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Genre: Upper Middle Grade Mystery/Thrillers
Publisher: Astraea Press Publication date: March 13, 2012 Number of pages: 277 In a small town in Michigan, fifteen-year-old Sarah Cole is stuck spending the summer at her Aunt and Uncle’s with her sister, Lacey. She’s not happy with the situation until she befriends a girl named Jackie. The three girls stumble upon the ruthless murder of a reclusive neighborhood woman and what's worse? One of the officers investigating the crime believes the girls are responsible for her death. Fearing that this officer will frame them for the murder, the girls organize their own detective squad. They become the Super Spies and start their own investigation. The Super Spies can’t understand why anyone would want to murder the “Cat Lady” until they |
start digging into her past and discover a horrible crime that happened
thirty years ago. They uncover a connection between the two crimes and
attempt to bring this information to the police, only to be reprimanded
for meddling in the investigation. Not only are the girls upset by the
admonition, but they also struggle with the fact that their exuberant
investigating could provide a legal loophole allowing the killer to go
free. Frustrated by this turn of events, the Super Spies realize it’s up
to them to snare the Cat Lady killer.
Or die trying...
Or die trying...
Genre: Upper Middle Grade Mystery/Thrillers
Publisher: Astraea Press Publication date: July 26, 2012 Number of pages: 366 This book opens in a small town in Michigan where Sarah Cole and her sister Lacey are now living with their Aunt and Uncle. Still reeling from the fact her parents have disappeared, Sarah starts the school year with her new friend Jackie Jenkins. When Sarah learns the school has been bombed, she’s filled with dread. Uncle Walt is a teacher, and he was in the school when the bomb exploded. Taking matters into her own hands, Sarah decides to search for him. The rest of the Super Spies are right behind her. When a fireman chases them away from the school, Sarah becomes suspicious. She decides to investigate. |  |
The
FBI arrives on the scene. Sarah realizes this bombing could have even
bigger implications. Searching for the bombers, Sarah is introduced to
the world of terrorism. She fears that the bombing and her parents’
disappearance are connected and terrorists are involved. To make matters
worse, the bombers are determined to finish the job. Can the Super
Spies find the bombers before it’s too late?
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Genre: Upper Middle Grade Mystery/Thrillers
Publisher: Astraea Press Publication date: march 13, 2012 Number of pages: 277 Sarah Cole and her sister Lacey are at it once again when they learn their missing parents’ cell phone has been traced to Alden, Michigan. When the FBI declines to continue the in-vestigation, Sarah takes matters into her own hands. She calls upon the Super Spies and they delve into the situation. Suddenly, the teens find themselves immersed in small town intrigue and mystery involving a menacing stranger, who Sarah dubs “The Stalker." But when Sarah learns he’s connected to her parents’ disappearance, she’s |
determined
to find out what that connection is. The Super Spies embark on a
journey that leads them into a web of corporate corruption at its
highest level that leaves innocent victims in its wake. Can they find
the proof they need to stop the greedy corporation before it’s too late?
Lisa
Orchard grew up loving books. She was hooked on books by the fifth
grade and even wrote a few of her own. She knew she wanted to be a
writer even then. Her first published works are the “Super Spies
Series.” These stories revolve around a group of friends who form their
own detective squad and the cases they solve. “The Starlight
Chronicles,” is the next series that Lisa created with musical misfit,
Lark Singer as her main character.
Lisa resides in Michigan with her husband, Steve, and two wonderful boys. Currently, she’s working on the next book in the Starlight Chronicles Series along with a few new ideas that may turn into stand-alone novels. When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, and reading.
Lisa resides in Michigan with her husband, Steve, and two wonderful boys. Currently, she’s working on the next book in the Starlight Chronicles Series along with a few new ideas that may turn into stand-alone novels. When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, and reading.
Book 2:
Chapter One
“What do you mean you lost them?” Sarah Cole fidgeted as she waited for Agent Gray to answer. I can’t believe it! He lost the only clue to our parents’ location. What is wrong with this picture? Agitated, Sarah shifted in her seat and chewed on her lip. She was uncomfortable in the folding chair and rearranged her petite frame so she wouldn’t feel the cold metal against her bare legs. Shivering, she glanced around the all-too-familiar room.
The gray cement block walls no longer gave her that creepy, closed-in feeling she used to get when she first came to the interrogation rooms. She remembered the first time she’d been in that tiny space. It had been the day she’d discovered the Cat Lady’s dead body. Sarah shuddered at the memory and then smiled when she remembered forming the Super Spies and bringing the Cat Lady Killer to justice. Glancing around the room again, she realized she’d been in this room quite a bit these last few weeks, not only during the Cat Lady investigation, but the High School Bomber investigation as well. Shivering again, Sarah rubbed her arms but she really wasn’t cold. Her mind filled with the image of the bomber the Super Spies had helped apprehend just a week earlier.
