The Jungle Detective Files Case File One

Someone is stealing the animals of Atewa.

Not randomly. Not carelessly. Professionally — using expert equipment, planned routes, and a code name: the Ghost.

Twelve-year-old Amara Asante has been tracking the disappearances for six weeks. Grey parrots. Western chimpanzees. Both critically endangered. Both vanishing from the Atewa Range Biosphere Reserve in Ghana in a pattern that looks exactly like evidence. Her partners — data analyst Kofi and master tracker Efua — agree. Senior Wildlife Ranger Akosua suspects the same thing.

But suspicion is not proof. Evidence is proof. And the evidence is locked.

This is not a mystery where you watch someone else solve the case. At seven critical moments, Amara's investigation hits a wall. She has the clue — a coded message, a boot print, a photographed ledger, a night camera image — but she cannot decode it alone. The story stops until the reader does the work.

Each locked evidence file corresponds to a puzzle in the companion Case Files Activity and Puzzle Workbook. The puzzles use real investigative techniques — boot track analysis, frequency cipher decoding, financial forensics, spatial map reading, shadow and silhouette analysis, expense code breaking, and logical deduction. Solve the puzzle. Discover what the evidence means. Read what Amara learns next.

The Ghost cannot be caught without you. This is not a figure of speech. The plot depends on it.

The animals at the centre of this story are real. The African grey parrot and the western chimpanzee are both listed under CITES Appendix I — the highest level of international trade protection. Wildlife trafficking is the world's fourth largest criminal trade. The conservation threats described in this book are accurate and ongoing.

Seven evidence files. Seven real investigative techniques. One trafficker to catch. And a sealed case closure report at the back of the workbook that only unlocks when all seven files are decoded.

Perfect for ages 8 to 12 who love mysteries, animals, and Africa. For children who want to be the detective, not just read about one. For parents and educators who want fiction that teaches real critical thinking skills alongside genuine conservation science.

The forest is being watched.

Companion: The Jungle Detective Files Case Files Activity and Puzzle Workbook available separately on Amazon.