Hi everyone! Today is a super exciting day here on Pop! Goes The Reader as I’m thrilled to host a cover reveal for one of my absolute favourite book series for any age group, Howard Wallace, P.I. by Casey Lyall! More specifically, today I’ve been lucky enough to have been asked to share the exclusive cover reveal for the latest and final book in this charming, irresistible contemporary middle grade mystery series, Sabotage Stage Left! As sad as I am that this book will mark our final adventure with Howard, Ivy, and the rest of the gang, I’ll forever be thankful to Casey for introducing me to a story and characters I’ll be able to cherish for a lifetime. Please read on to learn more about Howard and Ivy’s final case, including the cover reveal for Howard Wallace, P.I.: Sabotage Stage Left, a special note from the author, an exclusive excerpt from the novel and an opportunity to win an advance reader copy of Sabotage Stage Left!
About Casey Lyall
Casey Lyall is the author of the middle grade mystery series, Howard Wallace, P.I. and the picture book, Inky’s Great Escape. She works at her local library, where she runs a number of teen groups and waits for Management to discover they’re actually paying her to have fun. When she’s not writing, Casey’s favourite thing is to curl up with a hot tea, her cats, and a good book.
Hi, everyone! Thank you, Jen, for hosting the cover reveal of Sabotage Stage Left! Three years ago, I could hardly believe that my first novel, Howard Wallace, P.I. was going to be published and now here we are with the third book in the series.
Sabotage Stage Left is also the final Howard and Ivy book and as sad as I am to say goodbye to these intrepid investigators, I’m pleased that this last adventure is a showstopper! The crew battles a saboteur, middle school stage divas, and the grounding of a lifetime. Following their own set of rules, Howard and Ivy bring down the house, but you’ll have to read to see who makes it to the final curtain.
“Sure that’s the guy?”
The voice stretched across the hall over the hustle and bustle of lunchtime traffic. I bit back a laugh at the incredulous tone, steadying myself against the flow of bodies bumping by. End of the week, everyone got a bit clumsier, a little more careless. As I grabbed my bag out of my locker, I heard the scoffing reply:
“You see anybody else walking around in a bathrobe?”
Lucky coat. I tugged down a brown terrycloth sleeve. Big difference.
My partner bopped up to stand beside me. “Is that our twelve o’clock I see lurking over there?” Ivy rolled up on her tiptoes to peer over my shoulder. “They look twitchy.”
“Waiting’s good,” I said. “Builds character.”
“What?” Ivy slid me a sideways look. “Are we billing by the hour now?”
I snorted when she towed me down the hall, stepping up to the two waiting girls. They leapt to attention, one with an eager smile and the other keeping a wary eye.
“Caitlyn.” Nodding at our client, I turned my attention to her watchful tagalong. “Didn’t realize we’d have company. Who’s your friend?”
The tiny, blond sixth grader flicked an impatient wave back at me. “This is Denice. She heard you were helping me and invited herself along.” She rolled her eyes. “She said I shouldn’t be meeting you by myself.”
I could respect a healthy level of suspicion. “Nothing wrong with a little backup,” I said. “Shall we take this into my office?” Holding open the door, I waited as Ivy and Caitlyn stepped inside. Denice leaned past me to look in, hovering at the threshold. “Well?” I waved her on.
“This is the girls’ bathroom,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“I spend my time solving cases, not scoping out real estate. Be happy it’s not the boys’.” I walked into the room, letting the door swing shut behind me. It opened a crack as Denice scooted in and hurried over to Caitlyn’s side.
“Why did you hire this guy?” She muttered down to Caitlyn, worrying the end of her braid with her fingers. “He’s cranky.”
“Because he gets results,” I said, reaching into my pocket. I pulled out a USB stick and held it out to our client.
Caitlyn let out a shriek as she grabbed the stick from my hand. “You found it? Oh, my gosh. Thank you.” She clutched it to her chest, eyes watering. “I was so worried. I thought it was lost forever. How did you find it?”
“Good old-fashioned legwork.” Ivy boosted herself up on one of the sinks. “Got the schedule for the computer lab, made some inquiries, twisted a few arms. The usual.” She swung her feet back and forth, hands braced behind her on the sides of the sink. “What’s on that thing that’s so important, anyway?”
I shot a look at my partner. Knowing our client’s business was a world away from asking our client’s business. Ivy shrugged, casually ignoring the confines of professional nosiness.
Title Sabotage Stage Left (Book 3 in the Howard Wallace, P.I. series)
Author Casey Lyall
Pages 256 Pages
Intended Target Audience Middle Grade
Genre Contemporary, Mystery
Publication Date September 4th 2018 by Sterling Children’s Books
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon.com ● Chapters ● The Book Depository
Howard and Ivy return for a third adventure! This time, the drama’s backstage when someone sets out to sabotage the school play…and frame Howard.
“I wasn’t taking the fall for this. You couldn’t force a guy into a job and then blame him when it all went sideways.”
Spring (musical) fever has hit the Grantleyville Middle School Drama Club! Since Ivy Mason is busy with the production, she decides to take a break from sleuthing, while Howard Wallace keeps things running smoothly with their detective agency. Then, just a few weeks before showtime, suspicious things start happening backstage: missing costumes, damaged props, and too many other mishaps to be coincidental. Ivy calls in Howard and their crew to take on the case. Howard tries to lay low and quietly sniff out the perp, but he’s soon brought into the spotlight when he’s framed as the saboteur! Can the team of intrepid P.I.s clear Howard’s name and catch the culprit before the curtain falls on the big show?
As an extra, exciting bonus, Casey Lyall and Sterling Children’s Books have been kind enough to offer one lucky reader the opportunity to win an advance reader copy of Sabotage Stage Left! One winner will be chosen at random at the conclusion of the giveaway and the prize will be distributed by Sterling Children’s Books when ARCs become available. Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter!
