Samantha Carlton, her mom, and Sam's best friend Lita, along with Petey, the hyper Dachshund, went to help Grace Carlton put Hilda's affairs in order and to close up her huge scary Victorian house. Sam's mom had missed a miniature Van Gogh painting titled Starry Night that was not in the boxes that were being donated to the museum, and she and Lita had been roped in to help search for it instead of sunning on a beach. Sam prided herself on being the next Nancy Drew and vowed to find that painting or turn in her junior detective badge.

Their first encounter was with the former housekeeper who was a tad shy of being rude and because of her sly actions, Sam put Mrs. Drake on the top of her suspect list. Mrs. Drake had the run of Aunt Hilda's home and every key and when she secretly took a doll house out of Hilda's home Sam was sure that Starry Night was in it.

Christine Verstraete tells a delightful young adult story that children as well as adults will enjoy. Searching For A Starry Night is very entertaining, especially with the lovable Petey stealing the show! Sam learns a valuable lesson by frightening her best friend so badly that she could not sleep and the girls argue to the point that Sam fears that she will lose Lita's friendship. As they search for clues to the missing painting, Sam gets a lesson in the art of miniature painting. A good read for anyone who wants a laugh.