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Until Proven Innocent
“A deftly-written, all-American teen mystery deserving of a broad audience.” –Best Thrillers
When fifteen-year-old Alison's grandfather hints their family was involved in the fiery deaths of a woman and her daughter fifty years ago, her grandmother acts like it's his Alzheimer's talking. Alison doesn't believe her and decides to investigate. She is stunned to learn her grandmother was accused of starting the fatal blaze. Even though she wasn't convicted, she was ostracized by the community and has lived her life under a cloud of suspicion. Alison is determined to find out the real cause of the fire and clear her grandmother's name. But the house in which the family died is slated for demolition in two weeks, so she’s running out of time. And the more clues she uncovers, the closer she gets to unmasking a killer-who may make Alison the next victim.
When fifteen-year-old Alison's grandfather hints their family was involved in the fiery deaths of a woman and her daughter fifty years ago, her grandmother acts like it's his Alzheimer's talking. Alison doesn't believe her and decides to investigate. She is stunned to learn her grandmother was accused of starting the fatal blaze. Even though she wasn't convicted, she was ostracized by the community and has lived her life under a cloud of suspicion. Alison is determined to find out the real cause of the fire and clear her grandmother's name. But the house in which the family died is slated for demolition in two weeks, so she’s running out of time. And the more clues she uncovers, the closer she gets to unmasking a killer-who may make Alison the next victim.
- GenresMystery
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2018
12 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Laura Stewart Schmidt
4 books302 followersLaura Stewart Schmidt is a lifelong avid reader and writer who was inspired by “Good Books for Bad Children” such as Harriet the Spy and Emily of New Moon. She has an MFA in Fiction Writing from Lindenwood University and studied Political Science and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Laura spent several years working as a community education coordinator, encouraging parents to read to their preschoolers and starting reading clubs for middle-school students.
She worked for several years at a non-profit agency offering one-on-one support for children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.
Her ghost story "The Longest Chase" appeared in Archer Publishing's "Dark and Stormy" anthology in 2023. She won the St. Louis Writers Guild Short Story Contest in 2023 with "Going Under" and in 2025 with "A Good Time to Break Down."
Laura is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives near St. Louis, Missouri with her husband and two dogs.
SWEETER THAN LIFE is Laura's debut novel.
UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT, a YA mystery, was published by Black Rose Writing and is available from Amazon.
DON'T FEAR, MY DARLING, a domestic suspense novel, is available from Black Opal Books.
She worked for several years at a non-profit agency offering one-on-one support for children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.
Her ghost story "The Longest Chase" appeared in Archer Publishing's "Dark and Stormy" anthology in 2023. She won the St. Louis Writers Guild Short Story Contest in 2023 with "Going Under" and in 2025 with "A Good Time to Break Down."
Laura is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives near St. Louis, Missouri with her husband and two dogs.
SWEETER THAN LIFE is Laura's debut novel.
UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT, a YA mystery, was published by Black Rose Writing and is available from Amazon.
DON'T FEAR, MY DARLING, a domestic suspense novel, is available from Black Opal Books.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 11, 2019
3.5 STARS
Alison, at age fifteen, hears her grandfather refer to the death of a woman and her daughter 50 years ago when their house was set on fire. The woman's husband disappeared at the same time ... never to be seen or heard from again.
When Alison discovers that her grandmother was accused of starting the fire, although never convicted, she decides to take it upon herself to investigate and clear her grandmother's name.
But there are some secrets, no matter how old, that are never meant to see the light of day. And the more Alison asks questions, the more danger she faces ....
This is a young adult mystery with a satisfying well written story premise. Although more pertaining to young people who enjoy mysteries, there's enough character development that even adults will find this an entertaining read.
Many thanks to the author / Black Rose Writing / Edelweiss for the digital copy of the mystery. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Alison, at age fifteen, hears her grandfather refer to the death of a woman and her daughter 50 years ago when their house was set on fire. The woman's husband disappeared at the same time ... never to be seen or heard from again.
