Behind the Curtain audiobook

This is the second of the Echo Falls Mystery books, which began with Down The Rabbit Hole. The main character, Ingrid Levin-Hill, is a middle school student sleuth, who loves, loves, loves Sherlock Holmes.In this installment, Ingrid's quiet little world starts to go topsy-turvy. Her brother, the only Freshman on the High School Varsity football team, turns moody. While spotting him one night (much to her chagrin, as Ty is lifting far more weight than she could ever help him with), she notices his back is covered with pimples--also unusual for him, though she doesn't know what to make of it until later when a randomly understood comment in Health class catches her attention. Steroids can cause acne.Meanwhile, Ingrid's father has become a different sort of person--sullen and cranky. Working all the time. No fun to talk too. While she feels a hidden issue of the local paper announcing a new hire at the Ferrand Group, where her father works, must have something to do with it, since she was never supposed to have seen that paper, there's not much she can ask about it. Besides, he seems not to hear her most of the time anyway.Then comes the finding of a Mexican pill bottle in her old childhood tree house, finding Ty's DVD player missing only have it to return (and the pill bottle disappear). The new assistant soccer coach beaming the head coach in the head with a ball and acting innocent. The weirdness is adding up, and Ingrid is sure it has to mean something.When she's kidnapped the morning of MathFest she knows something is going on. Only she has no evidence to back herself up, when all is said and done, and finds almost no one believing her.____________This was an exceptionally fun book to read. I think maybe even a little better than the first installment, though admittedly I can't remember much about it other than it left me looking out for this one. They don't need to be read in order either. While this book makes some references to the other, it's nothing really central or that will leave you lacking any pertinent information.Ingrid is a really vibrant character, and watching her mind put things together, with and without the help of Sherlock Holmes stories that she can recall at will, is great fun.I don't usually go in for mysteries, but I wouldn't want to miss one of these. Eagerly awaiting book 3.

I really appreciate the degree to which Abrahams completely does not compromise on a cozy mystery plot just because the protagonist is an eighth grader. It was a remarkably tense read, perhaps in part because I'm used to the stakes of adult mysteries and man is this kid gonna get herself in trouble - and she does. I'm not 100% sold on the final escalation - it's one thing to have a villain revealed in the last act, but it's another to have that villain have almost no actual characterization (largely because like most of the villains in this series, she is an adult and therefore not really socializing with Our Hero very much) - and it really strikes me as more lead-in to the next book than a satisfying resolution in this one, but that's a fairly minor quibble about an otherwise delightful book.

You are thirteen years old. You wake up to the sound of a blaring alarm. You look over at your clock and see it is eight thirty a.m. You jump up remembering you have Mathfest in thirty minutes and run downstairs. Once into the kitchen, you see that everyone has left so you have to ride your bike to Mathfest. Your heart is beating a mile a minute as you enter the garage to retrieve your bike. As you go to get your bike a hand wraps duct tape around your eyes and mouth and your whole world goes black. This is what happens to Ingrid, the main character in Behind the Curtain, written by Peter Abrahams and published in 2006. This book is a must-read because it has relatable characters and has a plot that is unpredictable. Behind the curtain is about a girl named Ingrid, who is a thirteen years old and in seventh grade. She loves to read, especially Sherlock Holmes. Ingrid lives with her 15-year-old brother, Ty, her mom, and her dad. In this story, Ingrid gets kidnapped while on her way to Mathfest. Before Ingrid is kidnapped she can see that Ty is getting really strong. In just days Ingrid can see a difference in Ty’s strength and starts to think that something fishy is going on with him. Then she sees him hanging around shady people and suspects that something strange is going on around town. Ingrid manages to escape from her kidnapper and returns home but she wonders if anyone will believe her story. This mystery takes place throughout the town of Echo Falls. The theme of the story is to keep trying until you cannot try anymore. This story revolves around who kidnapped Ingrid and what is going on around town. One thing that makes this book good is how easily the reader can relate to the characters. One character is Ingrid, the main character. She is easy to relate to because she is a typical seventh grader. Even if you are not in middle school anymore, most people remember living through those years. Ingrid has little fights with her brother like most people do. She lives in a house in a suburban neighborhood with her mom, dad, brother and dog. Just like many 7th graders, Ingrid plays a sport, soccer, goes to after-school activities, attends sleepovers with her friends and goes to school everyday. Ingrid's parents are easy to relate to also. They have a job that they go to every day. When they get home they have to drive Ingrid to practice, bring Ty to a game, make dinner and walk the dog. As parents they are always busy. Because the characters are easy to relate to, it helps to make the story easy to believe and keeps the reader in the story.Another thing that makes this book so enjoyable is how unpredictable the plot is. It keeps you, the reader, at the edge of your seat wondering about every page. At the beginning of the book it seems like the story is going to be about Ingrid at Mathfest when suddenly the plot switches directions and she is kidnapped from her garage. When Ingrid escapes from the trunk of the kidnapper’s car, the plot takes another turn. Another plot twist occurs when Ingrid thinks she has identified her kidnappers, but she is mistaken and the real result is surprising. The ever-changing plot keeps the book fun to read. Some people might not even pick this book up because it is in the mystery genre and they say they do not like mystery books because of they are too scary or suspenseful . Even though it is labeled a mystery, it is not full of high suspense or scary images. This book does not cause nightmares or leave the reader uncomfortable. It is a mystery in the daily life of a thirteen year old. I would recommend Behind the Curtain because of the relatable characters and unpredictable story line. It is a mystery book, but it is not a scary one. Next time you are looking for a terrific book to read, give Behind the Curtain a try.

