★ Purple Dragonfly Award Winner for Middle Grade Fiction ★ When Nick finds a body on a golf course with fangs, bite marks, and a hole in its chest, he wonders: Is the victim a vampire? Nick is about to learn there is blood that gives eternal life and it has nothing to do with Dracula. Nick Caden has a "supernatural" knack for finding trouble, and his relentless search for the truth leads him into worlds of darkness with grave consequences and really creepy mysteries. After solving the Deadwood ghost story, Nick lands a job as a roving reporter for The Cool Ghoul Gazette, a website on paranormal disturbances. When the editor sends Nick to Transylvania, North Carolina, he finds the moon's cold glow casts a spectral cloak over the victim's castle, leaving Nick to fear that the monstrous gargoyles have witnessed a horror not seen since Vlad the Impaler... Count Drăculea. Sensing Meg's worry, Nick steals a glance at her silhouette. Smiles turn into stolen glances and each encounter sparks a warmth that defies the crypt's chill. The case, once a mere puzzle of cryptic parchments and blood-soaked clues, forges something between the pair that is both precious and perilous. Each shared breath in the crypt-chilled air whispers of a truth beyond the hunt, a truth they dare not speak aloud. Is the victim a real vampire? Or will Nick find that his new job is about to suck the life out of him? Some facts and truths will scare the life out of us and that can be a good thing. Complete the "Official Criminal Inquiry" to see if you have the makings of a super sleuth. With questions at the back of the book, you can fill in the answers while you read. When finished, your book report should be thorough enough to catch a crook! Parents can trust the Caden Chronicles to be safe reading for children. There is no sexual dialogue or situations, violence, or strong language, only a wee bit of humor and stories that point readers to the best-selling book of all time. Skull Creek Stakeout is an excellent book for tween, teens, and young adults who love a good mystery adventure.