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    Out of Tune: A Riley Donovan mystery
    Out of Tune: A Riley Donovan mystery
    Out of Tune: A Riley Donovan mystery
    Ebook183 pages2 hours

    Out of Tune: A Riley Donovan mystery

    By Norah McClintock

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Everyone in town thinks they know who killed their musical prodigy, but Riley Donovan will have the final say.

    In Riley Donovan's last whodunit mystery, Alicia, a talented high school violinist, is found bludgeoned to death in a field on the outskirts of town. The small town's suspicion immediately falls on Carrie, the teen's musical rival. But Riley isn't convinced of Carrie's guilt, and even though her police-officer aunt tells her to stay out of it, Riley goes searching for the truth. Did Carrie really kill Alicia in a fit of jealous rage, or is there another explanation for Alicia's death?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers
    Release dateOct 24, 2017
    ISBN9781459814677
    Out of Tune: A Riley Donovan mystery
    Author

    Norah McClintock

    Norah McClintock won the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for crime fiction for young people five times. She wrote more than sixty YA novels, including contributions to Seven (the series), the Seven Sequels and the Secrets series.

    Read more from Norah Mc Clintock

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    Reviews for Out of Tune

    3.5/5

    24 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Received this from Early Reviewers. Apparently this is the third in a YA mystery series. I started this book thinking I wouldn't like it. I'm pretty disappointed in the state of YA books being put out these days. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This book was really pretty good. Quick, easy read and fun. Of course I'm past being the intended audience of these books but this took me back to my days reading Hardy Boys mysteries. I could really see this being a movie or television series, I'm surprised that it hasn't yet. I am looking forward to reading more of Riley Donovan's adventures.
    • 4/5
      I enjoy the Riley Donovan character very much, mostly because she doesn’t go looking for trouble and it finds her anyway. In this book, a girl who believes she’s going to be a suspect asks Riley for Help and shortly afterwards that girl is arrested for murder. But things are not adding up so Riley keeps digging. Great light young adult mystery series with nothing inappropriate.
    • 4/5
      Like Far Above, which I reviewed in September 2016, Out of Tune is another well written mystery novel directed at younger teens. The mystery is engrossing and, despite initial appearances, the murderer is not who you think, but the tracks are there so the conclusion is not just pulled out of thin air.Riley Donovan has gained a reputation by this book so the suspect asks her to look into it. Riley is smart and inquisitive.If you have a young fan of mysteries and reading, I would definitely direct them toward this series.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this final Riley Donovan mystery. Her reason for getting involved was solid and related directly back to previous books. There was no romance, but lots of authentic small town carping and envy. The plot twists were well telegraphed but not dully predictable, and Riley was in a huge amount of danger for this relatively quiet story. I liked her independence and willingness to rely on her friends.(I got this book through Early Reviewers)
    • 4/5
      The story follows Riley, a teen with a knack for solving crimes, as she works to figure out who killed one of her classmates. Well written and realistic teenage characters. This was a fast and enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      This book seemed to be targeted more for an age group younger than me, but I still thought it was a well thought-out mystery. I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the book.This book can definitely be read as a standalone, though there are a few references to earlier mysteries. However, I felt like the character arcs were a bit thin, as the story seemed very plot-centric, but I do wonder if I would have had a better connection with the characters if I read the previous books.Nevertheless, this was a quick and delightful read, perfect for readers twelve and up.
    • 3/5
      One of Riley's classmates has been accused of killing another girl due to their musical rivalry. Carrie says she didn't do it, and Riley decides to look into the killing to see what really could have happened.
    • 3/5
      This was a fast young adult mystery. Intriguing to try to figure out the motive of the killer. In the end, the answer to "Who did it?" was pretty predictable.
    • 4/5
      As soon as I saw Norah's new book, I snapped it up immediately. It read as well as the first one, a good pace and very likable characters. I was able to figure out whodunit on this one. However, I had one problem with this story, the motive behind the murder seemed a little more adult than I would expect from a book for teens. I'm not sure my son will understand why the girl was killed.
    • 4/5
      OUT OF TUNE is a new addition to the Riley Donovan YA mystery series. In this book Riley is shocked when a beautiful and talented classmate is found dead on the edge of town. Carrie, another classmate, is quickly accused of the killing, and it’s up to Riley to clear Carrie’s name. To find the real killer, however, Riley must work her way through a web of lies and misdirection. The plot presents Riley’s most challenging puzzle — and most menacing opponent — so far.This novel finds Riley well grounded in the series. As a character she’s really starting to come into her own; her aunt, the terse police detective, is much more offstage than in earlier books, and Riley is a much stronger leader than in earlier stories. The resolution of this novel is also particularly twisty. When the conclusion arrives, it’s truly suspenseful, and I found myself racing through the pages to find out what happened. This novel stands alone just fine — readers don’t need to have read the previous books in the series, although this one might encourage readers to read back. OUT OF TUNE is a strong teen mystery with many points of entry for readers who think they don’t like mysteries. I really enjoyed this book.
    • 3/5
      This novel surprised me. I had anticipated more of a dark tone since murder isn’t a very light subject, but this novel was refreshing; while there were some darker and suspenseful moments, the majority of the novel was fairly light. The plot was well thought out, and I will admit there were a few very effective plot twists. The author’s incorporation of small facts and making them have high importance to the plotline was very compelling. The characters were interesting-with all of them having their own unique personalities. I also really enjoyed the vivid descriptions that were scattered throughout the book. Overall ‘Out of Tune’ was good, not life changing but defiantly an enjoyable read.

    Book preview

    Out of Tune - Norah McClintock

    ONE

    ONE

    I first got involved on the Saturday following the Wednesday that was officially the last time anyone saw the missing girl. I got involved because of Charlie.

    It was a clear mid-autumn afternoon. Around Moorebridge, where I live, that means field after brown field cleared and prepped for winter. It also means vast expanses of crimson, lemon, umber, pumpkin and tangerine in the tree breaks between fields and in the woodlots and forest that surround the town. We were on a road that hugged the perimeter of a stretch of forest north of town, we being Charlie, Ashleigh and, of course, me.

    You can’t be serious. The aggrieved expression on Ashleigh’s face was a perfect match for her whiny tone of voice. She’d been complaining more or less all morning, which was starting to drive me crazy, and Charlie looked ready to strangle her. What would she be doing way out here?

    Charlie spoke through gritted teeth. Someone might have seen her. They might have seen if she was with someone.

    At the Trading Post? Ashleigh shook her head impatiently.

    It’s possible, Charlie said.

    And the Pines—which, may I point out, closed for the season two weeks ago? Or Broom’s Corners, population fifty-three. Unless someone died recently.

    You can always turn back, Charlie said. If I had to bet, I’d bet he was hoping she would.

    She didn’t. Tell me again why we’re doing all this, she said instead.

    You know why we’re doing it. Charlie is generally a Clark Kent type. Mild mannered. Even gentle. But not at that exact moment. He spoke slowly, through clenched teeth, as if he was trying to tamp down the exasperation that had been evident from the first moment Ashleigh decided to join us on our outing. We’re doing it because Alicia is missing.

    We had been out on our bikes all morning, delivering Have You Seen This Girl? flyers around town, and now we were heading out of town.

    But it’s a long way to Broom’s Corners, Ashleigh said, and there’s zero chance that Alicia would ever go there.

    Charlie’s jaw clenched.

    If you want to wait here, I said quickly, I’ll go with Charlie and you can take a break. Anything to restore the peace between the two of them or, at least, cut down on Ashleigh’s incessant grumbling.

    No, no, I’ll come. She said this with a heavy sigh, as if she were doing us a huge favor.

    Charlie glanced at me, rolling his eyes. All I could do was shrug helplessly and hope that Ashleigh’s mood would improve.

    We rode roughly two miles along a tree-lined, two-lane blacktop until we reached the tiny hamlet of Broom’s Corners. It consisted of a dozen or so houses spread out along the east-west and north-south crossroads. It also had a gas station (the vacant-eyed guy at the cash register barely looked at the photo on the flyer), an antiques store that sold mostly old farm furniture and knickknacks from estate sales and wood from old torn-down barns and farm sheds, an agricultural-implements dealership (the sharply dressed salesman promised to put the poster up right in the showroom) and a bakery, where the two women behind the counter, one old, one young with a small child clinging to her, studied the flyer with concern. A dental office and a real estate office flanked a burger place in the smallest strip mall I have ever seen. We papered tiny Broom’s Corners with flyers.

