• Age: 12 to 15
• Grade: 7 to 10
• Reading age: 12 to 15

Sarah Martin isn’t the only outsider in her small Muskoka town. But when she’s teamed up with Byron Hopper for a geometry project, she discovers that she’s had an easier time being accepted in her new town than some long-time residents.

Byron’s family has long been the subject of rumours. Some say that they are a mob family, some say they are part of a witness relocation program, some say they are just plain weird. But the most sinister rumour surrounds Byron’s sister, Garnet, who many believed committed murder.

Sarah resolves to get closer to Byron to find out more about his family … and get to the bottom of the alleged murder. In so doing, she learns that the family has another secret: they’re Wiccans. As Sarah learns more about the family, she also cuts through popular misconceptions about Wicca and finds out what Wiccans believe, how they worship, and what values they hold dear.

Caroline Rennie-Pattison was born in Paisley, Scotland. She moved to Canada at a young age and currently enjoys living with her husband and two children in Muskoka, Ontario, where she kayaks, paints, and reads. Caroline is a teacher-consultant who works with teachers and young people in many schools.

Caroline Rennie-Pattison's profile page

I enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting and layered, the conversation seems real and is often funny, and Sarah has a wonderful perspective on life … Caroline Pattison has a knack for writing real-sounding conversations that pull us into this teenager’s mind.

Peer pressure and town gossip are two issues that Caroline Pattison deals with in this insightful and compelling tale about fitting in. Most readers will empathize with this shrewd story that combines a mystery Nancy Drew style with the pains of growing up … Sarah Martin is a breath of fresh air as a junior sleuth under the watchful, and sometimes reproachful, eye of her detect father.

The Law of Three made me see something that I always knew, but never really understood. Caroline Rennie Pattison wrote a mystery novel, but layered beneath the folds of suspects and crime, she hid bits of lessons. She taught me that rumours all start with a misunderstanding, and don't just hurt, but can also ruin the lives of an entire family.

Stephanie Yip, age 14

This is a pleasing mystery read, fast paced, and intriguing.