The Curse of Calico Jack (Skeleton Cover Book 2) by Colin Garrow – Blog Tour

Today I am honoured to be joining the blog tour for The Curse of Calico Jack by Colin Garrow. Thanks to Emma at https://damppebbles.com/damppebbles-blog-tours/ for organising this tour and to Colin Garrow. Lyons for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This post may contain Amazon Affiliate Links which means that if you purchase an item from a link on my site, I get a small commission at no cost to you.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3fOrJPT

Synopsis

A mysterious book. A creepy kidnapping. A ghostly pirate on the loose.

Researching ideas for a pirate story, 12-year-old Jeff and his pal Suzi uncover a mysterious book that reveals weirdly moving images of a scary pirate captain. After an old movie appears to replicate the images, one of Jeff’s teachers is kidnapped, prompting the investigative twosome to seek help tracking down the ghostly buccaneer. But Calico Jack has a history in Skeleton Cove and he’s out for revenge…

THE CURSE OF CALICO JACK is book #2 in this scary adventure series. If you like Goosebumps, you’ll love Skeleton Cove!

My Thoughts

This middle grade fantasy-adventure novel is pitched perfectly for the intended age group and was lots of fun to read. It is part of a series and there are references to events form book one however it works well as a stand alone. I do have book one to read so keep an eye out for my review.

Strange goings on begin to happen in Skeleton Cover when Jeff and his pal Suzie find some old books on pirates in the attic whilst looking for help with a school project. Mysterious sightings of pirates and moving pictures followed by a few disappearances all seem to point that there’s a pirate ghost returned to the Cove to seek revenge. Can Jeff and his friends solve the mystery or is Skeleton Cover doomed?

Full of swashbuckling adventure and mystery and fun characters this is a great middle grade novel for even the most reluctant reader. The town of Skeleton Cover is atmospheric and quirky with caves to explore, an old movie theatre and quirky inhabitants. The setting is richly described and really adds to the atmosphere of the plot. The narrative is pacey and the story moves along quickly with no time to become bored or distracted. It hooks you in from the beginning and keeps you there.

The main characters are just normal children who are easily relatable for other children around this age. They are well written and have a great spirit of adventure a little like a modernised version of the Famous Five but a little darker and more intense.

Overall this is a great adventure story for younger readers and works great as an independent or shared read.

Author Bio – Colin Garrow

True-born Geordie Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland and has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. Colin has published three stage plays, six adventures for middle grade readers, two books of short stories, the Watson Letters series and the Terry Bell Mysteries. His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including: SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Grind, A3 Review, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. These days he lives in a humble cottage in North East Scotland where he writes novels, stories. poems and the occasional song.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/colingarrow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colingarrowthewriter/

Website (adults): https://colingarrow.org/

Website (childrens): https://colingarrowbooks.com/

Website (The Watson Letters): https://thewatsonletters.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinngarrow/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/colingarrow

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B014Z5DZD4

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2C64F0i

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Cs4bBL