Published by Great Plains Publications
Ford is on a family trip to Paris where his family can regal in the history of his great-grandfather. A strange thing happens when he starts getting visions of the past. He and his brother with their American cousin get thrown in a decade’s old mystery that needs to be solved. With his newly manifested clairvoyant abilities, they try to get to the bottom of it. Little do they know that they also have the attention of MI6 and the CIA.
In an Oyster Shell – This was a surprising read that I didn’t think I was going to like and left me completely astounded.
The Pearls – At first I thought I had stumbled on a middle-grade read and was a little disappointed. Not much after that, I was wowed by a mystery that engrossed me. I don’t think this is middle-grade though it does have younger characters. It was a beautiful meld of paranormal, mystery, and an exotic setting.
The characters where few. There is usually a myriad of side characters and in comparison, this book had very few. It made the focus on the characters very powerful. The few characters packed a punch. It was quite refreshing for once.
I like the paranormal aspect. I’m not a fan of all paranormal but a clairvoyant of the past I’m okay with. Using it to solve a family mystery made for a really great story.
The Sand – It was a really great story. I really hope that the author turns this into a series!
4 Pearls!
About Jodi Carmichael
Jodi Carmichael’s dreams of becoming an author began to come true when she attended her first SCBWI conference in Los Angeles in 2007 and was nominated for the Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award. A champion for the underdog and kids who think differently, she wrote SPAGHETTI IS NOT A FINGER FOOD AND OTHER LIFE LESSONS (2013) which won numerous awards including a Gold Mom’s Choice and a Silver Moonbeam in 2013. In 2016 her novel about relationship abuse, FOREVER JULIA (2016) won the Manitoba Book Award; The McNally Robinson Books for Young People Awards – Older Category and received a Bronze Moonbeam Award for Young Adult Fiction – Mature Issues.
When not channeling characters from her books, she can be found strolling Manitoba beaches with her husband, two daughters, and exceedingly scruffy Border Terrier named Zoe.
Thank you so much for the review. I love it when I find a book that surprises me, too, especially when I begin thinking it won’t be for me. And yes, there are plans for a book set in London and another one in Cairo. I love blending fact with fiction and this first book was loosely based on my own grandfather’s still-sealed WW2 records. For the London book, I have some ideas revolving around Morah, a.k.a. Scout, her brother and the ring of double agents that were recruited from Cambridge University in the 1930’s, called The Cambridge 5. With Cairo, I will return to my family connections and an uncle who was in fact a spy for England in Egypt during WW1. So many possibilities!
It was a great book. Please keep me apprised of your future releases.