Everyone Dies in the End

At seventeen, Sherman Andrews has been accepted in the Missouri Scholars' Academy. Sherman has had a ten-year plan since he was eight, and he is determined to become an award-winning investigative journalist. He is going places, unlike his low-brow plumber father or his absent mother.

While researching his first project, a chance discovery of a mysterious photograph of four men, dated 1935, leads to Sherman uncovering records of deaths, disappearances, and cover-ups on an almost unbelievable scale. Too late, Sherman realizes the organization responsible is still around, and they're prepared to take drastic measures to keep him quiet.

Sherman must decide if he wants to flee for his life, or risk everything to become the reporter he's always wanted to be. There are only two people he can trust to help him. One is Charlie, the cute, chubby student librarian at the historical society. The other is Denton, who claims that the organization is led by a shadowy man who died in 1966...and 1935...and 1864. The fact that Denton has been forcibly committed to a mental hospital is just an unfortunate misunderstanding.

Something evil is about to reappear. And Sherman, with his Dictaphone, his ironed socks, and his ten-page resume, may be the only one who can prevent a tragedy.

Interspersed with flashbacks to the original 1935 adventurers, Everyone Dies is a lighthearted coming of age story about love, growing up, and what it's like to be buried alive.

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up—Sherman Andrews is a determined 17-year-old with a plan to become a successful reporter and leave his humble roots and dysfunctional family behind. He jumps at the chance to attend the Missouri Scholars Academy the summer before his senior year because he hopes the program will help him gain scholarships for college. Soon after arriving on campus, Sherman begins researching a cold muder case from 1935 about four men who disappeared and were killed, hoping that this story will be his ticket to establishing a good reputation as a journalist. This fast-paced mystery overflows with suspense as the teen's life is threatened for digging too deep, and the narrative alternates between the history of the 1930s case and present-day action. Sherman also begins an unlikely romance with a girl working in the library, who gets embroiled in the whodunit. The dialogue is realistic and demonstrates the main character's quick wit. There are gory descriptions of the victims, but they are appropriate for teens who love a good mystery.—April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL