The Phantom Friend: A Judy Bolton Mystery

In 1950s New York City, a day of skating at Radio City Music Hall takes a strange turn when Judy Bolton encounters Clarissa Valentine, a young girl who insists she cannot see her own reflection. What begins as a curious claim deepens into genuine mystery when Clarissa vanishes mid-television appearance, leaving behind twenty dollars owed to Judy and her friends. As Judy digs deeper into the girl's disappearance, she finds herself drawn into something far more dangerous than a simple runaway case: Clarissa is entangled with people capable of real harm, and Judy's instincts tell her the girl is running out of time. The stakes become devastatingly personal when Judy's own husband, FBI agent Peter Dobbs, is injured while pursuing his own mysterious mission. Hospital bedside revelations finally connect Peter's case to Clarissa's, and Judy must untangle two dangerous webs simultaneously to save them both. This is classic 1950s mystery at its finest: atmospheric, propulsive, and anchored by a heroine whose courage and intuition make all the difference.