THE MYSTERY OF THE DOGMAN: A Story of Adventure and Friendship for Kids Who Love Dogs, Ghosts, Angels and Best Friends - A Jenny & Pete Mystery

Thirteen-year-old Jenny (Jennifer) Evans lost her father one year ago. She resents losing her dad and having to leave Boston, the only home she’s ever known, for her mother’s childhood home in Hamilton. She tries to hide her fear of her new home, the nearby woods, and starting over in a new place. 


Pete (Peter) Montgomery (also 13) is small for his age, but puts on a good show of spunk to hide the pain from losing his own dad, who left he was five. Pete has been the ‘man of the house’ since then. He and his mother don't have much, except each other. Pete takes everything in stride and faces what he must with bravery. He is passionate about two things: racecars and finding missing people. Pete knows he’ll never be part of the ‘in crowd’ at school, but it doesn’t bother him.


Jenny’s mother is excited to return to the small southern town of Hamilton, located on a ridge overlooking the Mississippi River. The antebellum house once offered a wide view of the river and served as a military headquarters during the Civil War. The house is enormous, with two main floors, a large attic, several staircases, and a dark basement—and it scares Jenny. It's only a few minutes from the school, which is located at the edge of town, but to get there, Jenny must ride her bicycle past a dark stretch of woods. 


When Pete moves into their garage apartment, a friendship begins. Jenny envies him because he doesn’t seem to care what the other kids think about him, but she can’t see the pain he’s hiding from losing his own dad.


When the dogman threats begin, Jenny is terrified. She tries to hide her fear because her mother is having a hard time adjusting to life without her husband. Pete’s bravery gives Jenny strength and she works hard to overcome her fear. 


Jenny and Pete encounter a big man they think is homeless, and a white dog that seems to fade into the darkness. For some reason, Jenny isn’t afraid of either of them, but desperately wants to know who they are and why they keep showing up. With a little help from two classmates and from Jenny’s dog, Sam, they solve the mystery of the dogman, and a crime that has bugged the police for weeks. In the process, they learn who the big homeless man really is, and why the white ghost dog was so eager to help them.


In less than a month, Jenny changes from a frightened young girl grieving for her old life in Boston to a young woman who has been given a glimpse of her future. She knows her friendship with Pete caused part of that change. With her newfound courage, she and Pete begin to explore the big house, and they find a new mystery.