    From there we rode back on a different road that ran beside the farthest edge of a large wooded area that bordered Moorebridge to the north.

    Are we going home? Ashleigh asked, her voice buoyed with hope.

    Not yet.

    Instead we rode about a mile to the Trading Post, which consisted of the Trading Post itself and its burger shack, where you could buy burgers, hot dogs, fries and onion rings and eat them at the picnic tables on the adjacent lawn. Across the parking lot was a laundromat that was heavily used by campers, RVers, tourists and truckers. Charlie pulled some flyers out from under the brick in the milk crate attached to the back of his bike and handed a couple to each of us. Laundromat, he said to Ashleigh. To me, Utility posts. I’ll do the Trading Post.

    Ashleigh scowled at the face on the flyer. "What does that even mean—missing? So she’s not home. Big deal. She’s sixteen. She has free will. Maybe she even developed a spine. She could be anywhere."

    Developed a spine? I knew from Ashleigh’s body language, comments and general lack of enthusiasm that she was not as concerned about the possibility of missing Alicia Allen as Charlie was.

    She sucks up to everyone, Ashleigh said. There are two reasons people do that, Riley. To manipulate. Or to please, in order to be loved. Alicia is definitely the latter. She’s one of those girls you just want to kill. Little Miss Perfect. Since kindergarten, no less. Teacher’s pet since then too.

    Wait a minute, I said. What was she doing in your kindergarten class? She’s older than you. She’s graduating this year, isn’t she?

    We had a joint junior-senior kindergarten class, Charlie said.

    Then, of course, Miss Perfect skipped a grade or two, Ashleigh added. Not that it’s at all relevant to my point.

    Which is? I asked.

    Which is that there were four parts to the show.

    The one in kindergarten? I asked.

    That’s what I said, isn’t it? There were two musical numbers and two skits. Our class spent a whole month rehearsing for a show for our families. Everyone was supposed to have the chance to participate. But guess who was in all four parts? Ashleigh’s face turned red with remembered resentment.

    Come on, you’re not still upset about that, are you? Charlie shook his head in disbelief. Ms. Farmington, our teacher, didn’t realize until nearly performance day that Ashleigh didn’t have a part, he explained. You could have spoken up, Ashleigh. You could have told her.

    I was five years old! And anyway, what does that have to do with Alicia getting four parts? A spray of spit filled the air between them. This was turning into a serious argument.

    Whoa, you two. Time-out, I said.

    No one has heard from Alicia in over two days. Charlie directed this to me, as if he needed to justify himself. She’s not answering her phone. Her parents are worried sick. They live on our street, Riley. I’ve known Alicia my whole life. He glowered at Ashleigh. It’s not like I twisted your arm. You volunteered to help.

    I didn’t know it would take all day.

    We’re almost done, Charlie said. There’s just this place and the Pines.

    Ashleigh’s eyes bugged out. The Pines is at least a mile down the road! And it’s closed. Why bother?

    Maybe the caretaker saw her.

    Oh, come on, Charlie. What are the chances?

    You didn’t have to come, Charlie said with barely contained frustration. I didn't think he realized it, but he was crushing the flyers as he curled his hands into fists.

    I have an idea, I said. One that would get me away from the two of them for a little while. Why don’t you two paper this place with flyers and then get a hot chocolate at the Trading Post? I’ll ride down to the Pines.

    You don’t know how to get there, Charlie said, at the exact same moment that Ashleigh said, Terrific. Thanks, Riley. I owe you big-time. And don’t worry. You can’t get lost. You just go down the road that way—she pointed—"until you get to the big sign that says The Pines with the arrow pointing to it. As she said this, she shot Charlie a withering look. It’s not exactly hard to find."

    I mounted my bike before Charlie could speak again. Wait for me here, I called as I pedaled off.

    The air was redolent with the slow decay of autumn. The woods on either side of the road were silent. It was a pleasant change from Ashleigh and Charlie’s sniping at each other.

