The Man in the Top Hat

by Molly Mueller

"In 1995, Wisconsin saw one of the hottest summers ever recorded. Midwestern summers were always hot, but this one was different. Over 150 people died from excessive heat that year. Kids, old people… just dropped dead. It was in the middle of a record heat wave, and we ran out of things to do weeks ago. School would start soon, but there was just enough life left in summer to save. It was almost all I had been able to think about lately. Everything coming to an end."

When an unidentified body is found decaying near the quiet village of Kansas, Wisconsin, life moves on for most people—but not for precocious teenager Louise Miller. As the adults turn a blind eye to the tragedy, Louise spends the last sweltering weeks of summer digging into the silence and the lies, unraveling secrets about her town, its mysterious past, and something or someone that may have been watching all along.

Readers are "Goosebumps at the end! Goosebumps! Will there be a book two?"

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2026

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great debut

Took me a few chapters to get into the story, but then couldn't put it down. The descriptions of the four main kids and every day life are believable and relatable, really good details. Storyline was interesting, a little creepy at times, and suspenseful, enough to keep me reading (and reading). Would like to read what happens next . . . .

[Elissa]

I really enjoyed The Man in the Top Hat. Mueller is a talented writer—everything in this novel is so full of detail, emotion, and youthful angst. It's not easy to create such intense feeling on the page, but she did. After the first 40 pages or so, things really picked up and I was hooked! I was eager to see how everything would wrap up, too, and the ending really got me.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an impressive debut novel! This book was captivating from the start, with a clever, suspenseful storyline that kept me thinking and guessing. The characters felt relatable, and the writing was smart and engaging. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

[Kim Gasbarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgia with a shiver down the spine! The Man in the Top Hat by Molly Mueller mixes real suspense with the exact flavor of childhood summers—sleepovers, séances, and those forbidden cemetery walks after dark. It feels like a trip down memory lane that suddenly turns dangerous. Engaging the whole way through, and the ending leaves you hungry for Book 2. Excellent read.

[Damon Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book begins with what feels like a mourning of the loss of childhood told through fizzling late-stage friendships, but quickly turns into something more sinister. Almost as if the secrets of the town manifested themselves into something physical and terrifying, but I'll not say any more than that. Love the '90s tone while keeping it timeless. Love the precociousness of Louise as well; very much reminded me of myself as a kid with the way she worried and what she notices. Ultimately, it feels like a very bad dream about the beginning of the end of youth.