Saturday, June 8, 2013

Review - Super Spies Series by Lisa Orchard

Today I am so excited to have Lisa Orchard with us and 
tell you about her new Super Spies Series!

Hello Everyone! I’m Lisa Orchard the Author of the Young Adult Super Spies Mystery/Thriller Series. I’m guest blogging today for Jennifer and I want to thank her for allowing me to be her guest today. Thanks Jennifer!

Now, my Super Spies series has been categorized by many as modern day Nancy Drew Mysteries. I consider that a compliment because I LOVED Nancy Drew when I was younger. But…that was a long time ago. I don’t need to say how long…but trust me it was a long time ago. A lot has changed between then and now, and it’s much easier to be a detective these days than it was when Nancy Drew first arrived on the scene in the 1930s.

One reason I believe it’s much easier now is because of our advances in technology. For example, today we can take fingerprints with a camera. Back in the thirties policemen had to use this really horrible black, black ink that got all over everything. It made quite a mess. They can even take pictures of fingerprints at a crime scene with one of these cameras. Amazing!

Another area that has improved greatly from the thirties is surveillance and recording equipment. This equipment has not only gotten smaller and less bulky but it has also gotten stronger. What this means is it can pick up sounds and images from farther away. And cameras can now be disguised as travel clocks and recording devices can be hidden in ball point pens. So detectives don’t have to get as close to the suspect as they used to! That means it’s a little less dangerous to be a detective in the situations where this type of equipment is needed.

One other huge advancement is the ability to analyze DNA. This type of identification wasn’t available when Nancy Drew first showed up. These days it’s a lot easier to tell if a suspect is lying because his DNA can be tested and if he left any bodily fluids at the crime scene the police will find out.

But what happens in those incidents where no bodily fluid of the suspect can be found? Well, in that case the police can turn to the person of interest and check him for the victim’s DNA. Even the smallest spec of blood can be tested. It could be a spec so small that the perpetrator doesn’t even know it’s there. Pretty impressive wouldn’t you say?

These advances in technology have made it much easier for detectives to gather rock solid evidence against suspects. And this kind of irrefutable evidence helps prosecutors put these criminals away.

And the Super Spies love to put the bad guy away! So if you’ve got a teen you’d like to get away from the TV check out my books. I’ve been told that young readers can’t put them down and adults seem to enjoy them too!

The third book has just been released and to celebrate the first two books are on sale for $.99!

Thanks for taking the time to read my post! My covers, blurbs, and buylinks are below.


Synopsis:
This book opens in a small town in Michigan where fifteen-year-old Sarah Cole is stuck spending the summer at her Aunt and Uncle's with her sister, Lacey. She's not happy with the situation until she befriends a girl named Jackie. The three girls stumble upon the ruthless murder of a reclusive neighborhood woman. One of the officers investigating the crime believes the girls are responsible for her death. Fearing that this officer will frame them for the murder, the girls organize their own detective squad. They become the Super Spies and start their own fact-finding mission. The Super Spies can't understand why anyone would want to murder the "Cat Lady" until they start digging into her past and discover a horrible crime that happened thirty years ago. They uncover a connection between the two crimes and attempt to bring this information to the police, only to be reprimanded for meddling in the inquest. Not only are the girls upset by the admonition, but they also struggle with the fact that their exuberant investigating could provide a legal loophole allowing the killer to go free. To make matters worse, the police don't even believe them. Frustrated by this turn of events, the Super Spies realize it's up to them to snare the Cat Lady killer, or die trying…

Synopsis:
This book opens in a small town in Michigan where Sarah and her sister Lacey are now living with their Aunt and Uncle. Still reeling from the fact her parents have disappeared, Sarah starts the school year with her new friend Jackie Jenkins. When Sarah learns the school has been bombed, she's filled with dread. Uncle Walt is a teacher, and he was in the school when the bomb exploded. Taking matters into her own hands, Sarah decides to search for him. The rest of the Super Spies are right behind her. When a fireman chases them away from the school, Sarah becomes suspicious. She decides to investigate. The FBI arrives on the scene. Sarah realizes this bombing could have even bigger implications. Searching for the bombers, Sarah is introduced to the world of terrorism. She fears that the bombing and her parents' disappearance are connected and terrorists are involved. To make matters worse, the bombers are determined to finish the job. Can the Super Spies find the bombers before it's too late?

Synopsis:
Sarah Cole and her sister Lacey are at it once again when they learn their missing parents’ cell phone has been traced to Alden, Michigan. When the FBI declines to continue the investigation, Sarah takes matters into her own hands. She calls upon the Super Spies and they delve into the situation. Suddenly, the teens find themselves immersed in small town intrigue and mystery involving a menacing stranger, who Sarah dubs “The Stalker." But when Sarah learns he’s connected to her parents’ disappearance, she’s determined to find out what that connection is.

The Super Spies embark on a journey that leads them into a web of corporate corruption at its highest level that leaves innocent victims in its wake. Can they find the proof they need to stop the greedy corporation before it’s too late?

Buylinks:

“The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”

Astraea Press / Amazon / BN


“The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”

Astraea Press / Amazon / BN


“The Super Spies and the Pied Piper”

Astraea Press / Amazon / BN

Thoughts on Series: I have read the first two books of this amazing new series by Lisa Orchard and I totally adore them! I told Lisa they took me back in time to my roots and brought back fond memories of the books that got me started reading in the first place...well actually Dr Seuss and his Green Eggs and Ham was first but then came The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew! Mystery stories and sleuthing has come along way since then but there is still a good bit of field work and mischief for these young detectives to get themselves into!

In The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer a murder breaks out in town while Sarah and Lacey spend the summer with their aunt and uncle and the girls along with some new friends they made get all tangled into the mess and have to work together to clear themselves before a murder wrap gets pinned on them!

In The Super Spies and the High School Bomber a bomb goes off at the high school and Uncle Walt who is a teacher there was at a meeting when the bomb went off! I don't want to give to much away so I am going to just say Sarah and Lacey are on an extended stay with their aunt and uncle and now it seems they have another mystery they plan to solve because they think the bomb is somehow connected to their family and a couple of disappearances!

I don't really think you should have to but I still would highly recommend reading this series in order so you can plot along with the young sleuths when they meet and tag along on the troubles they find themself in. As much as I adored Book one with The Cat Lady I think there was even more action in the second one with The Bomber. I can't wait to see what the heck those girls get into in the next story! I read these on my Kindle but I loved them sooooo much I have got to purchase the paperbacks for our little sleuthing detective girl and boy here to read and the covers are just so pretty! I love them and feel certain your children will as well!


Lisa Orchard grew up loving books. She was hooked on mysteries by the fifth grade and even wrote a few of her own. She knew she wanted to be a writer even then. “The Super Spies and the High School Bomber” is the second book in the “Super Spies” series. Her first book was published in March of 2012 and it has received rave reviews.

After graduating from Central Michigan University with a Marketing Degree she spent many years in the insurance industry, pining to express her creative side. The decision to stay home with her children gave her the opportunity to follow her dream and become a writer. She currently resides in Rockford Michigan with her husband, Steve, and two wonderful boys. Currently, she's working on a Coming of Age Young Adult Novel. When she's not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, and reading.

Social Media Links:

Facebook / Twitter / Website

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me as your guest today! I appreciate your time and your reviews! :)

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  2. Hi Lisa. Great post. Love this site too!

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  3. Lisa, the Amazon buy links here are not working for me.

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  4. Thanks for letting me know Rita! And thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! :)

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  5. Wow, Lisa, these times, they are a changing! Can you imagine the crime fighting gadgets that will be invented in the next generation? Mind boggling! Cheers and great post!

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  6. Thanks for stopping by Sharon! I know what you mean Sharon! It's amazing the advances we've seen already! :)

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