ABOUT THE BOOK
FONTANA
A murder mystery.
A supernatural secret.
A detective who refuses to quit.
Sixteen-year-old Sam Cooper has always been fascinated by mysteries, crime stories, and detective work.
When a man is murdered at a water fountain on Grand Avenue, Sam desperately wants to investigate—but her mother forbids her from getting involved.
Then something impossible happens.
The murdered man, Richard Hawkins, appears to Sam as a ghost.
Richard reveals that he was involved in a dangerous drug operation and asks Sam to investigate his murder.
Sam agrees, beginning a journey that takes her from the streets of her Fontana neighborhood into a dangerous world of secrets, deception, drugs, betrayal, and murder.
As the investigation unfolds, Sam’s ability to communicate with the dead becomes an unexpected advantage—but also a secret she must protect.
And the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous the investigation becomes.
MEET SAM COOPER
Sixteen years old. Curious. Fearless. Obsessed with detective stories.
Sam has already helped with investigations in her neighborhood and has dreamed of solving a real murder.
Richard Hawkins’ death finally gives her the case she’s been waiting for—but she quickly discovers that this is far more than an ordinary mystery.
THE SUPERNATURAL ELEMENT
On the night after Richard’s murder, Sam discovers that what she thought was a dream was something much more.
Richard appears in her bedroom and tells her directly:
He wants her to investigate his murder.
Sam also learns that her ability to see ghosts is connected to her family—something her mother already understands.
This gives Fontana its distinctive blend of
Crime • Mystery • Supernatural • Teen Drama
