The Treehouse

by Andrew J. Brandt

"The next Stand By Me " - Dusty Boyd, CBS Radio "Big praise...a good read." - Anthony Pittman, ABC7 Amarillo Fans of Stranger Things and The Goonies will love this mystery thriller set in the woods of east Texas. In the woods that butt up against their quiet east Texas town, middle schoolers Lucas, Elijah and Tyler have spent the last three months building a secret treehouse. On the first night of spring break, they sneak out to finally spend the night in the finished project. Things quickly turn nightmarish when they witness a man bury a body just a few yards from their perch above the forest floor. High school junior Allison Beaker isn't allowed to have a boyfriend, but she sneaks out at night to spend time with Brandon, a senior boy who plays on the varsity baseball team. On one of these occasions, their midnight rendezvous is interrupted when she and Brandon witness a man dump a body in the trunk of a car. Unable to tell their parents what they've witnessed or where they were, the boys decide it's up to them to catch the killer, in fear that he may strike again. However, his next victim may be close to home and they quickly discover themselves, and their loved ones, in the killer's crosshairs. The debut novel from author Andrew J. Brandt, THE TREEHOUSE offers a page-turning coming-of-age affair of murder and mystery in the quiet town of Henderson, TX. Fans of The Goonies and Stranger Things will both rejoice and tremor in fear as the characters are pursued by a killer whose motives remain an enigma.

Genres: Suspense

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 26, 2019

About the author

Andrew J Brandt grew up in a library. His grandmother worked at the city library in his hometown of Vernon, TX when he was a young child and he has fond memories of spending hours in the rows of books. When he discovered Goosebumps books, he ran through them at nearly two per week. In the fifth grade, he put his voracious reading to use to win the elementary school's Accelerated Reading program.

Andrew began his college career at West Texas A&M University, eventually graduating with a degree in General Studies.

He self-published his first novel, the young adult thriller THE TREEHOUSE, which reached the top of Amazon's young adult thriller list. His second novel THE ABDUCTION OF SARAH PHILLIPS was released in the summer of 2019, making the Top 10 in its category. In November 2019, Andrew released IN THE FOG under the Caprock Publishing Group imprint. His first adult novel, it was released to rave reviews by critics and readers alike.

Andrew's fourth novel PALO DURO: A THRILLER released on May 5th 2020 and debuted at #1 on Amazon's YA Thriller charts. In March 2021, Palo Duro was nominated YA BOOK OF THE YEAR by MPIBA's Reading the West Awards.

In summer 2020, Andrew signed a two-book deal with Blue Handle Publishing. His first novel under the new deal, The Unwinding Cable Car, released to critical acclaim November 17th. Pre-orders for his next novel, Mixtape for the End of the World, are available now wherever books are sold. Mixtape releases May 18th, 2021.

Reviews

[Abby Jimenez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The following review was written by my 14 year old daughter:

When I was told about this book, I was hesitant to read a thriller. I adore murder mystery TV shows, being a lover of all things scary, but have never loved a book of this genre. All of my preconcived notions of thrillers was tossed out the window after I was hooked on the first couple words of this masterpiece. Beautifuly written, and as a teenager, I find that the main chracters were very relateable and did some of the same things that I did. Once I started reading this "Who done it?" I didn't put it down once. I will definitely read this over and over. Thank you, Andrew, for making this amazing book that will haunt me forever (in the best way ever)

[Carla DeFrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to wait awhile to read this book

I loved the story. I couldn't put it down. I devoured it in one day. It was fast paced and exciting. I am looking forward to more books by Andrew N Brandt. I highly recommend anyone to read and enjoy.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

simple writing, effective theme, and solid vibes.

okay, some major stranger things similarities here which played into my enjoyment. a nancy and mike wheeler sibling relationship, people going missing, and some parents who seriously need to get a hold on their daring children. the ending was super wholesome (i want pizza and a treehouse now).

i can't really rate this more than a three due to its length, style of writing, and lack of more development (plotwise/world). characters are somewhat stereotypical, though for this story i found it fitting.

