Tag Archives: Middle grade mystery

The Ladder Larceny Blitz

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The Ladder Larceny cover

A Kids’ Court Whodunit #6

 

Middle-Grade / Mystery

Date Published: 09-29-2023

 

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A missing ladder. A relentless bully. Can the junior lawyer uncover the
truth before chaos erupts?

Luana Porcello has discovered a new love: volunteering at the community dog
pound. Still, as much as she enjoys working with animals, law remains her
true passion. So, when the local bully accuses his neighbor of theft, she
happily resumes her attorney role, confident of her client’s
innocence.

But as Luana gets to work, a formidable wall of evidence stands against her
client, from physical proof linking him to the alleged crime scene to an
eyewitness who insists he saw the accused commit the deed. Undeterred by the
odds stacked against her, Luana is relentless in her quest to vindicate her
client. Will her determination be enough to tip the scales of justice in
their favor?

About the Author

Caron Pescatore

Caron Pescatore was born in the United Kingdom. She spent most of her
childhood in Jamaica before migrating to the United States. After practicing
as a registered nurse for many years, Caron decided to enter law school,
obtaining her J.D. in 2001. She worked as an attorney for several years
before leaving the profession to become a stay-at-home mom—her most
challenging career to date. She recently resumed working as an attorney at
Legal Aid, representing people from marginalized communities. Ms. Pescatore
is passionate about justice and fairness for all, a sentiment that led, in
part, to her decision to write the Kids’ Court Whodunit series. Her
favorite pastimes are reading, writing, and watching true-crime shows. She
also recently discovered a love of painting using stencils. At present, Ms.
Pescatore lives in Florida with her husband and two children.

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The Ladder Larceny Teaser Tuesday

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The Ladder Larceny cover

A Kids’ Court Whodunit #6

 

Middle-Grade / Mystery

Date Published: 09-29-2023

 

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

 

A missing ladder. A relentless bully. Can the junior lawyer uncover the
truth before chaos erupts?

Luana Porcello has discovered a new love: volunteering at the community dog
pound. Still, as much as she enjoys working with animals, law remains her
true passion. So, when the local bully accuses his neighbor of theft, she
happily resumes her attorney role, confident of her client’s
innocence.

But as Luana gets to work, a formidable wall of evidence stands against her
client, from physical proof linking him to the alleged crime scene to an
eyewitness who insists he saw the accused commit the deed. Undeterred by the
odds stacked against her, Luana is relentless in her quest to vindicate her
client. Will her determination be enough to tip the scales of justice in
their favor?

The Ladder Larceny standing book

EXCERPT

 

CHAPTER

1

 

Bully for You!

 

“I’m Only going to say this once. Gimme back my ladder, or
you’ll be sorry.” Billy Green hardened his jaw as he glowered at
the small boy.

“But I don’t have it!” Adam Garcia rubbed his sweaty
palms on his green t-shirt.

“You’re lying.” Billy clenched his fists and fought
against the urge to hit the boy.

Adam’s eyes darted around the park, searching for an escape. But
there was none. Billy and his companions had him trapped in a deserted area.
“I didn’t take your ladder, Billy. Honest, I
didn’t!”

“I didn’t take your ladder, Billy. Honest,” one of
Billy’s friends parroted mockingly.

A fourth boy laughed, and Billy twisted his lips. He would have found
Evan’s mocking impression of Adam hilarious at any other time, but not
now. Now, Billy was angry. Someone had taken his ladder—he was sure
that someone was Adam—and was determined to get it back.

The four boys were in the playground at Oakdale Park, a vast compound on
the outskirts of downtown Oakdale with tennis courts, basketball courts, a
swimming pool, and more.

Adam gulped and tugged at the neck of his t-shirt. He wasn’t sure how
he would get out of this mess. He didn’t know Billy well but knew he
and his friends were troublemakers. Adam’s eyes continued scanning the
area, desperately looking for a miracle. He noticed the grass was still damp
from the night’s heavy rainfall and the deep shadows surrounding them
where they were in the shade of the climbing wall. What Adam didn’t
see was another person. That was no surprise, as when he’d arrived at
the park earlier, he’d purposely chosen this area because of the
isolation. Adam had wanted to be alone. That decision had been a mistake.
Adam bit the inside of his cheek and peeked at his tormentor.

