There’s a story behind the creation of each book series.
Because of Lancelot’s computer skills, he is hired as a decoder at a secret intelligence agency where Mr. Biggs, a retired army intelligence officer, is head of security. In short order, Lancelot realizes Mr. Biggs is far more than that. Lancelot and Mr. Biggs form an unlikely team as they support each other during covert operations.
Lancelot Maddox is a fourteen-year-old computer nerd reminiscent of my son. His mannerisms and powers of reasoning remind me of Steve at that age. I hear Steve’s voice when I write dialogue for Lancelot which is one of the reasons I enjoy writing this series.
The Boy on the Bench
Book #1
Fourteen-year-old Lancelot Maddox cracks seemingly unsolvable puzzles while seated on a park bench. While tackling a particularly challenging puzzle, a woman looms over him and whispers that she's being followed. She hands him a small, sealed coded message, gives him the address then disappears.
Minutes later, Lancelot delivers the coded message to a secret intelligence agency. All the decoders have left for the day, so with grave reservations, Chief asks him to decode the message. Impressed with his decoding skills, Chief hires him on the spot as a part-time decoder.
Later, when he shows the message to Mr. Biggs, head of security, a deeper plot unfolds. Even though Lancelot has only been on the job for a few hours, he joins Mr. Biggs in a rescue operation where they face an unknown enemy.
There are five short stories in The Boy on the Bench, the first book in the Lancelot Maddox series.
Ragtag Rescue
Book #2
There are five short stories in Ragtag Rescue, the second book in the Lancelot Maddox Series. In the first short story, Ragtag Rescue, fourteen-year-old decider, Lancelot and retired army intelligence officer, Mr. Biggs, join forces to discover the identity of a traitor within the intelligence agency. In a notoriously dangerous part of town, Lancelot must choose between what is right and noble and staying alive.
In The Impersonator, tattoo artist, Elvin Tragg, contacts Lancelet after he overhears a plot to kidnap the teenage son of a foreign dignitary. Lancelot and Mr. Biggs are doubtful until Elvin discloses his clever scheme. At great risk to his personal safety, Lancelot agrees to the plot.
Plans for a game marathon are postponed for lack of spare parts in The Crab and the Coward. A trip to the hardware store reveals a devious plot the three players are reluctantly drawn into. A quickly devised strategy culminates in success and a surprise bonus.
Hanna, David, and Eli return in The Shady Lady. Adrift in a sailboat, the three find evidence of pirates on the small island where their family is vacationing. Drifting to a moored yacht, the three discover their worst fears are realized. With brilliance and courage, they overcome the enemy.
In the fifth short story, The Intruder, a spy ingeniously slips into the intelligence agency building. Lancelot and Mr. Biggs must locate and confine The Intruder before he succeeds in implementing his devious plot. Lancelot is the only one who can change the trajectory of the spy’s diabolical scheme.
The Missing Agent
Book #3
Lancelot Maddox, a part-time decoder, and Mr. Biggs, Head of Security, form a team at the intelligence agency. In The Missing Agent, the first short story, five secret agents were sent to spy on a hostile country. As conditions become too dangerous for them to remain in that country, they are ordered to leave immediately. All the agents return except for agent number five. No one knows where he is until they receive a secret message from an unexpected source. With no time to form a strategy, Lancelot and Mr. Biggs race to save agent five before the agent disappears permanently.
Plane Down
Book #4
Lancelot, a 14-year-old decoder, and Mr. Biggs, a retired army intelligence officer, set out in a small plane to hear the dying confession of a prison inmate and former member of organized crime. Sabotage leads to a plane crash in a remote region in the mountains. Mafia members gather at the plane crash sight to ensure the incriminating information doesn't reach the authorities. It becomes a fight for survival as Lancelot must stay one step ahead of his pursuers to protect and hide the badly injured Mr. Biggs. Lancelot accepts the challenge using equal measures of reason and persistence. The sense of place created by the author makes this calamity all the more foreboding, even while imparting a sense of adventure and wonder. By the concluding chapter, we see both Lancelot and antagonists transformed.
Deb G
“Wonderful drama/suspense novel. Readers of all ages will appreciate the main character's strength, resourcefulness, and ability to keep his wits about him under terrifying conditions.”
Sally Alter (Author)
“I enjoyed reading Plane Down immensely. In fact, it was so full of excitement it had me on the edge of my chair the whole time.”