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Ava & Carol Detective Agency #9
The Christmas Thief
Move over Santa! This year, Ava and Carol are figuring out who’s naughty or nice.
There’s a time of year that’s full of cheer--but this December, not everything is quite so merry for Ava and Carol Detective Agency. For their holiday house-sitting gig has gone ho-ho-horribly wrong, and now Mr. Parker’s prized painting is missing! With Christmas Eve approaching, the girls have little time to tie this burglary up in a bow, and so they’ll need some help from their best friend Derik.
Using state-of-the-art hacking skills and the trained brains of the best super-sleuths in the business, Ava and Carol set out to unwrap this mystery. However, when the trail of clues leads them to a devastating personal discovery, all bets are off on whether this Christmas will be very merry after all. How can the girls reconcile terrible deeds when they are done by good people? And how can they turn their backs on a friend at a time like this?
Only with quick-thinking, fast fingers, and big hearts will Ava, Carol, and Derik retrieve the painting in time and put the real bad guys away for good. Join the crew and follow the clues as you can uncover the greatest gifts in this world are the things we do for others in Ava & Carol Detective Agency: Christmas Thief!
There’s a time of year that’s full of cheer--but this December, not everything is quite so merry for Ava and Carol Detective Agency. For their holiday house-sitting gig has gone ho-ho-horribly wrong, and now Mr. Parker’s prized painting is missing! With Christmas Eve approaching, the girls have little time to tie this burglary up in a bow, and so they’ll need some help from their best friend Derik.
Using state-of-the-art hacking skills and the trained brains of the best super-sleuths in the business, Ava and Carol set out to unwrap this mystery. However, when the trail of clues leads them to a devastating personal discovery, all bets are off on whether this Christmas will be very merry after all. How can the girls reconcile terrible deeds when they are done by good people? And how can they turn their backs on a friend at a time like this?
Only with quick-thinking, fast fingers, and big hearts will Ava, Carol, and Derik retrieve the painting in time and put the real bad guys away for good. Join the crew and follow the clues as you can uncover the greatest gifts in this world are the things we do for others in Ava & Carol Detective Agency: Christmas Thief!
- GenresFiction
114 pages, Paperback
First published November 18, 2020
53 people are currently reading
1121 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Lockhaven
39 books92 followersSo grateful to have won the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award! Thank you!
You can blame my 7th grade English teacher, Mr. Ownby. I began writing mysteries in middle school, with gripping titles like, The Secret in The Swamp and The Ghost of Hollow Lake—Mr. Ownby, would kindly read them, and then encourage me to keep writing and reading the classics. His words, some day I'll be reading your mysteries with the rest of the world inspired me.
Forty years later, I was able to fulfill my dreams and become a full time writer. When I began writing, I decided that my books would be a safe-haven from the real world. My children's series all have strong messages of perseverance, thinking outside the box, friendship and loyalty. I have a daughter, and as I work through my manuscripts, I always try to imagine what I can say to inspire and entertain at the same time.
For my cozy readers, I spent much of my life traveling to small coastal towns in North Carolina and then later in my life to the coastal towns in New England. I've always loved the idiosyncrasies of the locals, and I've always wanted to bring them to life in a book series. My Coffee House Sleuths stories are just that. And just like my children's books, I endeavor to write stories that are clean, with very little violence and no profanity. I do my best to help people disappear from the craziness of life, even if just for a little while.
I currently live in Boston, but my dream is to move to a small coastal town, stare out over the ocean, and to let the words flow. I have an incredible wife who constantly inspires and encourages me- and an amazing daughter who is my most harsh, but loving critic. As I said earlier, my passion is to write and to continually improve and perfect my craft. For those of you who read my books, I humbly thank you. For those of you who have never read my books, I welcome you with open arms.
You can blame my 7th grade English teacher, Mr. Ownby. I began writing mysteries in middle school, with gripping titles like, The Secret in The Swamp and The Ghost of Hollow Lake—Mr. Ownby, would kindly read them, and then encourage me to keep writing and reading the classics. His words, some day I'll be reading your mysteries with the rest of the world inspired me.
Forty years later, I was able to fulfill my dreams and become a full time writer. When I began writing, I decided that my books would be a safe-haven from the real world. My children's series all have strong messages of perseverance, thinking outside the box, friendship and loyalty. I have a daughter, and as I work through my manuscripts, I always try to imagine what I can say to inspire and entertain at the same time.
For my cozy readers, I spent much of my life traveling to small coastal towns in North Carolina and then later in my life to the coastal towns in New England. I've always loved the idiosyncrasies of the locals, and I've always wanted to bring them to life in a book series. My Coffee House Sleuths stories are just that. And just like my children's books, I endeavor to write stories that are clean, with very little violence and no profanity. I do my best to help people disappear from the craziness of life, even if just for a little while.
I currently live in Boston, but my dream is to move to a small coastal town, stare out over the ocean, and to let the words flow. I have an incredible wife who constantly inspires and encourages me- and an amazing daughter who is my most harsh, but loving critic. As I said earlier, my passion is to write and to continually improve and perfect my craft. For those of you who read my books, I humbly thank you. For those of you who have never read my books, I welcome you with open arms.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 12, 2022
The Christmas Thief by Thomas Lockhaven sees Ava and Carol house-sitting for a family while they are away for Christmas and having the house robbed while they are there.
