Susan Patron’s historical novel set in Bodie, California at the height of the gold rush era includes a mystery, a ghost who actually appears, and lots of fast action.  These elements should make it popular with young readers, but they also make it a bit different from other books in the Dear America series.

Behind the Masks is the diary of Angeline Reddy, daughter of the town’s attorney-at-law.  Angeline’s father has been declared dead, though she and her mother believe he is still alive.  Angeline’s mother has taken to her bed after a 1880’s style tooth extraction.  Plus, the town is being terrorized by vigilantes.

Patron’s careful research gives Angeline’s diary the true feel of an 1880s town.  We see a school, an undertaker’s establishment, a masked ball, vigilante justice, women’s clothing, cleaning the kitchen floor, and much more.  The book kept me interested from beginning to end.

One needs to be diligent when reading  the chapter where the villains are confronted during the masked ball, and Mr. Tucker reveals why the ghostly figure in the red cape cannot find rest.  It has so many elements I had to read it twice,  and  I wondered how the heroine could remember it all to include it in her diary.  Historical notes are included at the end of the book.