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Nothing exciting ever happens in the small town of Grayson, especially for thirteen-year old Adam McTaggart.

Nothing, that is, until a nearby town is destroyed and all of its townspeople disappear.

After hearing the news, all of the parents begin to act strange, causing Adam and his friends to wonder if Grayson is in danger as well.

As the boys begin to unravel the past, they have no idea that great danger is already on its way – or just how much the Town Secrets will impact them, their town, and the rest of the world.

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 2014

1111 people are currently reading
1079 people want to read

About the author

Scott Gelowitz

8 books19 followers
I’m finding out that a biography is tough to write, especially when you’re doing it for yourself and not some rock-star with a sordid past and a thousand pages of Google search hits. So, I’m just going to wing it and we’ll see what comes out.

I’m a proud Canadian, ex-farm boy, truck driver, mechanical tinkerer, computer programmer, chemical salesman, and business owner who has four kids and a wife that keeps us all in line and on time (as much as is humanly possible).

I’m just literate enough to string together words until they form sentences, and just stubborn enough to string together sentences until they form a novel. I’ve always wanted to write a novel and finally made the time to make it happen, and once I had finished the first one, I was surprised that some people actually thought it was pretty good. Right now I am almost finished the third book in my ‘Book of Adam’ series.

Besides writing, I have always loved to read. I enjoy stories that are told for the sake of the story, that’s about it. Mysteries, adventures, science fiction, fantasy – it’s all good as long as the story is good. I’ve never been big on high literary fiction or books that take three pages to describe the way a character dresses, but I’ll try and read just about anything. As I get older though, I seem to find it easier to toss a book aside and start another one if I find it isn’t keeping me interested or pulling me into in the story.

That’s about all I have to say for the time being, but if you have any questions, feel free to send me an email anytime. My address is scottgelowitz@myaccess.ca

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5 stars
466 (44%)
4 stars
309 (29%)
3 stars
172 (16%)
2 stars
65 (6%)
1 star
38 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
Profile Image for Shanna Gebhard.
38 reviews1 follower
April 3, 2015
I love reading but my time is limited so I rarely get time to read. There is nothing like curling up in bed and reading a good book. I tend to enjoy the mystery and suspense books the best. So when I was offered the opportunity to read Scott Gelowitz's The Book of Adam - Town Secrets in exchange for an honest and unbiased review I agreed. I thought what a great way to discover a new author.

The Book of Adam- Town Secrets is geared more towards the young adult group. I still enjoyed it and actually appreciated a book I could get engrossed in, engage with but I could easily put it down to take care of life in general and come back to it without missing beat. The book is very well written and flows nicely.

I really enjoyed reading about Adam and his three friends. The story was written to be a page turner and keep you wanting to read more. I hope there are more books to carry on the adventures of Adam.

I received an ebook copy of The Book of Adam - Town Secrets by Scott Gelowitz complimentary for evaluation purposes. Regardless, all opinions expressed are still 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising.
Profile Image for Katie.
564 reviews13 followers
March 1, 2017
This had the potential to be so much better.

I wanted to like this. It was free, so I had my doubts but there were plenty of good reviews.

My first problem is that the characters felt flat. It took a while to figure out who was who. They didn't sound like teenage boys and their knowledge of the adults in their lives seemed too convenient.

The timeline and town layout were a bit hard to pin down for sure.

The ending made me wonder if the author has actually researched anything on the effects of sensory deprivation or of being locked away from food and water for days.

