Grandmother and grandson team up to write school mystery

What began as a writing project between a grandmother and her transgender grandson has become a published young adult mystery. “Leo, Detective,” written by award-winning former journalist and mystery author Susan Hanafee of Sarasota and her grandson, L. Ryan Hanafee, will be available from Amazon and other booksellers beginning Sept. 1.

The novel follows Leo Merser, a transgender high school senior who becomes an amateur detective after discovering that the death of a school custodian may not have been an accident. As Leo investigates, he finds himself confronting secrets, danger and questions about whom he can trust. The book is set in a small town in Indiana.

For the authors, the story behind the story is just as meaningful as the novel.

Grandmother and grandson wanted to create a novel that puts a transgender teen at the center of an action-filled mystery without making his identity the only thing that defines him.

“We came to the story from very different perspectives, and that made the book even better. More than anything, it gave us an opportunity to spend time together doing something we both love,” Hanafee said.

The book has already received recognition from Kirkus Reviews, which called it “A heartfelt mystery driven by a queer and compelling teen sleuth.”

“Leo, Detective” is written for young adult readers but is intended for anyone who enjoys a good mystery, particularly readers who appreciate strong characters, unexpected twists and a young detective determined to uncover the truth.

Hanafee is the author of the Leslie Elliott Mystery series, set in Boca Grande, Florida. Her books include “Leslie’s Voice,” “Scavenger Tides,” “Under the Sand,” “The End of His Journey,” “Deadly Winds” and the forthcoming “He’s Not Dead Yet.”

Ryan is a sophomore at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, studying clinical psychology. This is his first novel.