Description
Every family has its secrets.
Summer, 1966: For 13-year-old Gus LeGarde, summertime always means Loon Harbor, his grandparents’ idyllic fishing resort on Great Pond. The season is a grand tradition of swimming, boating, and new adventures with his best friends, twins Siegfried and Elsbeth. But this summer, everything changes when a new lodge down the shore threatens the resort – and triggers a chain of events that will transform Gus and his friends forever.
Customers are leaving Loon Harbor in droves for The Seven Whistles, owned by the wealthy LaFontaines. The Baton Rouge family arrives with better amenities and a much larger staff – among them Wilhelmina “Willy” DuPont, a young black girl whose family works for the LaFontaines. Gus and the twins immediately bring Willy into their circle – but their friendship is soon challenged when events at The Seven Whistles take a terrifying turn.
A mysterious figure haunts the windows of women and young ladies at both camps, escalating from peeper to dangerous stalker. Then the LaFontaines’ spoiled and demanding daughter goes missing – and Willy’s innocent older brother is arrested.
Gus soon discovers that dark secrets lurk beneath the surface of the LaFontaine family, and the stakes are higher than ever imagined as they race to exonerate Willy’s brother and find the real perpetrator – before he finds them.
For all ages. “This is not just a Scooby-Doo mystery that a few intrepid kids set out to solve. Murder, rape, arson, oppression, and bigotry are major elements here, and Gus finds himself right in the thick of it.” Linda O, Amazon reviewer
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Sample
Taveyah LaShay –
The Frailty of Innocence
Aaron Paul Lazar’s Voodoo Summer explores the innocence of children. The plot follows preteens through the vastly different realities of their home life and the outside world. More often than not, the collision guides children’s social compass as they mature.
The book’s main character, 13-year-old Gus LaGarde, has had a few run-ins with the harsh realities of the world before his adventure starts during the Summer of 1966. He’s no stranger to the evils of arson and murder, but now rape, incest, and racial bigotry have been added to the list of his ethical dilemmas when he meets Willy. Their budding friendship immerses him into the taboos of the South, and Gus takes on bullies of all ages to preserve his perception of right and wrong.
I recommend Aaron Paul Lazar’s, Voodoo Summer: a Gus LeGarde Mystery, for any reader looking to remind themselves of the frailty of innocence. – N. Coney
“I requested this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed and have voluntarily left this review.”
Faith –
The story is different; the adventure is different; some of the characters are different; the events are different; but the story, excitement, the thrill of the adventure, all of the characters, the mystery throughout the story, the life events, are all the same as always, making the book (audio) as wonderful as all the rest.
I requested this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed and have voluntarily left this review.
Suzanne Nelson –
This is the story of Gus LeGarde spending another summer at his grandparents’ lakeside resort. Gus is now age thirteen. He experiences many darker adventures this summer. Gus is growing up and sees more of the evil in the world. Along the way, he enjoys the simple pleasures of good food and making new friends. Gus discovers a renewed appreciation for the love of his parents and family. Of course Gus and his friends go through heart-pounding adventures and have new mysteries to uncover!
For fans of the Gus LeGarde series, Siegfried Marggrander’s boating accident and brain injury occur in this book. This event is referred to in the adult Gus LeGarde series books.
This is a not a children’s book. This mystery is not cozy. It is appropriate for adults and older teens. This audiobook is really good! It is well-written and filled with adventure and mystery!