Some secrets don’t stay buried… even beneath the water.
Lillia feels an unexplainable pull as she sails toward the island on a ferry. At the pier, an elderly driver in a horse-drawn carriage is ready to take Lillia, Charlie, and Grauntie Nora to a sprawling three-story mansion with a story of its own.
Strange sounds draw Lillia to the third floor, where she discovers a hidden playroom and the lingering spirit of a young girl named Clarisse. But Clarisse isn’t just waiting… she needs help.
Disappearing sunglasses. Life-size portraits. A message sealed inside a bottle. Each clue pulls Lillia deeper into a mystery that has waited generations to be solved.
When a violent storm cuts the island off from the mainland, the danger grows. Beneath the waters surrounding the island, long-lost shipwrecks guard secrets of their own and are more connected to the present than anyone imagined.
Because someone… or something… has been waiting for her to arrive.
Scroll through the photographs below and discover images that inspired Lillia’s adventure on the mysterious Mackinac Island.
What a beautiful day to arrive on Mackinac Island and begin the adventure of research. The harbor was alive with movement and color, and it didn’t take long to see why this setting found its way into Mystery Island. From the ferry docks to the bustle along the waterfront, this very spot inspired several scenes in Lillia’s story… where every arrival might hold the beginning of a mystery.
High on the bluff above the lake, the Pelletier mansion became the perfect setting for the Pameroys’ stay. These stately homes are called “cottages,” a name that hardly prepares visitors for their size, elegance, and charm. It is easy to imagine secrets tucked behind their grand windows… and stories waiting quietly within.
This view inspired the balcony outside the third-floor attic, where Lillia first sees the ghost of Clarisse Pelletier. With Round Island Lighthouse visible in the distance, the setting felt perfectly suited for one of the story’s most unforgettable moments—where beauty and mystery meet.
This three-horse hitch pulled the buggy on a carriage tour around Mackinac Island. Here, the horses pause for a well-earned water break while visitors hike out to see Arch Rock. Life on the island moves at a different pace, where even a simple stop becomes part of the experience and my grandson enjoyed getting to pet the huge horses.
Arch Rock offers a breathtaking view down to the road that circles Mackinac Island.🏝️That very road becomes part of a memorable and very interesting bike ride for the Pameroys, where the beauty of the island is matched only by the adventures waiting around each turn.
One of the fun surprises on Mackinac Island is seeing the carriage horses at play. Lillia and Charlie enjoyed watching these beautiful animals kick up their heels and roll in the dirt like schoolchildren at recess during a break from pulling carriages around the island.
The carriage tour ends at Surrey Hills, where Lillia, Charlie, and Grauntie Nora enjoy one of the island’s most memorable stops, the carriage museum. With the stables nearby and Indian Weather Rock to explore, it is a place full of charm and a perfect pause in the day’s adventure.
No Pameroy adventure would be complete without first-morning ice cream. On Mackinac Island, Lillia, Charlie, and Grauntie Nora enjoy this tradition at a charming parlor, Sadie’s on the grounds of the Grand Hotel, a sweet beginning to a story filled with mystery.
The shipwreck Liam discovers in the cold waters of Lake Huron in the Straits of Mackinac was inspired by a real sunken sailing yacht. Like the Gunilda, many items inside the wreck in the story remained intact for more than a century, resting silently beneath the surface… waiting to be found.
The Setting for Mystery Island…
Mystery Island is set on Mackinac Island, a unique destination where time seems to stand still.
With no automobiles allowed, visitors travel by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage, giving the island a slower, more peaceful pace. Perched above the water are grand summer “cottages,” while below, the surrounding Straits hold the remains of historic shipwrecks.
This setting, both charming and mysterious, plays an important role in the story as Lillia follows clues through the island and uncovers secrets hidden above and below the water.