Justin Owens Releases ‘Evelyn Cross: The Iscariot Binding,’ Expanding the Evelyn Cross Mystery Series

CHARLOTTE, NC, UNITED STATES, November 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Author and veteran middle school math teacher Justin Owens has released Evelyn Cross: The Iscariot Binding, the second book in the Evelyn Cross Mystery Series. The middle grade paranormal mystery follows fifteen-year-old Evelyn Cross as she investigates unexplained activity inside a Portland apartment and uncovers connections to a much older mystery. Written for readers ages 8 to 17, the story combines paranormal investigation, mythology, family secrets and a young detective determined to understand what the evidence is telling her.

Availability

Evelyn Cross: The Iscariot Binding: Book 2 is available in Kindle and paperback editions on Amazon. Readers can check the official website https://justinowensauthor.com/ for more details.

The 305-page novel continues the story that began in The Haunting of Riverside Academy, the first book in the series, which Justin co-authored with Miles Reed. The wider Evelyn Cross Universe also includes the prequel novella Olivia Hartwell: Sterling Matters and The Shanghai Tunnels, a point-and-click case set between the first and second books beneath Old Town Portland.

When Evidence Points Toward the Unexplained

Evelyn approaches unusual events through observation, patterns and evidence. After she moves into a new foster home in Portland, a classmate tells her about a young woman's voice heard inside an apartment wall. The sounds come during the night, resist ordinary explanations and eventually produce evidence Evelyn finds difficult to dismiss. Her investigation draws her toward an organization with knowledge of artifacts that should not exist and a mythology connected to Judas Iscariot. As the case develops, Evelyn must reassess her assumptions about the world while following clues that also raise questions about her own life and family history.

"I've always loved creepy stories, Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and shows like The X-Files. I wanted to try writing stories for my students that I would have loved as a kid, and I love weaving mysterious timelines, real-world events, and folk and religious cultures into just plain old Scooby-Doo mysteries," said Justin.

A Young Detective Shaped by Logic and Pattern Recognition

Justin created Evelyn after years of teaching and mentoring students who are neurodivergent in many different ways. The character is autistic-coded, literal, highly observant and especially skilled at recognizing patterns. Her analytical perspective shapes both the humor and the investigative structure of the series. The new book draws on Catholic demonology and Judas Iscariot lore within a contemporary mystery. Readers encounter an apartment with unsettling secrets, an organization operating beyond Evelyn's understanding and a case that steadily tests the limits of her evidence-based worldview.

The prequel: Olivia Hartwell: Sterling Matters, a novella, is free for readers who sign up for Justin's author newsletter. Here is a recent article published about the author.

About the Author

Justin Owens is a veteran middle school math teacher and the author of the Evelyn Cross Mystery Series. He has more than 13 years of teaching experience and a background spanning mathematics and computer science. Alongside his writing, he teaches seventh and eighth grade math and advanced mathematics classes while continuing to create curriculum materials and educational apps such as Numeria. His fiction draws on supernatural mysteries, detective stories, real-world history, folklore and religious traditions.

Justin Owens
Author of Evelyn Cross