This is a fun, Southern mystery for kids. It reminded me of "Moon over Manifest" but not historical, even though the modern-day references were few and it felt kind of historical/timeless. It's full of quirky characters and funny, small-town events. The mystery itself was a little weak to me. (view spoiler)[It seems unlikely that Lana could keep that secret from the Colonel all that time, and that Detective Starr could be so easily fooled. (hide spoiler)] But those are probably picky, adult complaints that kids won't care about. A good suggestion for kids looking for a mystery.