Title: The Palace Ghosts - Martha Grimes - book
Summary :
At twelve years old, the very clever Emma Graham is no longer a budding detective...
She already has two masterfully conducted investigations under her belt. The latest, which proved the innocence of a certain Ben, accused of the murder of his wife and daughter, almost cost him his life.
Having become a celebrity in Spirit Lake, Emma is sought after by the Conservative, the local newspaper, to write a serial about her adventures. Suffering from writer's block, searching the past for inspiration, she discovers that a baby was kidnapped some twenty years earlier. The story piques the girl's interest even more because it took place in a luxury hotel, the Belle Rouen, renamed the Belle Ruine by the locals even before—ironically—it was ravaged by fire. Emma often takes refuge in this magical place, dreaming of the glamorous atmosphere that once reigned there.
From then on, her next investigation is self-evident, and with it her future report: she will bring to light the truth about this kidnapping case, all the more strange because it was obviously scandalously covered up. After The Murder by the Lake and The Crime of Ben Queen, the return of the young Emma Graham, whose sagacity and sense of deduction could prove a match for Richard Jury, the other recurring hero of the great Martha Grimes, one of the queens of English detective novels, a long-time regular on the best-seller lists.
