The third book in the Whistlebrass Mysteries releases today. I am so excited...I truly am. The story is fun, fast-paced, very spooky and will keep you guessing until the very end. This is written for young adults, however, just like the Harry Potter books, adults love them too!

Just for you!

Chapter One - SPIDERS!

Two outsized eyes in the center of its face shimmered like glass

beads. Six smaller ones ringed its furry head. At night, the eight

eyes worked together allowing it to easily pinpoint its prey. In the hazy

afternoon light, its vision was blurry, but it could detect motion.

Pike took a few steps to the right. It followed him, mimicking his

movements with a sideways scuttle. Pike stepped forward and tapped

the smudged glass window of the conservatory with his index fingers.

“Hey, beautiful,” said Pike. “Whatcha doin’ in there.”

The kitten-sized spider lifted its two front legs and tapped the glass

from the other side.

Pike let out a soft whistle. “Cool.”

He leaned in close, peering through the smudged window of the

conservatory. Pushed up against the glass was a long table lined with

wire cages, beakers, and bottles swathed in dusty spiderwebs. The spider

standing in the center of the table was covered with wiry black hair and

a series of cobalt blue stripes ran diagonally down its back in an inverted

V formation.

Pike rested his chin against the rusty iron that framed the window

pane. The elaborate domed conservatory blossomed like an enormous

wrought-iron flower off the west wing of the old Greenwebbe Mansion.

The house and, in fact, the entire Greenwebbe Estate had definitely

seen better days. The once manicured grounds were a riot of tangled

brush and twisted trees. A roadmap of cracks, evidence from decades

of deferred maintenance and harsh New England winters, cut through

the masonry of the still imposing façade of the mansion.

The conservatory was filled with work tables, aquariums, terrariums,

and wire cages of all sizes. Spider webs hung from the ceiling filtering

the afternoon sun and making the interior resemble a soft-focus photograph.

Shadows shifted and the spider turned away from the window.

A tiny old lady weaved her way between the tables. Her silver hair was

swept up into a neat French twist. She wore a stained bib apron over

khaki trousers and a slightly threadbare turtleneck sweater.

“There you are, Frances. I wondered where you were.”

The old lady scooped the spider up and held it against her cheek,

smiling as it tapped her face with a furry foreleg. Pike rapped gently

against the glass. The woman stepped back quickly, surprised by the

dark silhouette appearing at her window.

“It’s just me, Miss G. It’s Pike.”

Arachne Greenwebbe waved her free hand, gesturing for him to

come inside. He smiled as he circled the conservatory, striding along

the cracked flagstone walkway.

Good old Miss G, he thought. I startle her, but that giant spider doesn’t

faze her at all.

Hope you enjoyed the excerpt! For the full novel, click here.