It looked like an ordinary book.
But then he turned back the cover.
And everything changed.
Forever.
Eleven-year-old Nathan Cole hates books, until he discovers a mysterious bookcase hiding in the attic. Once the property of his grandfather, Henry Hammond, the noted bookseller from Cambridge, Massachusetts, the books that line the shelves have been saved for one reason — they each contain an unsolved mystery. From the moment he first sees it, the bookcase calls to him, and the adventures that ensue will change the course of his life.
He hated the attic.
Not just because of the darkness, or the smell, or the broken floorboards. It was the spiders. They were everywhere, waiting for you the minute you walked into the room. They’d crawl on you…bite you…make you wish you never walked through the door in the first place. That’s the way Nathan Cole was feeling at the moment…..the way he felt every time his parents made him come to the attic. Things would be very different if it were up to him. Not that much was up to an 11-year-old……
See what adventures await the boy whom the media have labeled, “The greatest detective of his age.”
Third Floor Books – Mystery Series
Author Alfred M. Struthers is passionate about crafting books that inspire, entertain, and make a difference in the lives of readers young and old.
Teachers|in the classroom
Classroom visits are nothing short of magical. As an educator in Maine told me, “The kids won’t believe me, they won’t believe their parents, but they’ll believe you!”
That statement inspired me to start regular classroom visits, something I do at no charge.
NOW AVAILABLE
At age 12, Nathan Cole is the keeper of the Hammond bookcase, a curious relic filled with unsolved mysteries, passed down through his family for five generations.
Join Nathan as he finds himself in a race against time to solve the riddle of The Watchman’s Keep. CLICK Here to Buy.
“Mr. Struthers does a wonderful job stirring curious histories and cryptic architecture into a suspenseful and fast-paced cauldron of mystery. As the main character wakes to a newly discovered love of literature, so does the reader to a completely original and well-written tale. I’ll be testing this book with my students during the next quarter and look forward to watching them live through every twist and turn.” ~ C.S., Principal, Keene, NH
A message from the author:
To me, words are like morsels of mouth-watering food. I just can’t get enough. And with an estimated 171,146 words currently in use in the English language (according to the Oxford English Dictionary), there’s plenty to chew on.
My goal in writing is to create stories that pull you in and don’t let go; chapters that keep you turning pages late into the night.
There’s nothing more exhilarating than a parent telling me that their reluctant reader couldn’t put down one of my books, that they walked by their son’s room late at night and found him hunkered down beneath the covers with a flashlight, reading one of my mysteries. As writers, teachers, parents (and grandparents!), we can make a huge difference in the life of a child by reading with them, keeping their bookshelves stocked with books, and talking with them about the things they like to read. Sharing a book with a child is, to borrow the mid-1920s advertising slogan, “The gift that keeps on giving.”
When I meet a young [avid] reader, their parent will undoubtedly tell me that they were read to as a child, which, in turn, prompted them to continue that tradition.
Imagine crafting a book that starts that legacy and you will understand the passion I have for putting words to paper. ~ Alfred M. Struthers