After moving from Texas to Oregon, James and his family have to adjust to new jobs and friends, a new home and neighborhood, but also the strange appearance of letters signed from The Keeper. James brings these letters to his parents, but they chock them up to the sibling prank war that he has been waging with his younger sister, Ava. The children, however, know they aren’t behind these spooky letters. And in them is mentioned the Blood Moon, a lunar equinox just days away. The siblings set their pranking war aside to team up and solve this mystery before James and Ava both find themselves in serious danger.

This mystery had me on the edge of my seat with 100 pages to go. I don’t think I have gasped or shouted expletives as much as I did during the latter half of this novel. Guadalupe García McCall is the master of thrills and chills! Any suspect or solution that I came up with on my own was blown out of the water. The sibling detective team were brilliant, not only in their deductive skills but in their support and love for each other. I also love the family dynamic between them and their parents, as well as their deceased Ita. The family nights, consejos told by Ita, and Mexican folklore were insightful and enriching to the narrative. The inclusion of Mexican and Nahua history and culture felt natural, as did the use of Spanish throughout the dialogue. I love that McCall invites her readers to normalize multicultural backgrounds, especially those that originate just over this country’s borders. I was impressed by the imagery and setting as well, totally believing that the characters were in lush, very green and very wet, Oregon.

Entering this novel, I had no idea what to expect from a middle grade thriller, but I can say that the hairs on my arms were certainly raised a few times while reading. I hope to read something else by this author in the near future.