The author also seems to struggle with show and tell - too often, I felt pulled from the narrative by clumsy exposition or clunky attempts to hide it.
Profile Image for Dana Wood.
631 reviews3 followers
May 8, 2017
highly recommend for the middle grade reader. great for boys! four boys are thrust into an adventure because of secrets about their town. lots of problem solving used and good communication between the boys. I enjoyed the story and the premise was unique
Profile Image for Jackie Rogers.
1,187 reviews22 followers
October 30, 2015
This novel is a mystery with mystical gifts appearing in one special character. Adam is 13 years old and has three friends he hangs out with. At the beginning two towns have experienced distruction and disappearance of residents. The group of four are fearful as their town may be next. They then go to the town hall to do research in the archives to see if any info can be obtained about these towns. The adventure is only beginning as they discover tunnels in the basement of town hall and exploration starts landing them in a mystery going on since the beginning 0f time. Held my interest as thes boys were very intelligent for their age and handle the secrets of their town as adults. Kept my interest all the way through and eagerly await a sequel. The first novel by Scott Gelowitz. Thanks Goodreads
Profile Image for Angela Garutti.
13 reviews1 follower
July 23, 2017
A book that keeps up up reading all night

This book almost seems juvenile at first but i kept reading and im glad i did.I really felt for Adam and his friends as they discovered the big secret their town has been hiding.i cant wait to read the nxt book to find out if Adam is really in danger
Profile Image for J..
8 reviews
May 11, 2018
A fun read!

This was a fun summertime adventure with a splash of SciFi and maybe even the supernatural. This is a perfect book for any child, but even adults can enjoy this story and the nostalgia for childhood that it being back.

The characters and dialogue were believable and the prose very easy to read.
Profile Image for Jim Sibigtroth.
454 reviews7 followers
May 12, 2022
Exciting and well written. The dialog was natural and the characters were well developed. I liked the way the author wove several historical events into the story. Overall it was a very good science fiction story and I will probably read more of the books in this series.
2 reviews
March 1, 2018
Amazing!

I loved it from beginning to end and every page made me want to read the next and then the next. The ending was really good to!
Profile Image for Alicia Huxtable.
1,906 reviews60 followers
June 22, 2019
Interesting

While an interesting story,I found I wasn't as engrossed as I would have liked. The story was good and engaging and I like the storyline and characters
Profile Image for Mihaela Day.
82 reviews5 followers
March 24, 2015
The Book of Adam – Town Secrets by Scott Gelowitz is a fun and well written young adult adventure book that will easily captivate adults with its intriguing story and complex characters…Thirteen-year-old Adam McTaggart will take you on the adventure of a lifetime as secret after secret is discovered while he racing to find the Town Secret before someone else dangerous does…

The author did such a great job with the details in this book that everything feels real and intimate. The entire book is a thrilling adventure that will keep you turn page after page. This was a perfect addition to my 10 year old son’s library!!!
Profile Image for Joann.
46 reviews4 followers
October 22, 2015
Thanks to Scott Gelowitz and Goodreads for providing me with a free copy of this book.

When I saw this book listed on the giveway page on Goodreads, I was quite intrigued. What I didn't realize until it arrived in the mail was the author was from my hometown. It made it fun to see references to places I know.

As for the story line, well done Mr Gelowitz. Yes, it's a book written for the YA crowd, but the author keeps it entertaining enough to keep even this 40+ year old interested and intrigued to see how it ends. I will definitely be getting my teenagers to read it and look forward to the next installment in the series.

Go Riders!
Profile Image for Christine Ottaway.
Author 9 books4 followers
March 2, 2017
What a disappointment.
I hate doing this but the first rule of writing a novel - any novel is show don't tell. Don't tell me what the characters are thinking and feeling - show me by their words, actions, expressions.
Unfortunately this book was all tell and little show. I was told what Adam thought, felt and in case I didn't get it the first time there was a lot of superfluous information about what was going on and explanations of how people felt about what was said or happened.
It made for a rather laborious read.
The story was OK but there were holes in the narrative and frankly I struggled to keep up with the geography of the town and tunnels.
Pity
206 reviews2 followers
June 2, 2017
This book was at times almost too simple, but then quite convoluted at the same time. I couldn't keep certain facts and what was where and how it connected to something else straight in my head and so after a bit, I just gave up on bothering. I don't think it made that much difference to the story for me, really. And I'm aware that not being able to visualise those kinds of things is an issue for me, so I don't know if it's just me who got lost or other readers as well.

