Books by Peter Abrahams
Oblivion: A Novel
What determines your identity? Is it the clothes you wear? The way other people treat you? The stories, anecdotes and experiences you have stored in your memory? When Nick Petrov wakes up in a hospital room, his clothes are two sizes too big. Everyone treats him like a victim. And he can't remember how he got there in the first place.
Nick Petrov is a brilliant private investigator with a reputation for bringing missing children safely home. Launched to tabloid stardom when he apprehended a brutal serial killer named Gerald Reasoner, Petrov has become something of a celebrity. When a woman approaches him, begging him to use his unique gifts to find her missing daughter, Petrov's instincts sound an alarm. He senses that she's concealing something. But is she lying to get Petrov's help or to set him up? Three days later, just as he has amassed all the answers he needs to close the case, they are swept away into oblivion.
Petrov awakes in a hospital bed, his memory of the past two weeks a complete blank, his personality altered. He is tempted to just put the trauma behind him and move on with his life, but there are too many things holding him back. When he returns home, he discovers a photograph full of strangers. In his office is a greeting card with a cryptic message inside, both the receiver and the sender completely unknown. His bank account has been augmented by a $450 check from a woman he can't remember. All of it points to a case he cannot recall.
Digging for answers when he doesn't even know the questions, Petrov begins to fear he is searching for the most elusive quarry he has ever hunted: himself. Uncomfortable truths about his past rise up from this haunting investigation, truths that force him to reinterpret the events of the notorious Reasoner case from years before. But the closer Petrov comes to solving the mystery, the more likely it seems that the monster he's looking for is staring back at him in the mirror.
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Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery (Echo Falls Mystery, 1)
Welcome to Echo Falls.Home of a thousand secrets, where Ingrid Levin-Hill, super sleuth, never knows what will happen next.
Ingrid is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or at least her shoes are. Getting them back means getting involved in a murder investigation rivaling those solved by her idol, Sherlock Holmes, and Ingrid has enough on her plate with club soccer, school, and the plum role of Alice in the Echo Falls production of Alice in Wonderland. But much as in Alice's adventures down the rabbit hole, things in Ingrid's small town keep getting curiouser and curiouser. Her favorite director has a serious accident onstage (but is it an accident?), and the police chief is on Ingrid's tail, grilling her about everything from bike-helmet law to the color of her cleats. Echo Falls has turned into a nightmare, and Ingrid is determined to wake up. Edgar Award?nominated novelist Peter Abrahams builds suspense as a smart young girl finds that her small town isn't nearly as safe as it seems.
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Down the Rabbit Hole (An Echo Falls Mystery)
"My all-time favorite. Astonishing." (Stephen King)
Down the Rabbit Hole is the first book in the Echo Falls mystery series by bestselling crime novelist Peter Abrahams. Perfect for middle school readers looking for a good mystery.
Welcome to Echo Falls, home of a thousand secrets. In Down the Rabbit Hole, eighth grader Ingrid Levin-Hill is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or at least her shoes are. And getting them back will mean getting tangled up in a murder investigation as complicated as the mysteries solved by her idol, Sherlock Holmes.
With soccer practice, schoolwork, and the lead role in her town's production of Alice in Wonderland, Ingrid is swamped. But as things in Echo Falls keep getting curiouser and curiouser, Ingrid realizes she must solve the murder on her own—before it's too late.
"Deft use of literary allusions and ironic humor add further touches of class to a topnotch mystery," said School Library Journal. "Intriguing twists." Publishers Weekly agreed: "The fresh dialogue and believable small-town setting will tempt fans to visit Echo Falls again."
The next book in this Edgar Award-nominated series in Behind the Curtain, followed by Into the Dark.
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Behind the Curtain (Echo Falls Mystery, 2)
"A terrific yarn, full of smart detection and hip good humor" (Stephen King)
Behind the Curtain is the second book in the Echo Falls mystery series by bestselling crime novelist Peter Abrahams, following the acclaimed Down the Rabbit Hole. Perfect for middle school readers looking for a good mystery.
In this "deliciously plotted, highly satisfying adventure" (Kirkus), the Sherlock Holmes-loving eight-grade heroine, Ingrid, starts to see some alarming signs of trouble in her home. Her dad is surfing the internet in search of a job when Ingrid had no idea his job was in jeopardy. Her brother, Ty, is trying to succeed on the high school football team—perhaps at the cost of his health. And Ingrid's beloved soccer coach is replaced by an icy newcomer who seems a little too savvy to be in it for the postgame pizza.
True to her hero, Sherlock Holmes, Ingrid begins fishing around to find out who's really pulling the strings in her hometown of Echo Falls. But one morning, while en route to the dreaded MathFest, Ingrid is kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a car. Even if she escapes, will anyone believe her story?
The third and final book in this Edgar Award-nominated series is Into the Dark.