Wow! Was it just last week?
She tugged at a lock of her honey colored hair, then brushed it away with an impatient hand. She sighed and glanced at her younger sister. Lacey sat beside her with her legs crossed, jiggling her foot at such a rapid rate it seemed like her whole body was electrified. She caught Sarah’s eye and for a moment her eyes glittered like emeralds before she shifted her gaze to Aunt June, who had placed her hand on Lacey’s leg in what appeared to be an attempt to quiet her. Sarah shifted in her chair and sighed again.Are we ever going to find Mom and Dad?
A commotion out in the hall drew everyone’s attention. Sarah leaned forward and craned her neck to see what was happening.
“Chief, we’ve got an OD!” An officer yelled.
“What?” Chief Johnson yelled as he rushed by. “An OD on what? Give me the details.”
“The parents found their son unconscious in his room this morning, and an empty bottle of prescription medication on his bedside table.”
“What was it?” Chief Johnson asked.
“It’s Myodine.”
“Who makes it?”
“Ah… Piper Drugs.”
“Call Poison Control with the name and manufacturer and ask them what to do about an overdose. Instruct the parents to get their son to the hospital pronto,” Chief Johnson ordered.
“They’ve brought him here.”
“What?” Chief Johnson exclaimed.
The sound of policemen rushing through the hall pulled Sarah and her sister out of their seats. They hurried to the door, unable to stifle their curiosity. Peering down the corridor, Sarah caught a glimpse of a young man sagging between two officers as they desperately tried to keep him on his feet. One officer gently slapped his face while the other officers held him up. The young man blinked and then gagged, puking on the officer in front of him.
The rancid stench of fresh vomit filled the air. While plugging her nose, Sarah ducked back inside the interrogation room, followed by her sister. Sarah closed the door, hoping it would keep the smell from penetrating the room.
“Did you hear that, Lace? Piper Drugs! That’s the company Dad works for,” Sarah whispered in her sister’s ear before proceeding back to her seat.
Lacey opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when Agent Gray cleared his throat and motioned for them to sit down.
He continued his conversation as if they hadn’t been interrupted. We were on our way to the location of the ping… but before we got there it disappeared.”
“So, what does that mean? Did you find our parents or what?” Sarah blurted out as she sat down. She stared into Agent Gray’s icy blue eyes, trying to read his mind.
“It means…” Agent Gray took a deep breath and seemed to reign in his annoyance. He shifted his large frame gingerly as if the chair was too small and he feared he would topple over at any moment. “That the phone was either turned off or it died, and without the ping we can’t locate it.”
Sarah slumped down, crushed by disappointment.
“Exactly how does pinging work?” Aunt June asked, leaning forward and looking past Lacey. She gave Sarah the evil eye, silently telling her to be still.
Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed. Staring at her aunt, she was struck by the resemblance to her mother. The same blonde hair and green eyes, they looked so much alike that Sarah swore they were twins. They even had the same worry line between their brows. It made its appearance now on Aunt June’s face.
“Pinging is where we can triangulate a cell phone’s location. By triangulate I mean we can find out which cell phone towers were accessed by the phone when it tried to make a call, and this will give us a general idea of the phone’s location.”
Aunt June bit her lip. “I see, so what happens now that you’ve lost the signal?”
“We’ve still got the ping set up so if the phone is turned back on, we’ll be able to continue our trace.”
“Where did the ping show up?” Sarah demanded and received another glare from her aunt.
“Somewhere in the vicinity of the town of Alden.”
“Alden?” Sarah locked eyes with her sister and then spun back to face the agent. “That’s up north. We went camping there one summer.”
“That’s right,” Aunt June said. “It’s about a two-hour drive from here.”
“How in the world did their cell phone get up north when they disappeared on a Caribbean cruise?” Sarah frowned and bit her lip. Questions whirled through her mind so fast she couldn’t make sense of them. “I mean the last we knew they were down in Florida.”
“Yeah, what’s going on?” Lacey asked, nervously twirled her long blonde hair.
“How did their phone get from Florida to Alden?” Sarah exchanged a perplexed look with Lacey.
“What do you mean you lost them?” Sarah Cole fidgeted as she waited for Agent Gray to answer. I can’t believe it! He lost the only clue to our parents’ location. What is wrong with this picture? Agitated, Sarah shifted in her seat and chewed on her lip. She was uncomfortable in the folding chair and rearranged her petite frame so she wouldn’t feel the cold metal against her bare legs. Shivering, she glanced around the all-too-familiar room.
The gray cement block walls no longer gave her that creepy, closed-in feeling she used to get when she first came to the interrogation rooms. She remembered the first time she’d been in that tiny space. It had been the day she’d discovered the Cat Lady’s dead body. Sarah shuddered at the memory and then smiled when she remembered forming the Super Spies and bringing the Cat Lady Killer to justice. Glancing around the room again, she realized she’d been in this room quite a bit these last few weeks, not only during the Cat Lady investigation, but the High School Bomber investigation as well. Shivering again, Sarah rubbed her arms but she really wasn’t cold. Her mind filled with the image of the bomber the Super Spies had helped apprehend just a week earlier.