“I’ll give you till the count of five.” Billy towered
over Adam. “If you don’t tell me where my ladder is by the time
I finish, you’ll pay. One. Two. Three.” He counted off each
number on the fingers of his right hand.

Adam hunched over, squeezed his eyes shut, and awaited his fate. A fleeting
urge to run overcame him, but he couldn’t outrun Billy. Despite being
overweight, Billy was fast, and running away would only make him angrier.
Adam knew he’d pay once Billy caught up to him. No, it was better to
stay put and accept his doom. Besides, he and Billy were neighbors, so it
wasn’t like Adam could hide from the boy.

Meanwhile, Luana Porcello and her best friend, Phoebe Chen, rode along one
of the many bike paths that wove throughout the park grounds. The girls were
on their way home after spending the morning at the Oakdale Animal Shelter
orientation for new volunteers. Their friend, Carmen Diaz, a long-time
volunteer at the shelter, had been showing them the ropes.

Phoebe noticed the four boys in the distance as they turned a corner, and
the playground appeared. She recognized Billy and his cronies and slowed her
bike. “I wonder what’s going on over there?” 

Luana’s brow creased as she followed Phoebe’s gaze with her
eyes. “Hmm. I doubt it’s anything good.”

“That’s for sure. Billy Green and those two he hangs with are
bad news, and they have that poor kid outnumbered.” She glanced at
Luana. “Maybe we should go find out what’s going on. He might
need help. What do you think?” Without waiting for an answer, Phoebe
changed directions and pedaled toward the playground.

“Phoebe! Wait!” Luana increased her speed, trying to catch up
to her friend. Sometimes, she wished Phoebe would think before she
acted.

About the Author

Caron Pescatore

Caron Pescatore was born in the United Kingdom. She spent most of her
childhood in Jamaica before migrating to the United States. After practicing
as a registered nurse for many years, Caron decided to enter law school,
obtaining her J.D. in 2001. She worked as an attorney for several years
before leaving the profession to become a stay-at-home mom—her most
challenging career to date. She recently resumed working as an attorney at
Legal Aid, representing people from marginalized communities. Ms. Pescatore
is passionate about justice and fairness for all, a sentiment that led, in
part, to her decision to write the Kids’ Court Whodunit series. Her
favorite pastimes are reading, writing, and watching true-crime shows. She
also recently discovered a love of painting using stencils. At present, Ms.
Pescatore lives in Florida with her husband and two children.

Contact Links

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Facebook

Twitter

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Bookbub

 

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Amazon

 

 

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The Problem at Wisteria Garden Tour

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The Problem at Wisteria Garden coverA Pekin Dewlap Mystery

Middle Grade Mystery

Date Published: 3/9/21

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

The ghost haunting Wisteria Gardens Antiques appears to be a charming and loving mother who can’t stand the thought of being separated from her son.

But appearances can be deceiving.

The Ghosties are moved by her expression of devotion, until they discover the truth. Her attachment to the real world has nothing to do with love.

As the teen ghost hunters struggle with the case, Althea’s determination to stay threatens their very lives. Will Pekin, Scout, and Amber convince the ghost to move on before it’s too late?

The Problem at Wisteria Garden tablet

 

EXCERPT

“Uh-oh,” Amber said.

“I know,” Pekin said. “I think she’s up to something.”

“Let’s split up and see if we can find her,” Scout said, and the three of them headed for different areas of the shop.

Before they separated, Pekin handed each of them a crystal for whatever protection the stones could provide against the ghost of Althea Cooley.

Despite the chill, nothing seemed out of place, and no ghostly voice addressed them. None of the kids felt reassured by this, however, knowing Althea was toying with them.

After his search of the shop turned up no sign of the ghost, Scout said loudly, “You might as well come out, Althea. Matt’s gone and he’s not coming back. You have to deal with us now.”

Oh, I’m sooo scared, the ghost responded.

Ignoring the voice, Pekin continued her sweep of the shop, sticking her head in the supply room. When she turned back toward the interior, she heard an odd swishing sound, and from around a corner marched half-a-dozen dolls with painted porcelain faces and frilly party dresses, each about two feet tall.

Her hand flew to her mouth in alarm, and she called out for her friends. In an instant, Scout was at her side with Amber close behind. They all stared in wide-eyed shock at the approaching doll army, and Althea’s laughter boomed around them.

