The Tell

Can you catch the suspect before Delia and Coop do?

Ten suspects. Ten alibis. Ten scientific impossibilities hiding in plain sight.

In the small Southern town of Millhaven, Georgia, twelve-year-olds Delia Stokes and her cousin Coop Beaumont have a talent for the things most people walk right past. Delia reads the physics. Coop reads the people. Together, they have never let a guilty alibi stand.

Because people have their own stories. Physics doesn't.

A suspect can rehearse their story a hundred times. They can practice their expression in the mirror. They can pick a cover that has no witnesses and no loose ends. But they cannot make ice sink. They cannot stop rain from leaving a shadow on dry pavement. They cannot stop their eyes from going to the thing they are worried about.

In each of the ten cases in The Tell, you will see every clue Delia and Coop see. At the midpoint of every case, the investigation pauses. That pause belongs to you.

Did you catch The Tell?

Their grandfather, Papaw Stokes, spent thirty-two years as a detective on the Millhaven force. He does not give the kids answers. He gives them better questions. The science does the rest.

Perfect for readers ages 8 to 12 who love mysteries, puzzles, and feeling smarter than the adults in the room.

Each case includes an integrated Detective's Workbook page with evidence tracking, science sidebars, and write-in lines so readers can record their verdicts as they go. A complete Science Reference guide and a Mystery Blueprint for writing original cases are included at the back.

The Millhaven Investigators series uses real principles of physics, chemistry, and behavioral observation to build genuine critical thinking skills, one solved case at a time. Recommended for independent readers, classroom use, and any kid who has ever wanted to catch someone in a lie using nothing but a sharp pair of eyes and the laws of the universe.

Book 1 of The Millhaven Investigators series. Includes integrated Detective's Workbook pages. Printable workbook available at TJStaton.com.