• Age: 12 to 14
• Grade: 7 to 9

Piano-playing Nate loves to rock out Beethoven a in style characterized more by enthusiasm than training. Nate is gazing up at Vancouver's newest luxury building, the Keynote, when a thief in a Beethoven costume mugs him and two other victims.

But the day turns up-tempo when the Keynote's owner, Mike Dante, offers Nate a gig playing piano in the courtyard. This is big-time opportunity knocking for a self-taught musician.

Nate thinks there's no better way to thank his real-estate-tycoon boss than by sleuthing out the thief's identity. But Nate soon finds himself in a mystery that grows more discordant with each beat. In his search for the thief Nate learns about the harsh realities of those facing renovictions and about how thoughtless people in power can be.

Nate's big dreams and folly are sure to delight readers of The Fifth Beethoven. And his belief in standing up for what is right is sure to inspire them.

Scottish-born and mystery-minded, Melanie Jackson is the author of Orca's Dinah Galloway Mystery Series for eight-to-11-year-olds, and young-adult suspensers such as The Big Dip and High Wire. Melanie, who lives in Vancouver with her husband Bart, is a business/advertising writer and editor. She's a member of the Vancouver Sun's Book Club, which reviews current novels in print and online. Melanie likes hiking, piano, English/Scottish history—and continually learning from the kids she works with as a writing mentor with the Vancouver School Board.

Melanie teaches a mystery unit to Grades 8 and 9 at two Vancouver secondary schools. She welcomes schools’ inquiries about her presentations for intermediate and secondary classes. For more information, e-mail Melanie or visit her blog.

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