As she investigates clues pointing to an ancient myth that the children of King Solomon are at war with the descendants of the jinn, she stumbles upon a cult of true believers. When she takes a case from a frightened 9-year-old, Scarlett discovers a terrifying conspiracy that's endangered her own family for generations. Her older sister, a doctor, is too busy to spend much time at home, so Scarlett is proudly independent. Ever since the deaths of her Egyptian father and Sudanese mother, Scarlett's insisted on taking care of herself.

Intrepid sleuth Scarlett has tested out of the last years of high school, founding a detective agency instead of going to college. And further, per this starred review of 'Scarlett Undercover' from Kirkus: 'A 16-year-old gumshoe's new case reveals ancient - perhaps magical - family secrets. Latham tells us all about this book on today's program - why she wanted to write it, how she got started on it, where she did her research while composing and plotting it, and so forth. Book Smart Tulsa will present a free-to-the-public Launch Party for this book next week, on Wednesday the 20th at 7pm, at the University of Tulsa's Zarrow Center for Art and Education in the Brady Arts District (in downtown Tulsa). On this edition of ST, we speak with Jennifer Latham, a Tulsa-based author whose debut novel is coming out next week: 'Scarlett Undercover' is a noir-flavored, modern-day YA mystery with a 16-year-old Muslim American heroine who runs her own detective agency.

Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham