THE MIDNIGHT TUNNEL

The mysterious disappearance of a little girl from the ritzy Rosemount Hotel in Loch Harbor, New Brunswick, during the summer of 1904 triggers 11-year-old Suzanna Snow’s budding sleuthing skills. As managers of the Rosemont, Zanna’s parents expect her to follow in their footsteps, ignoring her dreams of becoming a detective like her famous Uncle Bruce. Even though nothing exciting ever happens, Zanna faithfully records her daily observations in a notebook while wreaking havoc throughout the hotel. Then one stormy night the daughter of a wealthy guest vanishes, and Zanna notices a diminutive figure in white exiting an underground tunnel used by hotel staff. Zanna also finds a scrap of white material near the tunnel, but the police ignore her clues. When Uncle Bruce arrives to investigate, Zanna can’t wait to assist with the case, but he dismisses her as a child. Undeterred, Zanna realizes, “I’m not my uncle…I can do things differently.” Relying on her instincts, Zanna eschews traditional female roles as she fits nuanced pieces into the increasingly dangerous puzzle. Each chapter opens with Zanna’s detective notes followed by her first-person narration of backstairs life at the Rosemont and the unfolding mystery. What Zanna lacks in grace and composure, she makes up for in pluck, persistence and cleverness, emerging a likely and likable Edwardian Nancy Drew. (Historical mystery. 8-12)