I felt like I was being asked to swallow some huge chunks of unbelievability at times but I pushed on. I think I'm just not the age group this is aimed at, and that's OK.
Profile Image for Sarah Tigan.
Author 3 books3 followers
April 5, 2015
Let me start by saying this was a wonderful read. It is a young adult book with just enough class to be enjoyable by someone older. The characters are easy to love as any good kid would be, and the adults are just oddball enough to keep you guessing. Scott builds a believable world quickly and carefully. Just enough details are given that you can explore the town in your head with ease. A Truly enjoyable experience.
Profile Image for Sally Hannoush.
1,882 reviews27 followers
March 6, 2016
This is great book for all ages but the the young curious ones will love it! I got a friendship feeling as I got watching "Goonies" and a small town safety feeling where kids can still be kids. After 50% of the book goes by things really start to pick up and things get very exciting and dare I say - "Indiana Jone" like? This also leaves us a great set up for the next book. I'm glad I read it.
2,282 reviews7 followers
February 21, 2016
Hard to put it down. 4 boys discover and join a secret society within their town. Circumstances force them to take an active role within the group and they do so while still being respectful. I would read more in this series.
Profile Image for Attila Benő.
Author 9 books12 followers
June 23, 2016
Five stars! Great story, full of twists, full of action. It's quite long, I thought it would get slow after a while, but that was not the case. It was keeping me on my toes all the way to the end. A must read! :)
Profile Image for Jennifer.
7 reviews2 followers
March 25, 2016
Great!

This is a very intriguing book. Lots of action that kept me wanting to read more. Can't wait to need the other books in the series.
Profile Image for Grady.
Author 51 books1,819 followers
April 16, 2018
‘Langenburg isn’t the first place this happened to, you know. It’s happened before…down east, on the coast… something’s coming’

Canadian author Scott Gelowitz is President of his chemical company as well as the author of a few short stories and the series, ‘The Book of Adam’. His genre is science fiction and his four part series THE BOOK OF ADAM is a middle-grade science fiction adventure series set in the author’s small prairie hometown of Grayson, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Scott’s writing sparkles with a mixture of science fiction, suspense, fantasy and humor. He understands well the parameters of young adult interests and writes in a manner that satisfies those interests well. But the quality of writing, at least in this Book 1 –TOWN SECRETS – is strong

A sample of Scott’s writing establishes interest – ‘Adam McTaggart sat in front of the grocery store wondering when his friends would arrive. While he waited, he heard the conversation of two familiar old ladies as they approached. “Did you hear? Something destroyed that town! There isn’t a soul left anywhere,” exclaimed Aggie. “I heard that some of the buildings are still standing, but not many,” replied Martha, looking down at her short friend. “Gives me the shivers. I’ve met people from there before. Seemed like normal folks to me,” said Aggie. Martha agreed. “I sure hope they find out what happened. I feel like going on a long holiday ‘til they figure it out. They’re not that far away from here.” Aggie nodded with a shudder. The elderly ladies walked and talked as they passed the grocery store, ignoring Adam completely. What did they say? A town was destroyed and the people are missing? Weird, he thought as he watched them turn onto Main Street and disappear out of sight. Although the sun was shining, it felt cool outside, especially for a summer day. The birds that usually filled the air with happy song seemed to sing sadly that morning. James Jones the Third, (he preferred Jimmy), and Kevin Baranov rode up on their bikes a short time later. Jimmy had a puzzled look on his face.’

So on to the plot outline ‘When a nearby town is destroyed and all of its residents disappear, thirteen-year-old Adam McTaggart wonders if his small hometown of Grayson is also in danger. After a discussion with George, the local conspiracy theory oddball, Adam and his wisecracking friends begin to believe that their suspicions could be correct, setting them on a quest to find out why they are in danger. Based on information they discover, they only have a week to figure it out. As the boys begin to unravel the past, they have no idea what scientific, historical, and mythical secrets they are about to discover - or just how much the Town Secrets will impact them, their town, and the rest of the world.’

