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Kristine Simelda
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Climbing Jacko's Steps - Terror in the Rainforest : A Maxine Alexander Mystery, Book I (Maxine Alexander Mysteries 1) Kindle Edition

by Kristine Simelda (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

Stark Reality Clashes with Folklore on a Caribbean Island

Feisty junior reporter Maxine Alexander is looking for the “scoop” that will boost her career and skyrocket her to journalistic fame. When her fourteen-year-old classmate Flora Durand goes missing from the sleepy Caribbean village of Plaisance, she tackles the case. Maxi is convinced that Flora is lost somewhere in the adjoining rainforest where the legendary folklore characters Papa Bwa and Mama Glo are said to reside. Seeking clues, she climbs up a set of mysterious stone steps and encounters Jacko, a sympathetic Rasta man, along the way. He says Flora was using a cave by the river as a laboratory for her scientific research, but she has been held captive by the village madman for the past forty days.

Good and evil clash during a chainsaw and cutlass duel between Jacko and Kenson James. The hero ties the villain to the mythical tree that is the guardian of the forest until “de Babylon” police arrive. But what about Flora? Maxi wonders if her friend will be able to handle the village gossip that’s bound to torment her when she reaches home. Will Kenson pay for his crime according to conventional justice, or will Papa Bwa and Mama Glo settle the score using Nature’s Ways?

Find out in Book I of the Maxine Alexander Mystery Series, Climbing Jacko's Steps - Terror in the Rainforest by Kristine Simelda.
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  1. Reading age
    12 - 18 years
  2. Book 1 of 2
    Maxine Alexander Mysteries
  3. Print length
    146 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Publication date
    May 20, 2024
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 2 books in this series.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In the novel Climbing Jacko's Steps - Terror in the Rainforest, Kristine Simelda unleashes a feisty young journalist, Maxi Alexander, to investigate the disappearance of her 14-year-old classmate Flora Durand. With the help of the Rasta man Jacko and the folkloric guardians of the rainforest, Maxi searches for clues. This book is a must-read for both young people and adults who are seeking a solid connection to their Caribbean roots and a way forward in these increasingly troubling times." ~ YL Phillip, author of In My Father's Eyes

From the Author

Author's Note
Dear Readers, Climbing Jacko's Steps: Terror in the Rainforest is Book I of the Maxine Alexander Mystery series. It's based on the true story of a 14-year-old girl who was kidnapped in my rural Caribbean community in 2011.
The novel introduces the irrepressible protagonist, teenaged Maxi Alexander, who diligently follows clues to rescue her friend Flora Durand from the village madman. In real life, Flora's character was missing for forty days before the villain was arrested and paid for his crime. In the novel, things go down differently; the details of the transgression aren't publicly disclosed because the victim is underage, but justice prevails nonetheless according to Nature's Ways. But that's not the end of Maxi's career as an investigative journalist.
In Book II of the Maxine Alexander Mystery Series, Bring Blessings Home, Flora and Maxi reunite in 2022 to try to find a 12-year-old girl who has been abducted from a nearby village. With the help of their comrade Jacko and their new friend Earl, they follow clues that might lead them to the child named Blessings. Again, the real-life outcome was different from that of the novel, but I have tried to bring a sense of closure and poetic justice to an otherwise extremely disturbing scenario.
Onward,
KS

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D4RF4M1R
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ River Ridge Press, Dominica (May 20, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 20, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5.9 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 146 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

About the author

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Kristine Simelda

Kristine Simelda

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Kristine Simelda was born in the U.S. and writes from Dominica, the Nature Island, where she has lived since 1994. As a long-time resident of the Caribbean region, she is concerned with the big picture from a small island perspective.

Her main focus is recording cross-cultural experiences with empathy, engagement, and respectful appropriation. While "Rise Up, Sista" is her most recent publication, she has previously written three novels, a novella for Young Adults, and many pieces of published short fiction.

She has worn many caps during the course of her lifetime. These have included daughter, wife, mother, artist, florist, horse trainer, gallery owner, and restaurateur. Currently she lives on a smallholding on the edge of the rainforest where she continues to write and raise large dogs.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • W. Walsh
    5.0 out of 5 stars This witty and fast-paced mystery, based in the Caribbean, is an absorbing read!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2024
    While I tend not to pick up books about young girls gone missing, I am very glad I read this one. I enjoyed how the author wove Flora's real-life experience into a story with Caribbean folklore, while addressing societal issues about child abuse at the same time. The main character, Maxi Alexander, is a rising star. I look forward to the next book!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Gwendominica
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-Paced, Suspenseful, Unforgettable Reads!
    Reviewed in Canada on June 19, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Books One and Two of the Maxine Alexander Mystery Series (Climbing Jacko’s Steps and Bring Blessings Home) draw attention to the tragic universal theme of child abuse. These riveting mysteries are set against the backdrop of a small Caribbean Island and are based on true stories.

    Author Kristine Simelda skillfully portrays the characters by developing their specific points of view in various chapters. The story is at times intense, but she cleverly interposes scenes of folkloric characters and customs, and interjects smatterings of local patois, as well as familiar English clichés. These interludes provide a distinct contrast with the darker sides of the plots. The beautiful descriptions of the rainforest allow relief from the at-times dire situations taking place in it.

    The two mysteries centre around Maxine, the dynamic protagonist whose penchant for investigative journalism and determination to seek justice bring her face to face with some of society’s ills and “the evil that men do…”

    Other familiar themes such as love, friendship, humour and loyalty factor into the build-up of conflicts and resolutions (or not) throughout the stories. Despite the concerning situations, glimmers of hope are prevalent by the denouement of each novel.

    To say more would spoil the experience of contemplating the outcome of each book.
    You’ll no doubt think hard about these stories and their serious subject matter long after you’ve read the final chapters.
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