House on Hackman's Hill

Fast paced, and suspense packed, this short novel by a four-time recipient of the Edgar Allan Poe Award is a favorite with avid and reluctant readers alike. The main characters, brave cousins Jeff and Debbie, appeal equally to boys and girls. A $10,000 reward for a missing mummy lures the two into an old mansion. But a raging snowstorm forces them to spend the night-and an evil ancient spirit might not let them see the dawn. Everyone told them to stay away from the house on Hackman's hill, but the lure of the old mansion - and the $10,000 reward for the missing mummy they suspect is still hidden inside it - prove too much to resist. Without telling their grandparents where they are going, cousins Jeff and Debbie arm themselves with flashlights and set off to explore the strange old house. Too quickly they learn they are not alone. The spirit of Anubis, ancient Egyptian god and guardian of the dead, pursues them through the house, searching for the missing mummy and the precious gems that years ago were pried from its eyes. When the snowstorm raging outside worsens, Jeff and Debbie realize with sinking hearts that they will have to spend the night in the house on Hackman's Hill. Now they know they must solve the mystery that drives the vengeful Anubis - if they want to live to see the dawn.