When Alison discovers that her grandmother was accused of starting the fire, although never convicted, she decides to take it upon herself to investigate and clear her grandmother's name.
But there are some secrets, no matter how old, that are never meant to see the light of day. And the more Alison asks questions, the more danger she faces ....
This is a young adult mystery with a satisfying well written story premise. Although more pertaining to young people who enjoy mysteries, there's enough character development that even adults will find this an entertaining read.
Many thanks to the author / Black Rose Writing / Edelweiss for the digital copy of the mystery. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
November 9, 2018
I received a copy of this novel courtesy of LibraryThing Early Reviewers (giveaway) and the publisher.
This book is basically exactly what it says on the tin: a fifteen-year-old girl accidentally finds out about this black mark in her grandmother's past and decides to investigate it with the help of her younger brothers. The mystery itself is serviceable, if a bit incredible; the prose was decent and this was an easy read.
Unfortunately, I really disliked Alison, and when you dislike the protagonist, it's difficult to enjoy the book. I found her to be petulant, immature, selfish, and shockingly ignorant. She is also one of those Not Like Other Girls characters, which I personally find endlessly irritating. She doesn't like skirts, makeup, boys, or romance. She has a chip on her shoulder the size of a 2x4. She blames her grandmother for throwing her grandfather out like yesterday's trash, because apparently fifteen-year-olds don't have the capacity to understand Alzheimer's Disease or the consequences of worsening symptoms. She also dissed the Baby-sitters Club, which will never endear a character to me.
I found her parents unbelievable, too. What parent would be upset that their children got along, and try to break them up so that they could "have friends their own age"? That was just bizarre to me. They apparently also monitor everything about her, from her clothes to her reading choices to her (nonexistent) friends, but let her drink coffee - they won't let her read murder mysteries, but they apparently aren't of the "that'll stunt your growth" school of thought? I was also uncomfortable with the undercurrent of Catholicism/Christianity that ran throughout the story. Part of Alison's "punishment" was being forced to go to church camp. There are just too much misuse of that power dynamic to make me feel comfortable with it.
I did enjoy the younger brothers, John and Charlie, and Alison's erstwhile friends David and Ramona. They did come across as authentic kids. Ramona would've been a far more interesting protagonist IMO: better attitude, better brains, and much more clever by half.
If not given this book for review, I would've DNFed before the mystery really got up and running. Once it did (and Alison got out of her own way), it was a decent read with a nice climax. The denouement was not believable, and the more I thought about it, the less sense the killer's motives made, either back then or in the present day. There were lots of coincidences (including Alison's grandfather having lucid moments right when the plot needed him to), but this is not unusual in a mystery. I will give the author credit for not tying up all the loose ends in a neat bow - I appreciated that, even if the realism was a bit too little, too late for my taste.
I am not in the target audience for this book, so consider my review with a grain of salt. However, I have read good YA and good Christian/inspirational fiction, and sorry to say, I don't think this book is either.
This book is basically exactly what it says on the tin: a fifteen-year-old girl accidentally finds out about this black mark in her grandmother's past and decides to investigate it with the help of her younger brothers. The mystery itself is serviceable, if a bit incredible; the prose was decent and this was an easy read.
Unfortunately, I really disliked Alison, and when you dislike the protagonist, it's difficult to enjoy the book. I found her to be petulant, immature, selfish, and shockingly ignorant. She is also one of those Not Like Other Girls characters, which I personally find endlessly irritating. She doesn't like skirts, makeup, boys, or romance. She has a chip on her shoulder the size of a 2x4. She blames her grandmother for throwing her grandfather out like yesterday's trash, because apparently fifteen-year-olds don't have the capacity to understand Alzheimer's Disease or the consequences of worsening symptoms. She also dissed the Baby-sitters Club, which will never endear a character to me.
I found her parents unbelievable, too. What parent would be upset that their children got along, and try to break them up so that they could "have friends their own age"? That was just bizarre to me. They apparently also monitor everything about her, from her clothes to her reading choices to her (nonexistent) friends, but let her drink coffee - they won't let her read murder mysteries, but they apparently aren't of the "that'll stunt your growth" school of thought? I was also uncomfortable with the undercurrent of Catholicism/Christianity that ran throughout the story. Part of Alison's "punishment" was being forced to go to church camp. There are just too much misuse of that power dynamic to make me feel comfortable with it.
