Joel Franklin Mystery Series by Ron Finch
Joel Franklin Mystery #1
Lightning at 200 Durham Street
Ron Finch
It's 1928, Prohibition has ended, the Great Depression is just around the corner, and The Jazz Singer, the first talking movie, has just been released. But there's trouble in the small Ontario town of Chaseford.Seventeen year-old amateur sleuth Joel Franklin and his friends have stumbled across a crime too big for Chief Petrovic and his constables to handle. As the criminal investigation expands to neighboring cities, a wild electrical storm rips through the peaceful little community, unearthing fresh mysteries and leaving destruction in its wake.In this, the first Joel Franklin mystery, early 20th century criminal investigation crackles alongside supernatural intervention in a truly original Canadian historical whodunit.
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Joel Franklin Mystery #2
Where's the Rest of the Body
Ron Finch
The first book, Lightning at 200 Durham Street, took place in 1928 when Joel Franklin was a 17-year-old student. Since that time, Joel has graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Business Studies. But now, in the winter of 1932-33, the Great Depression is in full swing and the only job available is at his parents' grocery store in his hometown of Chaseford.An innocent afternoon of skating in the country with his friends is rudely interrupted by the grisly discovery of a severed leg, the first of several gruesome remains. Joel and his best friend Jay, building on their previous experience as amateur sleuths, decide to join the Chaseford police as volunteer constables.Led by the crafty Chief Petrovic, and with the assistance of Joel's mysterious friend Walter, the investigation unfolds a chilling tale spanning many years, one that twists and turns through Capone's Chicago, 1920s cocaine parties, and the mind of one very deranged killer.Can the prominent Ontario psychiatrist Dr. Alfred Khryscoff help the investigators pin down their elusive quarry? More importantly, can he help Joel understand himself and his unusual powers? The air is thick with supernatural suspense in this, the second Joel Franklin Mystery, a truly original Canadian historical whodunit series!
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Joel Franklin Mystery #3
Terror on the Way
Ron Finch
It's autumn of 1933 and Georgie's had enough of Joel's nightmares. It's time he talked to Dr. Khryscoff about them.But there doesn't seem to be a lot of time to talk to the eminent Toronto psychiatrist. Chief Petrovic is keeping everyone at the Chaseford police station very busy with an investigation of the recent spate of thefts from the local furniture factories. A situation that hasn't been helped by the Great Depression and Mayor Thompson's decision to call in the Army to put down civil unrest. One wrong move and the town could blow like a powder keg.But when Joel's horrible dreams of violence and bloodshed start blending with reality, it's time to take a stand. Is there a serial killer on the loose?Fortunately for Joel, the time he's spent with Dr. Khryscoff has taught him a thing or two about the criminally insane. And he's got Walter and his network of disembodied essences to fall back on in a pinch. He might be a little wet behind the ears, but Joel's a natural when it comes to sleuthing. Will it be enough?Terror on the Way is the third installment in the Joel Franklin Mystery series, following Lightning at 200 Durham Street, and Where's the Rest of the Body? Set in a small town in rural Ontario, Canada, this truly original historical whodunit, with overtones of the supernatural and paranormal, harks back to the Golden Age of detective fiction and is a real treat for readers of all ages.
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