When your parents surprise you with a solo trip to visit your cousin in the Desert Southwest, you pack your bags and prepare for adventure. Spending time exploring the sun-baked scenery sounds like a perfect vacation.

On a hike through Vulture Point Park, you’re stunned to discover graffiti scrawled across the park’s iconic rocks. Each occurrence of vandalism is marked by an ominous symbol of a scorpion. Authorities believe the graffiti is destructive but not dangerous—the work of a few delinquent teens—but you’re not so sure. The more clues you uncover, the more convinced you are that something major is about to go down. You’re pulled into a twisted plot that threatens to destroy the entire park—and take countless lives. The stakes are high, the danger is real, and the countdown has begun.

You’re the detective in this puzzling mystery by Deb Mercier. As you work your way through the story, it’s up to you to

• identify suspects and gather clues,
• make choices that affect what happens,
• navigate challenging puzzles—from riddles to secret codes—and
• use deductive reasoning to determine what the crime was, how it happened, and whodunit.

Interactive books for kids are more popular than ever. Create your own adventure with the Detective: You book series for boys and girls. You’re the main character. You make the choices. Will you solve the case?