The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead - by Paul Elwork (Paperback)

About the Book

Emily Stewart is the girl who claims to stand between the living and the dead. During the quiet summer of 1925, she and her brother, Michael, are 13-year-old twins--privileged, precocious, and wandering aimlessly around their family's estate. When the twins find themselves dabbling in the uncertain territory of human grief and family secrets, everything spins wildly out of control.

Book Synopsis

It is the summer of 1925. Emily Stewart and her brother, Michael, are thirteen-year-old twins--privileged, precocious, and wandering aimlessly around their family's Philadelphia estate. One day Emily discovers an odd physical talent--she can secretly crack a joint in her ankle so the sound seems to burst in midair from nowhere. In their garden tea house, Emily and Michael gather the neighborhood children to fool them with these "spirit knockings." But soon this game of contacting the dead creeps into a world of adults still reeling from a world war. And when the twins find themselves dabbling in the uncertain territory of human grief and family secrets, their game spins out of control...

Review Quotes

"A beautifully written coming-of-age story." -- Scott Smith, author of The Ruins and A Simple Plan

"A mystery story about the greatest mystery there is." -- Daniel Wallace, author of Big Fish

"The subtle and moving portrayal of people in the grip of powerful emotions that overwhelm rational thinking will haunt readers long after they put the book down." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A haunting Gothic fable full of the eerie magic of childhood...Strangely beautiful, always surprising...I was entranced." -- Suzanne Bern, author of A Crime in the Neighborhood

"Suspenseful, haunting, elegantly written. These darkly imaginative children will give you goose bumps and make your heart ache." -- Jennifer McMahon, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Breathe a Word

"That rare book that offers the right combination of intense and compelling characters, a fascinating plot, and enough suspense to keep you turning pages." -- M. J. Rose, bestselling author of The Hypnotist

"Elegantly written...a thought-provoking novel." -- Booklist

About the Author

Paul Elwork graduated from Temple University with a bachelor's degree in anthropology and from Arcadia University with a master's degree in English. His stories have appeared in many literary journals.