    I had to agree with Charlie. No one had strong-armed Ashleigh into joining us. Nor had either of us suggested in any way that we would think badly of her if she chose not to come. But that wasn’t what had happened. She’d said okay, and then she’d started to grouse. I was glad we were almost done.

    The road to the Pines was more uphill than I would have liked, but that meant it would be a downhill coast back to Charlie and Ashleigh. I’d worked up a sweat by the time I saw the sign with its huge red arrow pointing left, and it was a relief to reach the cabins at the end of the resort’s long driveway. I stopped and took a big gulp from my water bottle.

    I set my bike on its kickstand and walked toward the cabin with Office over the door. I turned the knob and stepped inside. The front counter, which divided the small room in half, was unstaffed. The door behind the desk was ajar, giving me a glimpse of a tidy desk and an old-fashioned beige telephone.

    Hello! I called.

    No answer. I tried again. Louder.

    Hel-lo-oh!

    Still no answer.

    I slid a couple of flyers onto the counter, grabbed the pen that was chained down and began to compose a note on the back of an out-of-date What’s Happening In and Around Moorebridge brochure. A voice behind me made me jump.

    Can I help you with something?

    I spun around. A man in faded denim overalls, a plaid flannel shirt and a plaid hat with the earflaps turned up stood behind me, toolbox in work-gloved hand. He had the ruddy face of someone who spent a lot of time outdoors. His sharp blue eyes went to the counter where I had started to compose my note.

    Oh, hey. My name is Riley. Riley Donovan.

    Gord Cooper. He set his toolbox on the counter and pulled off one glove. We shook. His hand was large and warm and smooth.

    We’re handing out these flyers. I gave him one. A girl is missing. I don’t suppose you’ve seen her, have you?

    He stared at the picture before shaking his head slowly.

    Afraid I haven’t seen her. But then we haven’t had much traffic down here since we closed for the season. How long has she been missing?

    Since Wednesday.

    Gord Cooper looked at the photo again. Well, I’ll keep my eyes open. But from what I hear, no one comes here this time of year except by accident.

    Well, if you do happen to see her, her parents’ number is there.

    Okay.

    Before I was ready for it, it was time for my rendezvous with Charlie and Ashleigh. I found them sitting on the Trading Post’s front porch, both clutching large takeout cups of hot chocolate. Mercifully, they weren’t squabbling. Unfortunately, this was because they had stopped talking to each other completely. They were faced away from each other, and both were scrolling through their phones. All in all, it was an improvement.

    Charlie was the first to look up.

    They’re putting together a search party for tomorrow, he said.

    Ashleigh managed to show her disapproval without taking her eyes from her own phone. Her folks should learn to relax.

    It’s not her parents who are organizing the search party. It’s the cops. A truck driver saw one of these flyers. He thinks he saw Alicia going into the woods. The cops are asking for volunteers. You’ll come, right? He was looking at me.

    Sure, I said.

    Charlie didn’t ask Ashleigh, and Ashleigh didn’t say a word, not then and not any time later in the day, even though we texted back and forth a couple of times. So I was surprised to see her at the muster location first thing the next morning, bleary-eyed and clutching a takeout latte.

    TWO

    No offense, but I wasn’t expecting you, I said.

    Ashleigh’s mouth turned down as if she was going to spit.

    Charlie already thinks I’m the Wicked Witch of the West, she said. "And look around. What would happen to my reputation if I didn’t show up when literally the whole rest of the town did?"

    It’s not even figuratively the whole rest of the town, I said, although I had to admit that it was a pretty impressive crowd. And exactly what reputation are we talking about?

    I don’t want everyone at school to think I hated Alicia or anything. I mean, what if she turns up dead?

    I glanced around hastily. Someone had said Alicia’s parents were here, but I had no idea what they looked like. I’d have hated for either of them to overhear Ashleigh.

    Well, I’m glad you’re here, I said. Let’s go and see what we’re supposed to do.

    We joined the healthy turnout from school, the dozens of worried adults, and the police over at the mustering area. Aunt Ginny was there, of course. She wasn’t coordinating the search—the police chief was taking care of that himself—but she was in charge of one of the four volunteer search teams that had been assigned different quadrants of the woods. Each quadrant had been subdivided,

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