Depression Era Murder Mystery

Collier, James Lincoln (2008). The Dreadful Revenge of Ernest Gallen. Grades 5-7.

Set during the years following the Great Depression, Gene Richards begins hearing a voice, which asks him to solve a mystery involving a murder. At first, Gene tries to ignore the voice, but each time the voice returns it becomes harder to do so. Then he learns that his friend Sonny's dad also heard a voice, which urged him to walk off a construction plank and die. Gene believes that this is the same voice he is hearing and must figure out a way to solve the mystery before the voice convinces Gene to hurt himself or worse.