Conspiracy at the Launch

by Steven K. Smith

A billionaire’s rocket. A dangerous truth. Three kids who know too much.

When Sam, Derek, and Caitlin witness something they shouldn't at a high-stakes rocket launch at Virginia's Wallops Island Space Center, they stumble into a deadly conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of the space industry. A tech billionaire's hidden agenda, unexplained drone sightings along Virginia's Eastern Shore, and a brilliant engineer's mysterious disappearance all point to one chilling someone will do anything to keep their secrets buried.

As the young detectives dig deeper—from NASA's historic Langley Research Center to the corridors of power in Washington—they uncover a web of deception that puts their own lives at risk. With help from a determined investigative reporter, they race to expose the truth about the Helios rocket program before it's too late. But powerful forces are watching their every move, and the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous their pursuit becomes.

The twelfth installment in The Virginia Mysteries series, Conspiracy at the Launch sends readers into a heart-pounding adventure where cutting-edge technology meets old-fashioned detective work. Perfect for young readers who love solving mysteries while exploring real places and events in America's space program.

Also by Steven K.

The Virginia Mysteries Series
Book 1 – Summer of the Woods
Book 2 – Mystery on Church Hill
Book 3 – Ghosts of Belle Isle
Book 4 – Secret of the Staircase
Book 5 – Midnight at the Mansion
Book 6 – Shadows at Jamestown
Book 7 – Spies at Mount Vernon
Book 8 – Escape from Monticello
Book 9 - Pictures at the Protest
Book 10 - Pirates on the Bay
Book 11 - Danger on the Stage
Book 12 - Conspiracy at the Launch

Brother Wars Series
Brother Wars
Cabin Eleven
The Big Apple

Final Kingdom Trilogy (Ages 10+)
The Missing
The Recruit
The Bridge

189 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Margaret Alger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great adventure with mystery story as 3 friends along with a tenacious reporter follow thru to save a space launch. Well written and fun to read!

[Jennifer Bohnhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steven K. Smith has proven time and time again that he knows middle grade readers and he knows Virginia history. In this, the 12th book of the Virginia Mysteries Series, he shows that he also has his finger on the pulse of current events. A mega millionaire genius who produces self driving cars and wants to be big in the aerospace industry (sound like anyone creepily familiar?) is trying to suppress safety reports that don't make him look good, and when Sam, Derek, and Caitlin stumble into learning about it at a rocket launch at Virginia's Wallops Island Space Center, they find themselves in the middle of a dangerous situation that involves unexplained drones and the mysterious disappearance of someone who may have been trying to be a whistleblower. Luckily, they find an ally in a young reporter as they try to uncover the truth before it's too late.

Smith really knows how to ratchet up the adventure in this mystery, and the inclusion of so much that has made the papers recently will really interest readers.

[Elease · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read every Virginia Mystery book aloud to my kids over the past several years. My kids are now 11 and 13, and we all still enjoy these. When we finished Book 11, we had finally caught up and wondered if that was the end of the series. Thankfully for us, it wasn't!
This one maybe wasn't our favorite, but we always love following Derek, Sam, and Caitlin on their adventures wherever they go (although Pictures of the Protest or whatever that one was called was quite the slog...). We're big SpaceX followers, so it was fun and relatable.
We enjoy these books so much, in fact, that they've inspired some of our own VA travels (we live in MD but have family in VA). It started with a trip to Monticello (book 8) a few years ago. Then this spring, we planned a short vacation to Richmond where we followed Derek's and Sam's footsteps to Belle Isle, St. John's Church, the Maymont, and the Jefferson Hotel.
Many thanks to Steven K. Smith for putting out this series. We'll be watching for lucky #13!

[Jessaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of this author and have read every 1 of his Virginia mystery series. Actually, for me this was a 3 star read, but I know others are going to give it 4 stars. I'm just not interested in rockets


This story is about a billionaire who makes his own rockets, but then he knows that something is wrong with this 1 rocket that is going to be launched and he desires to launch it anyway. The boys snoop around and learn all kinds of things And when they went into the luncheon room only 1 of these kids grabbed some shrimp I think I would have opened up my pockets and filled it with all kinds of goodies and I guess this was the best part of the book .But then sneaking around is always fun.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to be impressed with how Smith is able to combine historical topics (specific to VA, mind you) with current events that are already of interest to students. As the Virginia Mysteries series progress, Sam, Derek, and Caitlin all continue grow and mature, and I loved the additional information we get about Sam in this novel. Would easily recommend to any middle-school-aged or older person who is interested in space, mysteries, and Virginia history.

[Cs Knotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great mystery solved by the three kids.

[The History Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series for kids! This latest in the series brings the recent news to life with drones and rocket launches. I never tire of Sam, Derek, and Caitlin's adventures. It's like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys collaborate!