Alex and Yasmeen may have sworn off solving mysteries, but their previous success in solving two earlier ones along with their appearance on the cover of College Springs Magazine makes it hard to make everyone know they are serious.

On Memorial Day there is the Saucersburg 5-K race followed by a baseball game between Uncle Sam's Lawn Care of College Springs and Belletoona Pets & Fish. Coach Banner is the owner/sponsor/coach of the Uncle Sam's Lawn Care team, and also dresses up as Uncle Sam to lead off the runners in the 5-K while riding his decked out bike. When Coach Banner goes over to the Porta-Potties to change to his costume and never shows up, a mystery is born.

There are clues, but are they true? Many don't seem to add up or even lead to a possible solution. A ransom letter that arrives after the Coach is found? Picking through bags of trash and finding trash. Pollution from lawn chemicals affecting waterways.

Along the way Alex and Yasmeen learn about chemical pollution that can affect areas that are not necessarily close by. Due to the presentation Alex has to do for his Decade Project, he learns about Vietnam and the war in the 1960s from neighbours who were there. And that Memorial Day is not just a day of picnics, 5-K races and baseball games.

The story goes at a good clip and the solution was not what I expected. I did enjoy this like I did in a previous book titled "Who Stole Halloween?". I will definitely read more of Freeman's work as I come across it. ( )