The House of Arla Roe

Underneath its gulf coastal charm, the tourist town of Oceanport holds secrets that nobody dares talk about. Children avoid the Roe Mansion, even if it means going out of their way. Their parents and grandparents have long told them the old Roe Mansion is haunted. After years of being alone, Arla Roe, the wealthy old widow that lives there, is childless and the last of her rice dynasty family line. She is thought by many to be a bit crazy. Is all that just old wives tales? Will anyone dare to find out the truth? One day, her life changes when a grade school boy approaches her property and starts asking questions as part of research on an assigned school paper. His parents are very hesitant but he has made up his mind to try to find out what he can about the old Roe Mansion's role in the history of Oceanport. In the process of doing so, will the boy-and the whole town-finally find peace in knowing the whole truth? What can Oceanport do to regain their healthy tourist market share that has eluded them for so long . . . or will the curious schoolboy become yet another mysterious statistic?