The+Mystery+of+the+Martello+Tower

By **Jennifer Lanthier**

Twelve year old Hazel and her brother Ned live with their dad in a great building in New York City right above an art gallery he owns. Ned and Hazel are close because they have no mom and apparently no other family. Hazel often wonders why there were no pictures or other reminders of when she was a baby. She certainly did not want to bring up any memories of the past with her dad, as this always made him so sad. Oh yes, the one thing Hazel does know about her family is that her dad is very wealthy.

Then suddenly Hazel’s father goes missing. Hazel has to try to figure out where in the world he could be. She finds some messages on his e-mail account. One is from someone named Oliver about a family reunion, and the other is from an Inspector O’Toole from Interpol about some kind of investigation. Both are very puzzling messages. They have no family so what is the Family Reunion all about? The police want to talk to her father? What kind of trouble could he be in? Hazel has terrible dreams---

Read page 40 Hazel was in the tower room again ….. page 41---Home

The next bizarre thing that happens is Hazel gets a fax from her friend Alysha who used to live in Paris. She sent a picture of a man with an unshaven face, wild eyes, wearing a prison uniform. His hands are handcuffed behind his back. It is a picture of their dad. The second picture is of a man Hazel and Ned have seen snooping around the gallery of late. They nicknamed him Ferrari guy because he drives an expensive Ferrari. The article that she sent with the pictures talks about an art scandal involving fraud and smuggling. What is their dad involved in? Hazel and Ned are really scared now.

Then Hazel gets an e-mail from a cousin. A cousin Hazel and Ned did not even know they had. Since their dad is in jail in Turkey and the lady who is looking after them has to go their to try and help their dad, Hazel and Ned are sent to Canada to stay with their cousins and their dad’s brother,

When they get to Canada Ferrari guy shows up. Hazel gets this really old painting for her birthday. Bad dreams keep haunting Hazel at night. She is terrified when she looks out her bedroom window and sees the tower that is in all of her dreams. Hazel and Ned have to try to figure out who Ferrari guy is and how he is involved with their father. Then one night she sees lights in the tower.

Page 184 She was standing….. no worries.

Then the men see Hazel Who are these men? What will they do to Hazel? Will Hazel and Ned ever see their father again? Who is the woman in the dreams? And why did their father keep his relatives such a big secret. To the answer to these and other questions read The Mystery of the Martello Tower by Jennifer Lanthier