The Mystery of the Haunted Lighthouse

Three Cousins Detective Club #7

by Elspeth Campbell Murphy

When a vandal sabotages restoration work at a run-down lighthouse, the cousins set out to find the culprit.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Christian, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1995

About the author

Elspeth Campbell Murphy is often asked about her first name. It is a Scottish form of Elizabeth, and is pronounced just like it's spelled, with the accent on the El.

Elspeth was born in Hamilton, Scotland, near Glasgow. She moved with her parents to Canada were she spent her early years. But most of Elspeth's life has been spent near Lake Michigan.

Reviews

[Ruth]

Ten-year-old cousins Sarah-Jane Cooper, Timothy Dawson and Titus McKay call themselves the Three Cousins Detective Club. When a friend of Mr. Cooper's decides he wants to purchase and restore a decommissioned lighthouse, the cousins are excited to see it. Sarah-Jane has a very active imagination and is a little worried that the lighthouse might be scary. What if it's haunted?

When they arrive and find that the lighthouse has been vandalized, the Three Cousins Detectives Club start searching for clues. Sarah-Jane is relieved that the lighthouse doesn't seem too scary until she sees a haunting image in the lighthouse tower. The "ghost" turns out to be a teenage boy who was close friends with the last lighthouse keeper. The lighthouse is a very special place for him; he often comes there to remember his friend, the now-deceased lighthouse keeper. He's been trying to scare off potential buyers so he can continue to visit the lighthouse.

This book is part of an excellent Christian fiction series for children. Each book has a theme based on Biblical principles. The Mystery of the Haunted Lighthouse's theme is faithfulness. Spooky but not scary, this is an entertaining read.

[Alexandra]

A bit lame as a mystery, but an ok early chapter book. According to the back of the book the "Theme" of this book is "Faithfulness", but that's a stretch. The good news is whatever "lesson" it's trying to teach it certainly doesn't hit you over the head with it. A simple, clean story, not in the least scary or spooky (which may disappoint some kids who expect it from the title).

[Ashley]

i never read this book before but by looking at the cover and summery i think it is a great book!