
Meanwhile, Juliet Splinter, Lester Splinter's 13-year-old daughter, is bedridden with a broken rib and a twisted ankle.

Splinter's assistant, Summer, who finds Gilda very intriguing and writes back inviting Gilda to stay, and providing airline fare for her. The letter, upon its arrival in San Francisco, is found by Mr.

Splinter introducing herself and requesting that she be allowed to stay at his house for the summer. Thrilled at this opportunity for investigation into Melanie's death, Gilda quickly writes a letter to Mr. She soon learns of her uncle, Lester Splinter, her mother's second cousin and a stranger to the family, whose sister, Melanie Splinter, met her death through a suicide jump from the top of a tower in the Splinters' own backyard. She looks into ways of getting to San Francisco for the summer, so that her bluff wouldn't actually have been a lie. After Gilda, following her instinct, lies to her class and teacher saying that she is going to San Francisco for the summer. Before his death, he told Gilda that she should have his typewriter, saying that "it's a magic typewriter," so Gilda keeps it with her as much as possible and tries to incorporate it into her psychic investigations, such as for Automatic Writing. Gilda lives in Detroit with her mother, and older brother, Stephen, as her father died of illness two years ago.

She (and her not so enthusiastic friend) start an investigation. Gilda Joyce is a spunky, 13-year-old that wants to be a psychic investigator. There are three books in the series: Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake and Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata. Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator was published by Dutton Children's Books. Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator is the first book in the Gilda Joyce mystery series for children written by Jennifer Allison.