The dolls formed themselves into a semicircle around the kids, cutting off any escape route. Scout motioned Pekin and Amber into the supply room and turned back to face the scary toys. Glancing over his shoulder at the girls with an encouraging smile, looking braver than he felt, he squared his shoulders and planted his feet, ready to meet the silent troop. For a moment, it appeared they were in a standoff until the dolls’ eyes started blinking and their jaws clacked open and closed exposing teeth that were pointed and menacing, definitely not innocent doll teeth. And they were going num num num num. Pekin shrieked and clutched Amber’s arm as the dolls moved toward them, still going num num num num.

“What are they?” Amber whined, covering her ears and huddling against Pekin.

His back to Pekin and Amber, Scout spread his arms out to protect them. One of the dolls rushed forward, an odd, tinny battle cry emanating from it. Both girls screamed as the doll surged toward Scout and flew into the air in front of him, its arms reaching for his face. Scout raised his hands instinctively and batted it away. The doll fell in a heap on the floor in a cloud of taffeta and ribbons. He was speechless for a moment, and suddenly he laughed. “Really, Althea? Dolls?”

 

About the Author

Pam McCord

Pam got a late start in writing, but has made up for it with several published novels and at least one more on the way. A serendipitous conversation with a writer friend launched her literary career, and the fact that she might never have had that particular conversation is enough to make her believe that fate played a hand in sending her down her best path. She’s lived in Southern California most of her life and is thankful to have a loving family and supportive friends. Spending time at home during the COVID pandemic has advanced both Pam’s writing and her relationship with her My Cat From Hell TV star, Allie, who manages to exude just enough affection to make her scary feral ways tolerable.

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Amazon Author Page

 

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The Problem at Wisteria Gardens Blitz

 

The Problem at Wisteria Gardens cover

 

A Pekin Dewlap Mystery

 

Middle Grade Mystery

Date Published: 3/9/21

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

The ghost haunting Wisteria Gardens Antiques appears to be a charming and loving mother who can’t stand the thought of being separated from her son.

But appearances can be deceiving.

The Ghosties are moved by her expression of devotion, until they discover the truth. Her attachment to the real world has nothing to do with love.

As the teen ghost hunters struggle with the case, Althea’s determination to stay threatens their very lives. Will Pekin, Scout, and Amber convince the ghost to move on before it’s too late?

About The Author

Pam got a late start in writing, but has made up for it with several published novels and at least one more on the way. A serendipitous conversation with a writer friend launched her literary career, and the fact that she might never have had that particular conversation is enough to make her believe that fate played a hand in sending her down her best path. She’s lived in Southern California most of her life and is thankful to have a loving family and supportive friends. Spending time at home during the COVID pandemic has advanced both Pam’s writing and her relationship with her My Cat From Hell TV star, Allie, who manages to exude just enough affection to make her scary feral ways tolerable.

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

Purchase Links

Amazon

B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RABT Book Tours & PR

2 Comments

Filed under BOOKS

The Problem at Wisteria Gardens Reveal

 

 The Problem at Wisteria Gardens cover

 

A Pekin Dewlap Mystery

Middle Grade Mystery

Date Published: 3/9/21

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

The ghost haunting Wisteria Gardens Antiques appears to be a charming and loving mother who can’t stand the thought of being separated from her son.

But appearances can be deceiving.

The Ghosties are moved by her expression of devotion, until they discover the truth. Her attachment to the real world has nothing to do with love.

As the teen ghost hunters struggle with the case, Althea’s determination to stay threatens their very lives. Will Pekin, Scout, and Amber convince the ghost to move on before it’s too late?

About the Author

Pam got a late start in writing, but has made up for it with several published novels and at least one more on the way. A serendipitous conversation with a writer friend launched her literary career, and the fact that she might never have had that particular conversation is enough to make her believe that fate played a hand in sending her down her best path. She’s lived in Southern California most of her life and is thankful to have a loving family and supportive friends. Spending time at home during the COVID pandemic has advanced both Pam’s writing and her relationship with her My Cat From Hell TV star, Allie, who manages to exude just enough affection to make her scary feral ways tolerable.

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RABT Book Tours & PR

Comments Off on The Problem at Wisteria Gardens Reveal

Filed under BOOKS