In 1936, 14-year-old Dolores “Dottie” Epstein is called to the principal’s office. Dottie is often in trouble for breaking the rules, but on this occasion, she is introduced to Mr. Albert Ellingham, one of the wealthiest men in America. Dottie is invited to attend Ellingham Academy, a new private boarding school in Vermont run by Mr. Ellingham himself. Mr. Ellingham believes that “learning is a game” (3), and he boasts that his school is a place where students like Dottie can learn in unconventional ways. Dottie agrees, and when she arrives at Ellingham Academy, she finds sprawling grounds with secret hiding places and passages.

One day, Dottie discovers a tunnel leading to a secret room in an observatory in the middle of the lake, and she begins spending time there. However, one night, she is joined by a stranger who lays out a flashlight, binoculars, rope, and handcuffs. The stranger tells Dottie that these are “for the game” (9), and when Dottie tries to leave, the stranger stops her, and Dottie’s world goes dark. In an excerpt from Murders on the Mountain: The Ellingham Affair, the writer recounts how Albert Ellingham purchased a densely-wooded plot of land on a mountain and how the Ellingham family lived on the property along with the students of Ellingham Academy.