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Nerve Damage
Renowned sculptor Roy Valois receives the worst news since learning of his adored wife Delia's death in South America fifteen years ago. His doctor tells him he's dying—and a morbid curiosity about how he'll be remembered inspires Roy, with the help of a local computer geek, to hack into a newspaper's system to read his prewritten obituary. But the death notice includes a small discrepancy about his late wife—and by calling the mistake to the attention of the surprised obit writer, Roy has inadvertently sealed an innocent man's doom.
Suddenly Roy has a mission: to uncover the truth about the woman he can't stop loving—secrets guarded by powerful forces who believe murder is an acceptable price for keeping them buried. With his disease-ravaged body's final betrayal rapidly approaching, Roy must somehow stay alive long enough to find the answers: Who was Delia? How did she die? Why did she die?
Did she die?
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Nerve Damage: A Novel
Sometimes the dead live on in your dreams . . . at least that's true for Roy Valois. His wife, Delia, died fifteen years earlier while working for a private think tank and he has never forgotten her. Roy is a well-known sculptor in the art world. His newest piece, a magnificent creation he calls Delia, has just been finished, a sign that he's found a little closure at last.
Then Roy gets some news of the grimmest kind. It's the kind of news that forces thoughts in unexpected directions, such as the contents of one's obituary. Roy and his lawyer, a close friend, find themselves wondering whether Roy's obituary will mention a big goal he scored in college hockey. Roy's friend suggests that they could probably find out. With some help, they hack into the morgue files of the New York Times. There's no mention of the goal, but something else about his obituary bothers Roy. According to the New York Times, his wife was working for the United Nations when she died—not the think tank.
At first, Roy thinks it's a simple mistake, but when a conversation with the writer of his obituary fails to clear things up, he suspects something more. The deeper he digs, the more confusing his wife's past becomes. Delia's former colleagues deny ever knowing her, the building that housed the think tank has supposedly served as the offices for another organization for decades, and Roy can't find any records of its existence. Who was Delia? Who did she work for? How did she really die? Did she really die? With time running out, a desperate Roy won't stop until he knows the truth about the woman he can't stop loving.
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Delusion: A Novel of Suspense
A woman's world is turned upside down when new evidence frees a man she put in prison with her testimony years ago in this latest ingenious thriller from the author Publishers Weekly calls "one of the best contemporary thriller writers around."
Twenty years ago Nell Jarreau witnessed the murder of her boyfriend. Her testimony put a man behind bars—and led her to her husband, Clay, the gentle detective who solved the case. They've been happy ever since—and have raised a daughter together—but then one phone call changes everything.
New evidence has exonerated Alvin DuPree, aka Pirate—the man Nell helped to convict—and now he's a free man. Nell is consumed by feelings of guilt, and for the first time in their marriage, Clay is no help. The case is closed for him, this new turn of events a mistake, nothing more, and Nell's attempts to talk to him about the situation are met with anger. And to make matters worse, the whole ordeal is beginning to wear on her relationship with her daughter.
Nell is determined to find the answers to her questions, though. Is DuPree, now a much-changed man, really innocent? Could Nell have been wrong all those years ago? Does her husband—or her daughter—know something about the case Nell doesn't? But secrets buried for twenty years tend to grow roots, to burrow deep; and they are not unearthed easily. Every answer produces more questions, and Nell's search eventually leads her to the one person she hasn't approached: the freed man himself. As the pieces fall into place, Nell realizes that the truth—and very real danger—could be much closer than she ever imagined.
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Bullet Point
Wyatt never really thought much about his dad—a hardened criminal, a lifer in a prison somewhere on the other side of the state. But then the economy had to go and tank, and the community had to go and cut the baseball program from Wyatt's high school. And then the coach had to go and show Wyatt a photograph of his dad at sixteen, looking very much like Wyatt himself. Through a series of unfortunate—or perhaps they were fortunate—events, Wyatt meets a crazy-hot girl named Greer with a criminal dad of her own. A criminal dad who is, in fact, in jail with Wyatt's own criminal dad. Greer arranges a meeting, and Wyatt's dad is nothing like the guy he's imagined—he's suave, and smart, and funny, and cool, and—Wyatt's pretty sure—innocent. So Wyatt decides to help him out. A decision that may possibly be the worst he's ever made in his life.
This is another hold-your-breath thriller by the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award nominated Peter Abrahams.
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Quacky Baseball
It's opening day at the ballpark, and Thumby Duckling is nervous. He hopes it won't be one, two, three strikes, he's out! Trailing by three in the bottom of the ninth, the Webbies are counting on Thumby to save the day. Can Thumby shake his jitters and show his team that he's a star player?
From Peter Abrahams and Frank Morrison comes the story of one duck's quest to make it in the big leagues.
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Reality Check
by Jen Calonita, Peter Abrahams
Will Cody save clea before it's too late? QB of the varsity football team. Passing grades in all his classes. Dating the hottest—and smartest—girl at school. Summer job paying more than minimum wage. Things in Cody's world seem to be going pretty well. Until, that is, his girlfriend, Clea, is sent off to boarding school across the country, and a torn ACL ends his high school football career. But bad things come in threes—or in Cody's case, sixes and twelves—and the worst is yet to come. While limping through town one day, Cody sees a newspaper headline: "Local Girl Missing." Clea, now his ex, has disappeared from her boarding school in Vermont, and the only clue is a letter she sent to Cody the morning of her disappearance. With that as his guide, Cody sets out to find out what happened. Once in Vermont, he unearths the town's secrets—and finds out that football isn't the only thing he's good at.
This is another edge-of-your-seat suspense novel by the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author of Down the Rabbit Hole.
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Reality Check
by Jen Calonita, Peter Abrahams
Sixteen-year-olds Charlie, Keiran, Brooke, and Hallie have just been signed up for their own reality television show. They can't even believe it. "You'll be The Hills meets The Secret Life of the American Teenager," the Armani-suited executive tells them, "and the hottest thing on our network." How could they say no?
But soon enough, cameras following them everywhere and interfering producers surreptitiously scripting their lives start to affect the four best friends' relationship. Brooke seems to want all the screen time. Keiran is abruptly written out of the show-and consequently the group's friendship-when she doesn't rate well. As soon as Charlie realizes what's going on, she figures out the perfect way to give the studio and her home audience a much-needed reality check.
Because friends don't let friends do reality shows.
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Up All Night: A Short Story Collection
by Sarah Weeks, David Levithan, Libba Bray, Patricia McCormick, Peter Abrahams, Gene Yang
Six best-selling authors--Peter Abrahams, Libba Bray, David Levithan, Patricia McCormick, Sarah Weeks, and Gene Luen Yang--respond to the question: What keeps you up all night? with remarkable stories of revelations, confessions, murder, and mystery in each of the authors' powerful style.
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The Outlaws of Sherwood Street: Stealing from the Rich
Robbie Forester always knew life wasn't fair, but she never thought she could do anything about it--until one day when a powerful charm comes into her possession and guides her, her friends, and her dog Pendleton on the path to justice. Unfortunately, the path has gotten dangerous, and Robbie and her friends find themselves in a menacing world of thievery, arson, big yachts, and even bigger bank accounts. Will Robbie and her band of thieves end up in more trouble than they ever could have imagined?
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The Outlaws of Sherwood Street: Giving to the Poor
A modern-day Robin Hood by a New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author!
Robbie Forester has learned the hard way that life isn’t fair. So have her friends Ashanti, Silas and Tut-Tut. But Robbie and her friends—who call themselves the Outlaws of Sherwood Street—want to change that.
When Sheldon Gun, an evil business man, ends up killing Silas’s father so he can build a new apartment complex in Brooklyn, the Outlaws know it’s up to them to make Sheldon Gun pay. With street smarts, Silas’s inventions, and a little help from a charm bracelet, these friends know they can take on Sheldon Gun and win—at least, they hope so. If not, they may end up just like Silas’s dad. This story is filled with action, adventure, social justice and great friends--and is especially relevant during our current economy and the rise of the Occupy Everywhere movement. Perfect for fans of young detectives like Nancy Drew, Enola Holmes, and Gilda Joyce.
Peter Abrahams, who also writes the Chet & Bernie mysteries as Spencer Quinn, is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Echo Falls series as well as teen novels Reality Check and Bullet Point. His adult novel, The Fan, was turned into a feature film starring Robert DeNiro and Wesley Snipes. Stephen King has called Abrahams “my favorite American suspense novelist."
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The Outlaws of Sherwood Street: Giving to the Poor
A modern-day Robin Hood by a New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author!
Life isn't fair. But Robbie Forester and her friends want to change that by fighting injustice. When evil businessman Sheldon Gunn ends up killing Silas’s father, the Outlaws know it’s up to them to make him pay. With street smarts, Silas’s inventions, and a little help from a charm bracelet, these friends know they can take on Sheldon Gunn and win—at least, they hope so. If they can’t, they might end up just like Silas’s dad.
The Outlaws of Sherwood Street: Giving to the Poor is perfect for fans of young detectives like Nancy Drew, Enola Holmes, and Gilda Joyce.
“Peter Abrahams is one of those writers you tell your friends about.”—The Washington Post
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Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood Street
Stephen King's "Favorite American Suspense Novelist" is launching a new series for middle graders
Robbie Forester always knew life wasn't fair, but she never thought she could do anything about it. Until one day a powerful charm comes into her possession, a charm that guides her, her three friends, and her dog Pendleton on the path to justice. But the charm doesn't seem to understand that the path has gotten dangerous, and Robbie and her friends find themselves in a menacing world of thievery, arson, big yachts, and even bigger bank accounts. Will Robbie and her band of thieves end up in more trouble than they ever could have imagined? Edgar Award–winning novelist Peter Abrahams weaves a tale of action, adventure, danger, and magic that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, guessing at every turn.
"Unputdownable. Memorable characters and a breakneck pace make Robbie Forester the total package." - Stephen King
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Mine Boy: The First Modern Novel of Black South Africa
Xuma faces the complexities of urban life in Johannesburg.
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