Friday the 13th is considered an
unlucky day in the United States. It occurs at least once every year, and up to
three times a year. It’s interesting to find that while there is evidence of
both Fridays and the number 13 being considered unlucky, there is no record of Friday
the 13th being especially unlucky before the 19th century. And it’s
all where you live, Hispanic and Greek culture find Tuesday the 13th
unlucky while it’s Friday the 17th for Italians.
Personally I haven’t found Friday
the 13th especially unlucky. We did have someone set a fire in a
nearby field on an October Friday the 13th. Luckily my husband and I
both worked from home, so we smelled the smoke and were able to call the fire
department and then take our shovels and keep it from a neighbor’s house. Seems
to me that was a lucky day, though.
This Friday the 13th is
another lucky day for me personally. It's the release date of the 13th Fresh Baked Mystery. I am
so lucky to be able to continue this series with Baker’s Deadly Dozen.
Baker's
Deadly Dozen (A Fresh Baked Mystery) (Volume 13)
Going back to school can be a
killer!
Phyllis Newsom and Sam Fletcher come out of retirement to take
substitute teacher jobs as a favor for some friends, but they soon realize that
the more things change, the more they stay the same. That means getting up
early, dealing with students and other teachers, and helping out with
extracurricular activities. The problem is, for Phyllis, stumbling over dead
bodies is an extracurricular activity!
When murder strikes at the school’s
Friday the Thirteenth dance, it’s unlucky not only for the victim but also for
the student who’s the prime suspect. Sam’s granddaughter has a crush on the boy
and can’t believe he’s a killer. Neither can Phyllis. The police are convinced,
though, so the only way Phyllis can help him is to uncover the true identity of
the killer stalking the halls of the high school before it’s too late!
EXCERPT
The light downstairs went out before they reached the stairwell. Phyllis
frowned. If Mr. McCracken was down there cleaning he should have been moving
around enough to keep the light on. Unless he was inside one of the classrooms,
then the light might have gone off, she reasoned.
Then it came on again.
Something about the way things were happening made a chill run down her
back. She was at the top of the stairs now, so she stopped and called, “Mr.
McCracken?”
A strange sound came from below. It might have been a human groan.
Ronnie exclaimed, “What was that?”
The lights went off again.
“Ronnie,” Phyllis said, “I’m starting to get the feeling that something
is wrong. Go back to the cafeteria and find your grandfather.”
“What are you going to do?” Ronnie gestured toward the stairs. “Go down
there and see what it is we heard? It might be a . . . a monster!”
“You don’t believe in monsters.”
“Right now, I don’t disbelieve in them.”
