The Shoebox Mystery

by Glenn Lindsey

A puzzling body. A friend in trouble. A forest fire. Billy Fender uses all his PI skills to solve a mystery worthy of Sherlock.
Sherlock Holmes is Billy Fender’s hero. But watching the upcoming Holmes movie marathon is out of the question when the TV dies. The family can’t afford a new one, so Billy searches for a way to earn money. Determined to reach his goal of $300 and buy a new TV, he starts his own business - Billy Fender Private Investigations.
Billy’s first case involves a furry body in a shoebox. When Miss Applebee offers him $50 to discover how the body ended up in her garden, he accepts the case. Best friends Raffi and Lisa join the hunt for clues, but things get complicated when a schoolmate mistakenly gets taken into police custody. Eager to free his friend and help Miss Applebee, Billy, Raffi and Lisa will stop at nothing, even if it means venturing into Deadmen Bog. Expect the unexpected as the trio seek to solve The Shoebox Mystery.
The Shoebox Mystery is the first in the Billy Fender PI Series. This middle-grade adventure mystery is set in the Pacific Northwest in the town of Coyote Point. Surrounded by forests and mountains, Billy learns that solving mysteries requires brains, teamwork, and a little bit of luck. If you’ve enjoyed JK Rowling’s Harry Potter stories or Tim Flanagan’s stories like Lawrence Pinkley’s Casebook, you’ll love Billy Fender’s mystery adventures.

179 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 5, 2017

About the author

Glenn Lindsey was born and schooled in the Toronto area. He enjoyed careers as a teacher, banker, computer programmer, and a curriculum designer in technical training. In Victoria, he drove a school bus for children and youth with disabilities for six years but now has turned his hand to writing novels. His writing career started with his first university English paper which garnered him a mark of D+. Fortunately, he has progressed penning six full-length screenplays and now writing middle-grade Billy Fender PI Series. His first novel is The Shoebox Mystery which has been followed with The Dinosaur Bone Mystery and The Ghostly Maiden Mystery. A fourth, The Fortune Cookie Mystery, is now ready for preorder. When he’s not writing, he enjoys hobbies like ham radio (call sign VE7GRQ), cartooning, and photography.

Reviews

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billy Fender loves Sherlock Holmes mysteries and watches all of the movies on their family tv. That is, until the family tv quits working, Now Billy is super motivated to raise money for a new tv by opening up his own private investigation company, Fenderprise and they even have their first customer! I loved this beginning to a new mystery series and look forward to following The Billy Fender PI Series!
Thank you to XPresso Book Tours, Glenn Lindsay and NetGalley for the chance to review this fun mystery, in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.
This will be featured on my blog Monday December 31, 2018.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com

[Jacqui Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun small-town mystery adventure for all ages. I loved following Billy Fender and friends Lisa, Raffi, and Archie on their sleuthing adventures. Major Tom, Miss Applebee, Simone Wilkie, and Madame Toots were excellent additions to an intriguing cast of diverse west coast townsfolk. The entire town sparkles with life when friendship, determination, and inquisitive minds meet Sherlock Holmes logic and lore to solve Coyote Point's many mysteries. Loved the Fenderprise. And the maps and drawings were excellent bonus features!

[Suzanne Hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the children’s mystery series, Billy Fender P.I.. the series takes place in Coyote Point and a map is added to help with visualization. Twelve year old Billy has a hearing problem and wears hearing aids. His mom works in a bakery department at the grocery kstore is and his father runs a garage that is under their apartment. With his friends Lisa and Raffi

This is a wonderful children’s mystery that is full of action and adventure. The storyline is full of twists and turns and surprises that keep you interested until the very end. The characters are well developed and are interesting, each with their own personalities and strengths. I liked the fact that Billy has a hearing problem making him more personable and implies that we can do anything despite our difficulties. The values put forth in the book, respect for parents, accepting others and being kind, are somethings that children need more exposure to often. Critical thinking skills are very important for children and this book emphasizes this skill. I think this is an excellent book for children.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Fender is a great kid! He's smart, energetic, personable, inquisitive and he's crazy about Sherlock Holmes!
Oh no! The television broke and now he can't watch the Sherlock Holmes marathon that is coming to TV! He talks to his parents about a new television, but there isn't any money for a new one. So! Billy decides to start his own business, to purchase a new TV ~ Billy Fender Private Investigations!
Miss Applebee hires him to investigate his first mystery. She finds a body, in a shoebox, in her garden. When Billy accepts the case, he calls on his friends, Lisa and Raffi to assist him in his sleuthing., not realizing they are about to embark on a great adventure!
The Shoebox Mystery is a great book for kids. I really enjoyed it. It's well written and at a good pace! 4.5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Xpresso Book Tours through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy, an ingenious boy with his two sidekicks Raffi and Lisa, needs to earn money - because the family NEEDS a new TV - so he starts a PI-business and after some preparations he gets his first case. Together with his friends and some assistance from unexpected sources they solve the "Shoe Box Mystery".
A well-written story for kids around ten or a little older who like adventure and enjoy mysteries. The book tries to stay gender neutral, both boys and girls are equally shown as bringing clues and no one is stronger than the other. It actually shows in a beautiful way the camaraderie and the non-existence of gender-stereotypes.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Penny Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shoebox Mystery by Glenn Lindsey was a delightful read. With the main character and his friends forming a detective agency to earn enough money to buy a television, the book has a very innocent start. It picks up pace as the trio finds themselves involved in a mysterious death and a missing person's case. One thing that I really liked about the story is how Glenn touches upon the difficulties that people with hearing disabilities have. It was a refreshing change to see it included in a kids book.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is to me, reminiscent of the Hardy Boys when I was a child. I loved those mysteries and I love these. This is well-written with characters any middle school kid can connect with. I am an older woman but I loved this. My boys did as well.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lighthearted middle grade read. Did I find the behavior of the characters wholly realistic? Being the mom of an 8 year old and an 11 year old, not really. But I do think that kids would enjoy this story. And it may inspire them to be innovative in their own lives. The friendships within the book really made the book for me. Billy and his friends were amazing.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for children of all ages! After his t.v. breaks, Billy and his friends start a private investigation company to earn some money to buy a new t.v. Brilliant characters come alive as they take on their first investigation with the help of a few side characters along the way. Brilliantly written and a great little mystery!

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the privilege to enjoy this novel!

[Joyce Rawlins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shoebox Mystery is a wonderful children’s book. Pleasant to read with many lessons to teach children. One of which is that friends are more important than material things. Trying to raise money to buy a new TV, Billy Fender decides to become a private investigator. He finds clues overlooked by the police and other things he doesn’t want to. His best friends help him until one of them is questioned by the police. Very friendly characters. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me an advanced reader’s copy to read.