[Sherry Philyaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! I couldn't put it down until it was finished!

I didn't know my friend was an author until I saw his .post on Facebook. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what a pleasant surprise. Great story, and I couldn't put it down until I turned the last page! I remember when I was Allison's age and life was carefree. What a change between them and now. Take the time to read this one. You won't be sorry!

[Reba Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’ll just read one chapter before bed.” Escalated very quickly into finishing the book at 2am. Although it’s marketed as “young adult” I enjoyed it at 30, and could relate to the adventurous young boys, the rebellious teens, and the worried parents. Although it was fiction there was no point in the book where I thought “there’s no way that would happen”. It does cover a scary reality of our society, but does end well.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Andrew J. Brandt book. Quick read. Aimed toward YA, it tells of 3 preteen boys, who have built a treehouse and are spending their first night there. They hear someone and watch as he buries, what they think is a body! And that's just the beginning. Should they tell and get in trouble or keep their mouths shut and see what happens??
Quick read!

[Rustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a great book. You should read this book.

[Garp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't know it was a middle grade book when I started it. That's fine, but it through me off. It is a page turner and the characters are believable. But it was a bit predictable and had a weak ending.

[Corie Grubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best but worth the read

Don't get me wrong, it definitely drew me in and had me wanting to know what was going to happen next but some of the story was somewhat predictable. Still a good read though.

[Andrew Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, interesting suspense with a great ending!

[Sugaindra Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story never once went dull, was on track all the times. Liked the short chapters which made easier to start from where stopped. Good read.

[Kyle Reddoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Full of suspense and mystery. My friend Andrew sure know how to write a good thriller.

[Jeremiah Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the woods that butt up against their quiet east Texas town, middle schoolers Lucas, Elijah and Tyler have spent the last three months building a secret treehouse. On the first night of spring break, they sneak out to finally spend the night in the finished project. Things quickly turn nightmarish when they witness a man bury a body just a few yards from their perch above the forest floor.

High school junior Allison Beaker isn't allowed to have a boyfriend, but she sneaks out at night to spend time with Brandon, a senior boy who plays on the varsity baseball team. On one of these occasions, their midnight rendezvous is interrupted when she and Brandon witness a man dump a body in the trunk of a car. Unable to tell their parents what they've witnessed or where they were, the boys decide it's up to them to catch the killer, in fear that he may strike again. However, his next victim may be close to home and they quickly discover themselves, and their loved ones, in the killer's crosshairs.

In completing this book, I have read everything that Andrew J. Brandt has published. To say the least, I am a huge fan of Brandt's writing and the approach he takes with his novels. I knew going in that The Treehouse was his first book and likely would not be quite as high level as say his most recent work, Palo Duro, but I enjoyed this one tremendously despite that.

My favorite aspect of this book was how Brandt explores the theory of The Bystander Effect. The basic idea behind the Bystander Effect is that people fail to intervene because of the presence of others. Most often this surfaces as people witness a crime or bullying and fail to intervene. They often think others will intervene that are more qualified or worry about their own safety if they intervene. Brandt explores this concept by having witnesses to a crime that do not want to intervene because they are worried about the reactions of others. It is a twist on the Bystander Effect but it is a very poignant twist for the world we are currently living in and really had my mind exploring this concept.

One consistent aspect in reading Brandt's work is that I enjoy his characters tremendously. I always find them to be well developed, but it goes beyond being developed. The characters in his novels feel like real people. After teaching middle school for most of my ten year teaching career the three boys were exactly like students I have had. The combination of being brave in their own way and yet blindly stupid in their decisions was exactly what I would expect for boys entering seventh grade, especially when together.

Overall, while this novel is not as polished as more recent works by Brandt, it is absolutely worth the read and a delightful listen as well.