The Mystery of the Abecedarian Academy

It's the summer before their freshman year in high school and Jupiter Jones, Bob Andrews, and Pete Crenshaw are back on the case in Rocky Beach, California. Their new client, Isabella Chang, wants to discover the truth about a murdered ancestor whose son Li Chang is rumored to have hidden a bag of gold nuggets his father panned from the American River during the heady days of the California gold rush.

With their old friend and mentor Hector Sebastian moving to Wyoming and their longtime driver Worthington leaving the Rent'n'Ride to set up a business of his own, The Three Investigators are facing big changes. Nevertheless, they manage to convince Worthington to drive them to the Gold Country in a rented four-wheel drive, stopping along the way to set up camp in Yosemite.

Before they take off, Jupiter's Uncle Titus returns to the Salvage Yard with a new haul of unusual old items, including a suit of armor and eight Chinese talismans painted on hammered metal—one of which is a Talisman Against Demons. In Yosemite, Bob gets an unexpected call from a menacing relative of Isabella Chang—who seems determined to scare them off the case. Thus begins a tale of intrigue, misdirection, hunches, ciphers, clues, coincidences, and a classic blend of legwork and analysis.

Why was the one-room schoolhouse where Li Chang was educated suddenly razed to the ground ? Why is its foundation being guarded by a wild-eyed woman with a shotgun ? Who stole letters addressed to Li Chang's Irish schoolmaster ? What does the Owl of Athena carved on Li Chang's grave marker mean ? And why was Li Chang so secretive about the location of his hidden gold ?

1. A Message From Hector Sebastian
2. A Chinese Talisman Gainst Demons
3. An Assemblage At Headquarters
4. Heading For Dial Canyon
5. A New Case
6. An Irish Curse
7. A Suspicious Phone Call
8. On The Trail Of Li Chang
9. Athena, Goddess Of Wisdom
10. Riding Shotgun
11. A Perfect Plan
12. Free To All
13. Stranger In A Strange Land
14. A Double Dieappointment
15. Hiding In Plain Sight
16. An Abecedarian Academy