Love A Great Mystery! YA Works Fine!...

..."Exactly right" said Mr. Eldred, smiling with
delight. "Do you know it, by any chance? I sold a
clock to a very nice man who lived there not so long ago
which was also part of Miss Millichamp's clear out.
I always felt the clock belonged there myself. Now
what was the man's name?"
"Chambers, " said Oz...
...He held up the scarab brooch. "This came to us
from a spinster who had recently inherited...the
previous owner had been a collector...
"So this definitely comes from Penwurt..."

The Obsidian Pebble


By RA Jones









When I say this novel has three children--two boys and a girl, and quite a bit of the setting is at school, playing soccer, and magic is involved, you may think immediately of the Harry Potter series. Don't.. Because that's where the similarity ends...

And the mystery begins...

If you're one of those individuals like myself who enjoy reading mysteries, even those for "the young," then consider this one! And it's a perfect novel to give as a gift to your young readers. The characters are fun and, as with Harry and his friends, they make a perfect trio--each providing and complementing the skills of the other...

Of course it was Oz Chambers who was chosen...

In this first book which is the first in a series called Artifact, we don't find out why he was chosen. Oz was still missing his father who was killed in an accident several years ago. His mother, too, is still having a  hard time, after experiencing an emotional breakdown upon his death. Oz didn't want to return to that time, but he was also very concerned at the moment because his mother was starting to talk about moving from their home. Oz knew that his father would never have wanted that, and neither did he!

Penwurt had been inherited by Oz's father and had a long history. At one time the building had been merged with another large one next door. The older part, dating back centuries, had once been used as an orphanage and was said to be haunted. Indeed on Halloween night, when Oz, Ellie and Ruff were having a small party, they had heard footsteps from that older part of the building, long shut off from the living quarters. But when they went to look, the floor was very dusty and there were no footprints, no disturbances! And that was the beginning of their search--for a ghost, or whatever, that was causing things to happen.

Like pictures, one of them a scarab, floating on Oz's computer screen...

Oz's father had been a historian and often traveled, searching for and coming back with artifacts. Now Oz also had that desire, especially when they discovered a package that had been sent to Oz before his father died, which contained a small trinket box, with something else he later found...after his mother had angrily smashed the box!

The scariest part of this book is a man who is trying to talk Mrs. Chambers into selling their home to him. Here's a short hint/excerpt about what he's into:

Oz's gaze shot...to the fence, where a face was glaring at them out of the fog. It was a human face, but distorted and wild. The eyes black and sunken, the features pinched, yellow teeth bared, the nails at the ends of the dirt-encrusted arms filthy and broken. A low feral scream erupted from its red mouth and ended in a hissing snarl...

But finding out about what that was is just part of the complex mystery that readers are going to be putting together--tracking down old books, searching the computer, and exploring secret places are just part of what happens! A great mystery that shouldn't be missed!

And to make it even more fun, the author has a great site for all readers to explore! Check out just a few items below! Highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews

RA Jones was born in 1955 and grew up in a mining village in South Wales with his nose in a book and his head in the clouds. He managed to subdue his imagination long enough to carve out a career in medicine, writing whenever the chance arose.

In 1994, writing as Dylan Jones, he published his first scary book for adults, a thriller, which was subsequently made into a two-part film by the BBC. Other scary books followed.

A growing desire to move away from adult thrillers and write for children is what currently preoccupies him. The Obsidian Pebble is the first in a quintet featuring eleven-year-old Oz Chambers whose family inherits a ‘haunted’ house. His mother wants to leave, but Oz wants to unlock the house’s mysteries and uncovers a secret that will change his life forever.

RA Jones has three grownup children who have emerged remarkably unscathed into adulthood. When not writing, he practices medicine and lives in darkest West Wales with his understanding (very) wife and two dogs.


Want to hear an excerpt by the Author?

Click and Let the Pebble Lead You to Secret Stuff!