Nobody's There

By Joan Lowery Nixon

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Caroline Cooney, and R.L. Stine comes Nobody’s There from four-time Edgar Allen Poe Young Adult Mystery Award winner Joan Lowery Nixon.
 
        Furious at her father for breaking up their family, Abbie Thompson acted without thinking and got arrested for malicious mischief. Now the judge has assigned her to volunteer in a program that matches teens with the elderly. But Abbie doesn’t get just any elderly person. She gets Edna Merkel, a cranky, difficult woman who’s a member of the town’s crime prevention group. In fact, Mrs. Merkel is too active a member, and after she brags that she’s on to something big, she is attacked and ends up hospitalized. Suddenly the private investigator game is real, and only Abbie—with the help of Mrs. Merkel’s indecipherable notebook—can figure out who did it. But will Abbie get to the assailant before the assailant gets to her?
 
“Fast-paced and involving.” –Kirkus Reviews
 
“Well drawn and distinct…Nixon’s fans will no doubt enjoy.” –School Library Journal
 
“Another great mystery.” –VOYA

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9780307823434

Joan Lowery Nixon

Joan Lowery Nixon (1927–2003) was a renowned author of children’s literature, best known for series like the Orphan Train Adventures and Casebusters. Born in Los Angeles, she began dictating poems to her mother before she could read. At the University of Southern California, Nixon majored in journalism, but took a job teaching the first grade upon graduating. In 1949, she and her husband moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, and in 1964 she published her first novel, The Mystery of Hurricane Castle. Nixon became a fan of mystery fiction when she was a child, and many of her most popular series incorporate elements of sleuthing. She won four Edgar Awards for best young adult mysteries, including prizes for her novels The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore (1979) and The Name of the Game Was Murder (1993). In addition to writing more than 140 young adult novels, Nixon also co-wrote several geology texts with her scientist husband.      

Reviews for Nobody's There

[wethereaders · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was pleasant and very satisfying to read a traditional whodunit. The contemporary setting sadly coincides with the true to life broken homes and lonesome elderly. A really fun read. The descriptive characters are exceptionally image inspiring. There’s even a bit of marriage counseling for older readers.

[simply00complex · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another fun and exciting mystery from Joan Lowery Nixon. I was right there next to the character trying to solve the case with her. The story unraveled with a great plot, good characters, and some great twists along the way. Recommended for high schoolers.