YA Cozy Mystery
Date Published: 05/29/2022
Publisher: Purple Milk Publishing
Carly, Maddie, Pilot and Cornelious have been waiting forever for their Seniors Only Cruise. After three years of solving crime in their small town, this trip is the relaxing break from Asbury they need. Dreaming of all the fun and drama-free adventures in store for them, the gang settles in for a calm summer cruise.
Soon after departing, things don’t go quite as planned. With strange, new additions to their itinerary, Asbury’s favorite sleuths detect something is amiss. When violence breaks out, Cornelious turns to the captain who quickly reassures everyone aboard. After all, what reason would the crew have to mess with a group of teenagers? Adding to their troubles is Cornelious’ cousin Dane, whose feelings for Maddie have only grown stronger.
Excited to be away from his father and finally dating Maddie, Cornelious tries to ignore his cousin as his insecurities fester. After a stirring revelation from Dane, Cornelious retreats from his friends and finds solace in the ship’s jolly Captain Dex. At the same time, Carly, Maddie and Pilot begin to suspect the crew, believing there’s more than meets the eye with this cruise. Frustrated by Cornelious’ withdrawal, the gang doubles down on their efforts to discover the crew’s motives. Pulled into a dangerous game of who to trust, the gang is determined to find the truth—and mend their friendship.
With relationships called into question and stunning secrets exposed, the gang faces their biggest obstacle yet—trust. Can Cornelious trust the captain more than his friends? With their peers placing blind trust in the crew, can the gang convince them otherwise, before it’s too late? Or are Pilot, Carly and Maddie just overreacting? With constantly changing itineraries, a scheming crew lurking behind every door, a happy-go-lucky captain refusing to dig deeper, and lifelong relationships put to the test, can the gang rekindle their relationship with each other and figure out what’s really going on?
Maddie joined her class in laughter as the captain sat back down and the delicious food arrived.
Forking the rice into her mouth, she whispered to Cornelious, “You know…something is bothering me.”
“What?” Cornelious grew concerned and thought for a second Maddie might be talking about Dane for some reason.
Although, he’d clearly sympathize. Dane bothered him more often than not these days.
“It’s…well, it’s Captain Dex. He doesn’t look like the picture I saw of him when Trent was aboard.”
“That was two years ago, right?”
“Yeah, well…I don’t know.”
“Did he have a beard in the picture? Sometimes, growing a beard drastically changes the way some people look.” Overhearing the pair’s conversation, Carly dropped in.
Maddie considered what Carly said and nodded. “True, I don’t think he had a beard.”
“See? No mystery. No drama.” Carly stated simply, though it sounded more like a veiled threat.
When dinner was finished, Cornelious swiftly grabbed Maddie’s hand and swept her from the room. Hurrying up the stairs, Cornelious laughed as Maddie asked a half-dozen times where they were heading.
Stopping in front of the Movie Theater room, Cornelious bowed and said, “Tah-Dah. For one night only, we get the whole room to ourselves to watch…ocean disaster movies!”
Maddie laughed and stepped into the private, fifty-seat cinema. “How did you manage to get this room to ourselves?” Maddie arched her eyebrows and appraised her overly-pleased boyfriend. “Or should I be asking Pilot?”
Cornelious closed the heavy door and stepped in close to Maddie. Putting one hand behind her back, he drew her to him and kissed her. Not wanting to end the kiss, both teens pulled themselves closer into each other. Before either could break apart, or question if they should spend all their time in this private room just watching movies, a raspy voice snaked through the dark.
“Is it time yet?”
Freezing, the teens broke apart and turned towards where the creepy whisper originated. Pulling Maddie behind him, Cornelious stalked over to the screen. Checking behind the projector, nothing but hard wall was evident.
Glancing at each other, they exhaled, telepathically communicating. Clearly, the two had overheard someone’s conversation.
“That was…”
“Creepy.” Maddie finished, wondering if they should leave the theater and do some investigating.
Upon hearing no further whispering, both teens concluded that the person had passed or the conversation had ended. Not wanting to waste their date night, the pair found two comfy recliners and began The Poseidon Adventure.
About the Author
Growing up just over the bridge from Ocean City, NJ in Upper Township meant discovering plenty of fun places to both read, write, and run around outside like a maniac. For as long as she could remember, Kelly loved making up stories, and leaving her listeners/readers on the edge of their seats.
After graduating from Ocean City High School, Kelly accepted a basketball scholarship to Holy Family University, in Philadelphia. Upon graduating college, Kelly continued to live in Philly, teaching for four years, and meeting the love of her life during a snowstorm. In fact, it was her awesome husband who encouraged her to pursue her writing–Yay, Ryan!
Before writing page-turners however, she taught first, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade — like a dessert menu, she simply had to test them all out. But her favorite job is the one she’s now doing full time: writing.
As her first published work, the Asbury High series has been brewing since she was 18, and has something for every type of reader–go ahead take look for yourself! If you love mysteries, you’ve found your new favorite author. Kelly loves to craft whodunit mysteries, leading readers through various twists and turns filled with red-herrings, hidden clues, and more peculiar characters than a reality show. As an athlete, she hopes that the importance of teamwork and overcoming adversity, is also quite clear in her writing
Kelly lives in South Jersey with her handsome husband, energetic baby boys, two cookie-stealing dogs, and an awfully smart cat. If you want to know when Kelly’s next book will come out, please visit her website at http://www.kbchannick.com, where you can sign up to receive emails providing updates for new releases, or contact her directly, as well as win fun giveaways, and receive up to date news.
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