"Paul Boyce weaves his fictional mysteries into the fabric of Great Depression era America, a time so reminiscent of his own childhood. Follow along as retired civil engineer Elias Hooks and his protégés, eleven-year-old cousins, Jessica Sinclair and Billy Coupes, call on their wide-ranging investigative talent to recover buried wealth, trace a lost family connection, expose a troubling case of embezzlement, and correct the error of an unjustified lawsuit. Again, the three sleuths use 1930s technology and methods to bring about their clever solutions while at the same time exploring questions of personal behavior, responsibility to others, and personal and collective ethics"--Page 4 of cover.