Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle

Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle is set in 1929, while Prohibition was in full swing. Ruben and Jeddy, best friends living in a small New England Town near the coast. One afternoon the two boys discovered a dead body had washed up on shore! They were certain this man, who had a bullet hole in his neck, was involved in rum-running, or illegal liquor smuggling. Ruben found a pipe and tobacco pouch on him, but no other identification. Ruben and Jeddy went back to town to report their find to Jeddy's father, the police chief. Neither Chief McKenzie nor the deputy, Charlie Pope responded. After three hours of waiting, the deputy finally came and had the boys show him what they found. By that time, the body had disappeared without a trace. This incident began a number of unfortunate events, including the break-up of Jeddy and Ruben's friendship, the arrest of a prominent business man (and Ruben's father's boss), the arrival of a mobster from New York, the kidnapping of Ruben, and even more death. To uncover the rest of the mystery, read Black Duck.

This was a great mystery! The story is told by Ruben as an elderly adult being interviewed by David, an 8th grader who really wants to publish a story in the town's newspaper. He's certain if he can just get Ruben Hart to tell his story, he'll have the perfect scoop. Ruben is willing to talk, but only in short installments over several days. By the time the whole story comes out (for the first time ever), Ruben and David have developed a lasting friendship. Ruben's story is based on real events that actually happened aboard the Black Duck (a liquor smuggling ship) in 1929.