When Jimmy and Claire are invited to spend the summer with their cousin and uncle, they don't know what to expect. Their family has always depicted the wealthy Uncle Roger as eccentric and reclusive. Neither sibling has ever met Roger's stepdaughter, Natasha. Why would he want two teenagers visiting him?
The mystery deepens when the two learn more about Roger's mysterious mansion, Ghost Deer Manor. According to Antonio and Maria, the teenage children of Roger's cook, there are many strange aspects of the house. Whole sections of the house are off limits to all but their eccentric uncle, a secretive team of Russian genetics researchers, and a menacing Jesuit priest. Enormous quantities of food arrive at the manor and then disappear without any clue as to who is eating it.
Claire, who has a wild imagination, is convinced that something very sinister is going on in the hidden parts of the mansion. When Jimmy, Claire, Antonio, and Maria meet two local teens, Marvin and Amelie, the six form the White Antler Club to get to the bottom of the manor's secrets.
The six club members aren't automatic friends, and it takes time for them to learn to trust each other. A romantic rivalry between Claire and Natasha over Antonio also complicates things. They must work together to solve a number of puzzles that Uncle Roger gives them. They must also find the courage to conduct the eavesdropping, trespassing, and even grave digging needed to unlock the manor's mysteries. Will the six teenagers be able to overcome these challenges and solve the house's riddles?
About the Author: Christopher Dyson works as an energy efficiency consultant in Madison, Wisconsin. Aside from a short adventure story in the vein of J. R. R. Tolkien that he wrote when he was ten, The Secrets of Ghost Deer Manor is Dyson's first work of fiction.
