Knives Out meets Finding Orion in this funny and heartwarming middle grade mystery by award-winning author Kristin O’Donnell Tubb about a girl investigating the recent death of her uncle only to find the healing power of family.

Chloe Alvarez has never been to the reading of a last will and testament before, but she hopes it is just like the movies. Lies! Intrigue! The reading of her Uncle Will’s will is standard, until he announces his gift for Chloe: his African grey parrot, Charlie.

Uncle Will was Chloe’s best friend. Without him, she’s left with only her memories of them together—which come to her in snapshots—and her new friend, Charlie. The parrot has a vast vocabulary, and soon Chloe hears her say something odd: It was murder, followed by homicide and cyanide. Chloe becomes convinced her uncle Will’s death was foul play. Why else wouldn’t he have told anyone in the family—especially Chloe—that he was sick?

With the help of her family, Chloe begins the investigation to uncover Uncle Will’s murderer. The suspects: His nosy neighbor. An ex-girlfriend. A rude landlord. A loan shark. But it all leads to more questions than answers. Did someone really kill Uncle Will? Or could this journey help reunite Chloe’s grieving family?

• An Animal Witness: Chloe’s only clue comes from Charlie, an African grey parrot with a killer vocabulary and a penchant for saying the worst thing at the worst time.
• A Kid Detective: Convinced it was foul play, Chloe starts her own investigation to find out what really happened to her best friend and hero, Uncle Will.
• A Quirky Cast of Suspects: From a nosy neighbor to a mysterious loan shark, everyone has a secret, and Chloe must uncover the truth before it’s too late.
• Heartwarming Family Story: More than just a mystery, this is a funny and moving novel about a grieving family learning to heal, laugh, and come together again.