I did enjoy the younger brothers, John and Charlie, and Alison's erstwhile friends David and Ramona. They did come across as authentic kids. Ramona would've been a far more interesting protagonist IMO: better attitude, better brains, and much more clever by half.
If not given this book for review, I would've DNFed before the mystery really got up and running. Once it did (and Alison got out of her own way), it was a decent read with a nice climax. The denouement was not believable, and the more I thought about it, the less sense the killer's motives made, either back then or in the present day. There were lots of coincidences (including Alison's grandfather having lucid moments right when the plot needed him to), but this is not unusual in a mystery. I will give the author credit for not tying up all the loose ends in a neat bow - I appreciated that, even if the realism was a bit too little, too late for my taste.
I am not in the target audience for this book, so consider my review with a grain of salt. However, I have read good YA and good Christian/inspirational fiction, and sorry to say, I don't think this book is either.
October 2, 2018
A deftly-written, all-American teen mystery that deserves a broad audience.
Although set in summer, the threat of Minnesota's past, present and future weather creates a palpable backdrop for this most intriguing of cases, literally juxtaposing fire and ice. Unlike the adult themes present in much of what passes for teen mystery genre today, Schmidt keeps it clean, delivering a mystery appropriate for all ages that feels both classic and contemporary. Among a tidal wave of dystopian YA thrillers and damaged teen protagonists, a well-crafted tale featuring well-meaning kids who love their grandparents seems downright radical. Highly recommended.
Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com
Although set in summer, the threat of Minnesota's past, present and future weather creates a palpable backdrop for this most intriguing of cases, literally juxtaposing fire and ice. Unlike the adult themes present in much of what passes for teen mystery genre today, Schmidt keeps it clean, delivering a mystery appropriate for all ages that feels both classic and contemporary. Among a tidal wave of dystopian YA thrillers and damaged teen protagonists, a well-crafted tale featuring well-meaning kids who love their grandparents seems downright radical. Highly recommended.
Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com
July 16, 2019
Alison loves her grandfather, but hates that Grandma put him in a nursing home. When she visits him there, he mentioned something about a tragedy involving Grandma and a neighbor named Henry Spriggs who disappeared 50 years ago. Alison is intrigued. She loves mysteries, and is sure she can figure out what happened to Mr. Spriggs and clear her grandmother’s name. Read the rest of the review on my blog: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress....
January 7, 2019
Classic YA mystery.
At fifteen, Alison Burke is neither child nor adult. When her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s requires a move to the nursing home it sends her on a quest to clear her grandmother’s name and solve a fifty-year-old mystery.
With assistance from her brothers and a new friend, Alison combines new and old methods to discover what happened back when her grandparents were a young couple.
Ms. Schmidt has written a clever mystery that should appeal to a wide age range.
At fifteen, Alison Burke is neither child nor adult. When her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s requires a move to the nursing home it sends her on a quest to clear her grandmother’s name and solve a fifty-year-old mystery.
With assistance from her brothers and a new friend, Alison combines new and old methods to discover what happened back when her grandparents were a young couple.
Ms. Schmidt has written a clever mystery that should appeal to a wide age range.
August 6, 2019
Great mystery!
Very well written, which kept my interest throughout. Lots of twists and turns with fascinating characters. Loved Alison's drive and persistence despite her parents' not always believing her. Many great lessons in this story.
Very well written, which kept my interest throughout. Lots of twists and turns with fascinating characters. Loved Alison's drive and persistence despite her parents' not always believing her. Many great lessons in this story.
November 15, 2018
A great young adult novel. It reminds me of the many Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries I enjoyed over the years.
May 25, 2019
Really enjoyed this book. Although it is a "young adult" book, it certainly has enough character development and depth of plot for adults also. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it kept me interested and I couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read another of her books
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews