As the summer of 1931 slipped closer to its grand finale, seven-year-old Annie Ghere counted the days until her brothers and cousin returned to Jeffries, Indiana after spending weeks on the family farm. While she waited, the last lazy days before school started suddenly turned upside down when Annie discovered a dead stranger in the creek outside her home on South Street. Was the dead man connected to the secret Annie shared with her mother?
The child's determination to find the answer led her into the adult world of mystery and intrigue. With her sister Gem, her cousin Charlie, and "the boy with the Bible" at her side, Annie plunged deep into the dark waters of the unknown as this unorthodox troupe of "deputies" engaged with the town's colorful characters-Hector Toops, Sheriff Clyde Boggs, Biddy Ann Blout, Roxy Lockwood, and the inscrutable hobos, Jimbo and Skeeter-to discover the identity of the dead man.
As they closed in on the truth, the situation unraveled, leaving Annie wondering how much longer she could keep the secret that had haunted her dreams for months. As summer finally succumbed to autumn's authority, Annie's fate hung in the balance. Only one thing was certain... Annie's life would never be the same.