Wow! Was it just last week?
She tugged at a lock of her honey colored hair, then brushed it away with an impatient hand. She sighed and glanced at her younger sister. Lacey sat beside her with her legs crossed, jiggling her foot at such a rapid rate it seemed like her whole body was electrified. She caught Sarah’s eye and for a moment her eyes glittered like emeralds before she shifted her gaze to Aunt June, who had placed her hand on Lacey’s leg in what appeared to be an attempt to quiet her. Sarah shifted in her chair and sighed again.Are we ever going to find Mom and Dad?
A commotion out in the hall drew everyone’s attention. Sarah leaned forward and craned her neck to see what was happening.
“Chief, we’ve got an OD!” An officer yelled.
“What?” Chief Johnson yelled as he rushed by. “An OD on what? Give me the details.”
“The parents found their son unconscious in his room this morning, and an empty bottle of prescription medication on his bedside table.”
“What was it?” Chief Johnson asked.
“It’s Myodine.”
“Who makes it?”
“Ah… Piper Drugs.”
“Call Poison Control with the name and manufacturer and ask them what to do about an overdose. Instruct the parents to get their son to the hospital pronto,” Chief Johnson ordered.
“They’ve brought him here.”
“What?” Chief Johnson exclaimed.
The sound of policemen rushing through the hall pulled Sarah and her sister out of their seats. They hurried to the door, unable to stifle their curiosity. Peering down the corridor, Sarah caught a glimpse of a young man sagging between two officers as they desperately tried to keep him on his feet. One officer gently slapped his face while the other officers held him up. The young man blinked and then gagged, puking on the officer in front of him.
The rancid stench of fresh vomit filled the air. While plugging her nose, Sarah ducked back inside the interrogation room, followed by her sister. Sarah closed the door, hoping it would keep the smell from penetrating the room.
“Did you hear that, Lace? Piper Drugs! That’s the company Dad works for,” Sarah whispered in her sister’s ear before proceeding back to her seat.
Lacey opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when Agent Gray cleared his throat and motioned for them to sit down.
He continued his conversation as if they hadn’t been interrupted. We were on our way to the location of the ping… but before we got there it disappeared.”
“So, what does that mean? Did you find our parents or what?” Sarah blurted out as she sat down. She stared into Agent Gray’s icy blue eyes, trying to read his mind.
“It means…” Agent Gray took a deep breath and seemed to reign in his annoyance. He shifted his large frame gingerly as if the chair was too small and he feared he would topple over at any moment. “That the phone was either turned off or it died, and without the ping we can’t locate it.”
Sarah slumped down, crushed by disappointment.
“Exactly how does pinging work?” Aunt June asked, leaning forward and looking past Lacey. She gave Sarah the evil eye, silently telling her to be still.
Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed. Staring at her aunt, she was struck by the resemblance to her mother. The same blonde hair and green eyes, they looked so much alike that Sarah swore they were twins. They even had the same worry line between their brows. It made its appearance now on Aunt June’s face.
“Pinging is where we can triangulate a cell phone’s location. By triangulate I mean we can find out which cell phone towers were accessed by the phone when it tried to make a call, and this will give us a general idea of the phone’s location.”
Aunt June bit her lip. “I see, so what happens now that you’ve lost the signal?”
“We’ve still got the ping set up so if the phone is turned back on, we’ll be able to continue our trace.”
“Where did the ping show up?” Sarah demanded and received another glare from her aunt.
“Somewhere in the vicinity of the town of Alden.”
“Alden?” Sarah locked eyes with her sister and then spun back to face the agent. “That’s up north. We went camping there one summer.”
“That’s right,” Aunt June said. “It’s about a two-hour drive from here.”
“How in the world did their cell phone get up north when they disappeared on a Caribbean cruise?” Sarah frowned and bit her lip. Questions whirled through her mind so fast she couldn’t make sense of them. “I mean the last we knew they were down in Florida.”
“Yeah, what’s going on?” Lacey asked, nervously twirled her long blonde hair.
“How did their phone get from Florida to Alden?” Sarah exchanged a perplexed look with Lacey.
May 30--Mel's Shelves
May 31--Katie's Clean Book Collection
June 1--Reading Is My SuperPower
June 2--Smiling Book Reviews
June 3--deal sharing aunt
June 4--Singing Librarian Books
May 31--Katie's Clean Book Collection
June 1--Reading Is My SuperPower
June 2--Smiling Book Reviews
June 3--deal sharing aunt
June 4--Singing Librarian Books
Thanks for participating in my tour. I appreciate it!
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