What an amazing book! The storyline is a little similar to the first one though.. other than that I loved it! Why is the tile "Behind the Curtain?"

The last book I read was "Behind The Curtain" by Peter Abrahams. This book follows the life of a young 13 year old girl Ingrid, who plays soccer and idolizes Sherlock Holmes. After many mysterious changes in her town of Echo Falls, Ingrid begins to try and find out who is "really running the town." While searching for clues, Ingrid is kidnapped but escapes with an unbelievable story for others to hear. Throughout the story, this young girl try to expose the scandal in her town while putting her own life and others lives in danger. I liked this book a lot and there is not much I would want to change about it. I thought that the author did an amazing job of using wonderful vocabulary to help the reader really understand and visualize the story. Also, when I was reading I felt as if this was a picture book. I felt this way because if the incredible vocabulary, word choice, and style of writing. If I had to change anything, it would be to make the paragraphs longer. I felt as if each paragraph was only a few pages long. This also might have been because I enjoyed the book immensely that it "flew by". I would recommend this book mostly to kids my age and under. Although this was a very good and entertaining book, it was not very challenging. I feel that anyone above my age, and maybe even myself would become a little bored. This might because the vocabulary is good but not very "mature". I would recommend this book to all kids, teens and others who like a good story with wonderful imagery!

12-year-old Ingrid Levin-Hill is an expert on Sherlock Holmes and a drama queen. Not really the queen, but she always gets the lead of her middle school's theater productions even when someone else auditions for the role. Using her best Sherlock-like observational skills, she decides something wrong is going on and her brother is involved. Plus, what's going on at her dad's job since that new woman VP came to town? And why, oh why is Chloe all of the sudden wanting to be friends? And then she gets kidnapped! I've read other books by Peter Abrahams and have enjoyed them all. I have a special fondness for Ingrid though. Glad I've finally discovered her.

Unlike many other reviewers, I enjoyed this book as much or more than its predecessor. Yes, I groaned at some of Ingrid’s foolish decisions and the flimsy justifications she gave herself for them, but I can certainly imagine—even remember!—people her age who would do the same. But Nigel, if you’re really going to be girl’s best friend, you’ve got to spend less time lifting your leg, or chewing on things, and more keeping her out of danger!

I like this book very much. It had a great plot and it was very descriptive. It was a very intriguing book with lots of things that got your brain to think and question as you read along. There was that one big mystery of who done it and in the end of the book the antagonist is revealed and there is a lot of action that takes place during that point in the book. The descriptions were very precise that I could imagine what it would be like to be there in the moment. The book was great to read.

Ingrid is back in this second book in the Echo Falls trilogy. She is concerned because her dad seems stressed with work, her brother is moody and mean and her soccer coach has been injured and replaced by a woman who seems to be ready to replace her dad in his job. On top of all that, Ingrid is kidnapped but the evidence has disappeared and no one seems to believe her. With doubts from everyone, she is left to try to solve the mystery of her kidnapping herself. Little did she know the dangers she was about to face.

Enjoyable little mystery with a convincingly 13-yo protagonist possessing a precocious streak. Lots of hijinks, the broader family story is developed, Ingrid grows a little savvier as she stumbles through unravelling another mystery and it has a satisfying conclusion. I think the denouement could’ve been stretched out a litttllle longer. Felt rushed.

Not at all what I was expecting, have had this book for ages to read due to self isolating decided I would give it a go. Having not read the previous book I cannot compare them but I just loved it an easy read, good plot and quirky humour. Loved Ingrid.Thoroughly enjoyed it would recommend.

Who knew? You don't have to be a middle schooler to enjoy this book! This senior citizen adored it and if you are already a fan of Chet and Bernie you'll most likely love it too!

** spoiler alert ** This kid sure likes to drown the bad guys!

Good books and easy reads. The perfect book to read in a day, the story line keeps you engaged and the characters are ones you care about