Welcome to Scott’s world – you’ll likely return!
Profile Image for Tony Parsons.
4,156 reviews101 followers
January 2, 2019
Grayson (town). What were Aggie (Martha’s elderly BFF), & Martha (Aggie’s elderly BFF) gossiping about.
Adam McTaggart (13), James “Jimmy” Jones III (13), & Kevin Baranov (13) were going over to see Mark Gupta (son).
The boys stopped by at old Mr. George Fritz house & wanted his opinion on what happened at Grayson (town).
First, he gave them the historical background. Immigrants had settled there from all parts of the world.
Then it was the League a secret society.
Town Hall. Mayor Jeff “Windbag” Wyndum let Kevin, Adam, & Mark go through the archives.
He had given Mrs. Lora Jones (Jimmy’s mother) the day off.
The boys went back late at night, kinda broke into the door they found earlier.

There were 8 hallway/tunnels behind the door.
Going back the door had locked.
They managed to get out alive.
Jimmy had borrowed Lora’s key had 2 made at the hardware store.
Now they could return again/again & continue their search.
Langenburg, & Waldron are both sites of the Sentinel League.
What did the boys learn from Gurpreet Gupta (father, East-Indian)?
Marius, & Gurpreet got the 4 boys: Adam, Jimmy III, Kevin, & Mark were going to do some community service for Ms. Elianora “Nora” White (Ellie).

What did Larix want from Elianora?
Will the 4 boys solve the Grayson town secrets?

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written paranormal mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great paranormal mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; BookBub; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Profile Image for TJ.
55 reviews
October 9, 2017
Read such a great adventurous and thrilling book after a long time.

This is an absolute page turner. Kept me glued till the last page.
Those kids running around town made me remember, 'Stranger Things'. This author has an awesome sense of narrating. I felt as if I'm watching a movie.
Those kids are brave. Very cool concept, though 80's concept(lots of similar tv series done), but still cool. The most intriguing part is the relation to Atlantis. Oh man, its the best part. I'm not revealing any spoiler, you wanna know the plot, go read it.

You're never gonna regret this. Grab a copy or else you're gonna miss out the best adventure/thriller-fiction series ever. At times I felt like, I'm Adam, running around, in those tunnels. The mystery of the door still remains though. I'm on to the next part already.
Profile Image for Pamela Cunningham.
723 reviews
July 1, 2021
This is the first book in the :Book of Adam Book Series .

This was a fantastic start to a new young adult paranormal fantasy Book Series . I really enjoyed this book the characters the lore I also like who the Author wove real historical events into their world building . I'm looking forward to the next book in this series .
Profile Image for Joel Solomon.
75 reviews
August 27, 2017
It was okay. Could have used some editing since it got off to a slow start. Of course, the ending is such that you have to keep reading the rest of the books in the series to know what eventually happens. Unfortunately, the first book wasn't good enough to continue reading the series. One and done.
Profile Image for PLC Reader.
9 reviews
November 29, 2017
I found it to be a little slow in spots so I would set it aside and later return to it but otherwise I found the story quite entertaining. Overall I enjoyed it and I would certainly recommend it to others.
1 review1 follower
March 16, 2018
Really Interesting! I want it to keep going!

A 5 cause it was so exciting and leaves you on a cliff hanger every chapter. I recommend it to anyone who likes an adventure \ mystery novel
2 reviews
March 21, 2018
Amazing

I loved this book because of the story line and the constant leadup to plot. this book was unique and very different to others I have read. I recommend this book to ages 7- 15 .
464 reviews3 followers
May 18, 2018
It was good...

if you like Harry Potter. I almost quit reading it a few times; l feel it's more for tweens than adults. That said, it was fairly good. If a get a chance, I probably would continue the series.
Profile Image for Starr Gardinier.
Author 15 books141 followers
August 4, 2018
Good book

Very creative imagery. It's written to keep pulling the reader forward. I enjoyed this book. It's an entertaining young adult book. I would have given it 4 stars, but the lack of proper usage of beginning and ending dialogue quotes made it hard to follow at times.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews

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