For teenage sleuth Amanda MartĂn and her friends, Ripper was all just a game. But when security guard Ed Staton is found dead in the middle of a school gym, the murder presents a mystery that baffles the San Francisco police, not least Amandaâs father, Deputy Chief MartĂn. Amanda goes online, offering âThe Case of the Misplaced Baseball Batâ to her fellow sleuths as a challenge to their real-life wits. And so begins a most dangerous obsession.
The murders begin to mount up but the Ripper players, free from any moral and legal restraints, are free to pursue any line of enquiry. As their unique powers of intuition lead them ever closer to the truth, the case becomes all too personal when Amandaâs mother suddenly vanishes. Could her disappearance be linked to the serial killer? And will Amanda and her online accomplices solve the mystery before itâs too late?