Can Ava, Carol, and Derik find a way to keep someone off the police's radar? Will they capture the proper criminals?
Ava, Carol, and Derik
Ava and Carol are back to solve another mystery. This one hit while they were in the house that got robbed. Ava, Carol, and Derik have to figure out a way to keep the police away from the person coerced and to find the real criminals. The girls have done a lot of crime solving up to this point, and they are getting good at keeping the bad guys on their toes. Derik is an excellent addition to the team. Who knows, maybe he will be sticking around longer?
The Mystery
Ava and Carol were tasked with house-sitting the Parkers' house when it got robbed under their noses. The girls had Derik over to watch a movie, and the three of them took chase after the robber. On the way to discovering who the robber was, they realized that he was close to them. Instead, they made a bigger discovery and wanted to take down the other people first—the actual bad guys of this book. I have to say that each book in this series has me enraptured from the first paragraph all the way to the end.
Five Stars
I am giving five stars to The Christmas Thief by Thomas Lockhaven and recommending it to anyone that wants to read a holiday mystery. It's true that I am reading these books out of order, and that's the fun part since you can see how they get to this point of their detective agency. Reading this series out of order is okay, as it doesn't give away past cases. Mr. Lockhaven has a great way of making each case so much fun to read.
Ava & Carol Detective Agency Series
Can Ava, Carol, and Derik find a way to keep someone off the police's radar? Will they capture the proper criminals?
Ava, Carol, and Derik
Ava and Carol are back to solve another mystery. This one hit while they were in the house that got robbed. Ava, Carol, and Derik have to figure out a way to keep the police away from the person coerced and to find the real criminals. The girls have done a lot of crime solving up to this point, and they are getting good at keeping the bad guys on their toes. Derik is an excellent addition to the team. Who knows, maybe he will be sticking around longer?
The Mystery Ava and Carol were tasked with house-sitting the Parkers' house when it got robbed under their noses. The girls had Derik over to watch a movie, and the three of them took chase after the robber. On the way to discovering who the robber was, they realized that he was close to them. Instead, they made a bigger discovery and wanted to take down the other people first—the actual bad guys of this book. I have to say that each book in this series has me enraptured from the first paragraph all the way to the end.
Five Stars
I am giving five stars to The Christmas Thief by Thomas Lockhaven and recommending it to anyone that wants to read a holiday mystery. It's true that I am reading these books out of order, and that's the fun part since you can see how they get to this point of their detective agency. Reading this series out of order is okay, as it doesn't give away past cases. Mr. Lockhaven has a great way of making each case so much fun to read.
Ava & Carol Detective Agency Series
Also available on KindleUnlimited
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Christmas Thief by Thomas Lockhaven.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
December 20, 2020
Fun Children’s Mystery
This is a quick-and-easy children's mystery read. I particularly enjoyed the friendly humor and banter between Ava, Carol, and Derik. I was a huge Nancy Drew fan when I was a child, and I think this would appeal to any kids who like Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. A simple house sitting goes awry. Will the intrepid kids manage to get a stolen item back?
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
This is a quick-and-easy children's mystery read. I particularly enjoyed the friendly humor and banter between Ava, Carol, and Derik. I was a huge Nancy Drew fan when I was a child, and I think this would appeal to any kids who like Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. A simple house sitting goes awry. Will the intrepid kids manage to get a stolen item back?
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
December 6, 2020
Ava and Carol, with help from Derik, go in search of a missing painting. So much for house sitting. The characters are fun and determined, with banter and hijinks afoot. The bay guys are in so much trouble and a family in need is even helped. This quick fun mystery will definitely leave you smiling and satisfied.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 7, 2022
A fairly good read that involves the young detectives going after a thief who robs a house they are sitting. Bringing in they go after him leading to a gang and then an effort by them to help out another friend. A fair amount of action , it involves them in situations that youngsters should not be getting into but the ‘skills’ allow them to survive and prosper. Reasonable read for children provided they are unlikely to emulate the young hero’s.
April 7, 2023
A Great Christmas mystery
Enjoyed the twists and turns of this holiday story. The characters are fun and lovable. The author does a wonderful job of conveying the warmth of the season as well as keeping the reader engaged.
Enjoyed the twists and turns of this holiday story. The characters are fun and lovable. The author does a wonderful job of conveying the warmth of the season as well as keeping the reader engaged.
November 12, 2023
In the spirit of Christmas Ava, Carol, and Derik help a local family in need and solve the mystery of a series of break-ins. Despite their quick wits and snarky humor these kids have the biggest and most generous hearts ever. I absolutely loved this story!
January 1, 2022
Eva and Carol discover a family friend and neighbor is in trouble over money- borrowing from the wrong sort of bad guy trouble
A global chase leaves seriously bruised baddies, slightly dented good guys and a lot of Christmas oriented helping efforts
Exciting chapter book read with strong female characters and their friends, families and neighbors
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A global chase leaves seriously bruised baddies, slightly dented good guys and a lot of Christmas oriented helping efforts
Exciting chapter book read with strong female characters and their friends, families and neighbors
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews