A strange sound in the night can usually be explained away. When that sound seems to come from inside a wall and begins communicating, explanations become considerably harder to find. Justin Owens explores that unsettling territory in Evelyn Cross: The Iscariot Binding, the second book in his paranormal mystery series.
A New Life Comes With a New Mystery
Evelyn Cross is fifteen, highly analytical, and determined to understand the world through evidence. Three weeks into her latest foster placement, she’s living with psychiatrist Dr. Marcus Washington and architect Angela Washington in Northeast Portland. Their home appears stable and pleasantly free of supernatural activity. Evelyn appreciates the stability, even while she continues evaluating practically everything around her as though she’s compiling an investigative report.
That includes Henry, the Washingtons’ German Shepherd. Evelyn has little interest in developing a sentimental relationship with the dog and decides that “Miles” is a more suitable name. Henry refuses to cooperate with the change, although Evelyn discovers that playing a high E-flat on her flute immediately gets his attention. It’s a small, amusing detail that reveals plenty about a protagonist who approaches relationships, routines, and emotions through observation and experimentation.
Her investigative instincts soon find a more serious target. At Grant High School, sophomore Emma Clark approaches Evelyn because she has heard about her ability to investigate “weird stuff.” Emma says a young female voice has been coming from inside the wall of her family’s apartment, usually between two and three each morning. Her parents hear nothing, and phone recordings capture little more than static.
Then Emma reveals that the static once appeared to spell out a single word repeatedly: “PLEASE.” Evelyn begins considering possible explanations, ranging from auditory phenomena to medical and psychological causes. Yet her earlier experiences have already forced her to accept that some events may exist outside conventional explanations. Curiosity wins, and an overnight investigation is arranged.
Evidence Leads Somewhere Unexpected
Evelyn’s skepticism gives the mystery much of its personality. She has witnessed phenomena that challenged assumptions she once considered dependable, including events involving consciousness and unexplained physical anomalies. Those experiences have not transformed her into someone eager to label every strange occurrence as paranormal. Instead, she has expanded her investigative framework enough to acknowledge possibilities she still finds deeply inconvenient.
That approach creates an interesting question at the center of The Iscariot Binding. What happens when an investigator who demands proof repeatedly encounters evidence that seems impossible? Evelyn’s intelligence allows her to identify patterns quickly, while her literal personality produces both sharp observations and moments of humor. Her private insistence that emotions have nothing to do with certain decisions also gives readers another layer to interpret as the case develops.
The mystery gradually reaches beyond Emma’s apartment. A secretive organization has developed terminology for artifacts that apparently should not exist, along with a system for tracking people who discover them. Evelyn has now attracted its attention. Her investigation begins connecting with Judas Iscariot lore and a mythology involving history that powerful institutions have deliberately kept buried.
These ideas expand the Evelyn Cross universe while preserving the series’ youthful detective spirit. The Iscariot Binding follows The Haunting of Riverside Academy, where Evelyn investigated disturbing events surrounding a school with secrets of its own. The wider story also includes Olivia Hartwell: Sterling Matters, a prequel novella exploring the Hartwell family’s history, and The Shanghai Tunnels, a playable point-and-click investigation set beneath Old Town Portland.
About the Author
By day, Justin Owens teaches middle school, and he has spent over 13 years in education with training that spans computer science and math. His schedule includes 7th and 8th grade math plus advanced math classes. Years of teaching and mentoring neurodivergent students fed into his vision for Evelyn, whose literal mind and remarkable eye for patterns guide both her investigations and her friendships.
Justin’s storytelling interests include creepy fiction, Sherlock Holmes mysteries, The X-Files, folklore, religious traditions, and interconnected historical puzzles. He also develops educational materials and Numeria, a science-fiction and superhero-inspired classroom environment created to make learning mathematics feel more immersive. His fiction reflects a similar interest in systems, clues, hidden connections, and mysteries waiting to be solved.
Where Curiosity Opens Dangerous Doors
There’s something inherently unsettling about hearing a voice from a place where nobody should be. Evelyn Cross: The Iscariot Binding builds outward from that simple fear, drawing Evelyn toward secret organizations, ancient lore, personal discoveries, and questions that logic alone may struggle to settle.
Justin gives young mystery readers a protagonist who keeps investigating even when the answers disrupt her understanding of reality. For anyone who enjoys paranormal mysteries, clever clues, dry humor, and intelligent young detectives, this second Evelyn Cross case offers another intriguing puzzle to unravel. The story is available in Kindle edition on Amazon, with a paperback option too.
We had the privilege of interviewing Justin Owens. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Justin, could you tell our readers a little about yourself?
Hi, my name is Justin Owens, and I’m a veteran middle school math teacher. I started off writing curriculum materials and apps like Numeria, and I still do, as well as teach advanced mathematics classes.
What inspired you to create the Evelyn Cross Mystery Series?
I’ve always loved creepy stories, Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and shows like The X-Files. Because I teach advanced mathematics classes, it is not unusual for me to teach and mentor students who are neurodivergent in a multitude of different ways. So I wanted to try writing stories for my students that I would have loved as a kid, and that’s where the Evelyn Cross Mystery Series came from.
What do you enjoy most about writing these mysteries?
I love weaving mysterious timelines, real-world events, and folk and religious cultures into just plain old Scooby-Doo mysteries.
Where does The Iscariot Binding fit in the series, and where can readers find the other books?
This is Book 2 in the series. Book 1, The Haunting of Riverside Academy, is available on Amazon, KU, and Audible. The prequel, Olivia Hartwell: Sterling Matters, is available for free if you sign up for my author’s newsletter.
Thank you so much, Justin, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!
