A Letter for Hoot

by Holly Spofford

The murder of one of Cab Station's own rocked the residents of the town, but the case soon goes cold and is apparently forgotten for decades. That is, until Nicholas Tucker Tyson-NT for short-and his friend Daisy learn the identity of the victim. They start their own investigation, adamant that justice will be served.

They track cues and interview people who knew the victim well, only to end up with more questions than answers. Along the way, they befriend Hoot, who unknowingly holds the key to solving the mystery. In between golf practice, basketball challenges and trips to the ice cream parlor, NT and Daisy relentlessly search for the truth. In the end, their beloved town of Cab Station is rocked once again as deep secrets are finally revealed.

284 pages, Paperback

Published November 9, 2017

About the author

Holly Spofford was born and raised outside Philadelphia in Flourtown, Pennsylvania. She is one of three children, and has wonderful memories of spending lots of time playing out in the woods, swimming and riding bikes with her two brothers. One memory that she holds dearly in her heart is the first day she learned to read complete sentences. It was in Mrs. Stauffer’s first-grade class at Whitemarsh Elementary School. She remembers distinctly that it was a story about squirrels and trees. She loved to read aloud and show off her new skill to her younger brother and to her parents. It was at this age when she fell in love with the written word. 
She was a competitive athlete all throughout high school and college until she was side-lined with a terrible knee injury in 1989. As a teenager, she worked at a local summer camp where she taught young children how to play tennis. Teaching and coaching came naturally to her. Therefore, her choice of becoming a teacher was natural. After she graduated from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, she enrolled at Cabrini College to become certified as a teacher in Pennsylvania.  She taught and coached for seventeen years, mostly in local independent schools.  She is an avid golfer as is her husband John. They are regular participants in Couples Golf on Wednesdays during the summer.
Her debut novel, A Letter for Hoot, was inspired in large part by the mystery unit that was part of her teaching curriculum. In 2014, she made the difficult decision to leave the world of teaching to realize her childhood dream of writing a book.  Although her novel is a murder mystery, it can be enjoyed by readers of many ages.

Reviews

[Samuel T Deturo]

very good book !

Hi Holly I was the one who talked to you about a book about Conshohocken Pa. I just finished A Letter for Hoot.
I really enjoy reading it. I’m going to read your next book now.
Thanks Sam

[Heidi | Paper Safari Book Blog]

This book is considered a middle school to adult mystery which I didn't realize when I started reading it and was wondering why it felt a little young, not in a bad way but definitely not the dark mysteries I am used to. Both of the main characters are just graduating from middle school and are off for a summer of ice cream, bike riding and golf.

Along the way they meet an old golf caddy named Hoot and discover that NT had a great Uncle Clay that was murdered. NT and his friend Daisy decided to learn more about Clay, going through the attic for photo and talking to people who knew him all the while hoping that maybe they would discover who killed him.

Daisy loves Nancy Drew and while NT isn't a fan he goes along with her need for adventure. It helps that her father is the sheriff. I appreciate that they get in trouble for some of the stupid things they do and that they involve the police and adults in some of their more serious issues.

This is a pretty good read and would be a nice introduction to the world of mysteries for preteens, I think teenagers would think its too juvenile but skip them because they think everything sucks and move on to adults and its a nice lighter mystery. Not quite a cozy mystery but close. I will be interested to see how the next books in the series evolve as the main characters get older. This book is currently available on kindle unlimited.

[Jenny]

Great book, couldn't put it down, loved the descriptions of the characters.I can't wait for the next book, ' Hot Ice and Cold Blood ' !

[Shari]

This is a well written young adult mystery novel that was suspenseful, fun to read and heartwarming. I hope NT and Daisy pair up again for another mystery!

[Bill Marshall]

 If anyone's ever said, "You should write a book!" ignore them. And if you ever hear anyone say, "I should write a book!" beg them not to.
 The greatest problem with A Letter for Hoot isn't its lack of logic, which you see even within sentences, or the amateurish style that has Spofford doing things like using words other than "said" when using dialogue and having people sigh, query, ask, and admonish. It's that the back cover recommends it for everyone from preteens to seniors. Really, it's strictly for unsophisticated readers under the age of fifteen. Maybe very old people who like stories that center around country clubs and have happy endings would like it.
 If you're wondering why I read it it's because I bought it from the author, who'd set up a table at a local farmers market, and as she lives in my area I thought it might be fun to read it. Then it turned out that the main character leaves my area just a few pages in for a summer resort town.
6:09

[Randy Bennett]

This is perhaps a worthwhile read for rabid golf fans but no one else. The novel was unable to decide if it was a middle grade or an adult novel. The shortness and adolescent main character suggests a middle grade work.

The most shocking factor in the book was that the title character (Hoot) didn't appear until halfway through the book. Until that point I thought that Hoot somehow referred to the main character.

I was also troubled by the fact that the only people of color, also appearing near the midpoint of the book were old, badly dressed men who apparently waited to caddy for golfers.

You might find some value if you are a fervent golfer, but it is unlike to offer value to other readers. The length of time it took me to finish this short book reflects the lack of interest the book generated in me.

[Alicia Peacock]

It is hard to categorize this book. Is it Middle Grade or Adult Mystery it tows the line between both. I really enjoyed this book that centered around golf and a mystery. I do not play golf but I thought it was really well described in this book. the mystery was good but a little far fetched given the timeline of events. that being said I really enjoyed the characters. I like that we are going to see the characters grow in the next two books and I am sure the mystery part will be tightened up.

[Pat Koch]

This mystery novel was somewhat simplistic. It reminded me more of a novel for a young adult reader rather than one for more mature adults who enjoy complex mysteries with many plot twists. For golfers, this novel would be enjoyable as its sleuths are involved in a junior golfing tournament.

[Ann McLellan]

Good mystery. I am going to send it to my niece in middle school as well.

[Lauren Maqboul]

It’s not a bad book, I was just hoping for more murder and less golf. It was a bit too young of a read for my personal liking

[Taryn Hoffman]

Fun and easy young adult murder mystery book that has lots of twists and turns! Would be a perfect summer read