Books with author Mary Jane

Believe it or not–and you better believe it–Josh’s dog Arful can talk! This is very useful to Josh and his pals who want to win the school talent contest. First the boys have to find out what the girls are planning for the contest. That’s when they send Arful to get an earful by spying on the girls. Just wait until show time to see what Arful the spy uncovers.

She delivers mail by day and solves mysteries by night. But when a hurricane reveals a dead body, will her first case be her last? Elizabeth "Stitch" Stitchway dreams of becoming a private investigator, but she remains stuck in her mail carrier day job. When a freak hurricane tosses her and her truck into fast-moving waters, a mysterious stranger is her only saving grace. But after a dead body bubbles to the surface, her raw PI instincts aren't sure if her savior is a witness or a suspect…When Stitch starts to receive letters from her protector, she dives head first into a murder investigation. As she searches for clues, the mystery man asks her for help at the expense of her postal responsibilities. But will trusting the suspect make her the next victim?The Mailbox is a PI murder mystery filled with clever twists and turns. If you like smart female investigators, puzzling plots, and page-turning surprises, then you'll love Mary Jane Forbes' parcel of thrills. Buy The Mailbox to unwrap a package of suspense today!

In sunshine the old deserted house is a friendly landmark, and Gail even uses a shed on its grounds as a secret haven where she can write her poems. But by moonlight the house becomes eerie and terrifying. One night as Gail walks past it, a sudden sharp sound of knocking makes her whirl around. Someone seems to be trying to catch her attention, yet there is nothing but moonlit lawns and ghostly white walls to be seen. Where did that knocking sound have come from? And the weird voices -- whose can they be?When Gail wakes the next morning, she jumps out of bed. It is Saturday and she plans to do some writing. Then suddenly she remembers. Perhaps she shouldn't use the old shed as her secret room after hearing those noises and voices the night before...The highly original and intriguing explanation of this mystery leads Gail and her friend, Conan, to the solution of a series of robberies as well. A picturesque New England setting and some unusually attractive and believable characters make this suspenseful story one of Mrs. Jane's best.

When Neale and Margie Lawson hear that their father will have to sell his shore land and their beloved horse, Firefly, they are miserable. They can find no way to help until a strange red car, a lost cat, and the odd behavior of an eccentric old man draw them into a mystery involving the lost letters of a famous New England artist.The Lawsons and their friend Rupert Reed, son of the Ranger at the camp across the lake, are plunged into a bewildering tangle of strange doings. Neale thinks that his robot-burglar alarm might help to solve the mystery, and Margie is sure that her grandfather's books hold the key to the problem. Both children are right, but it takes two discoveries -- one in a cave on the mountain and one in the middle of Shadow Pond -- to set things straight.Mary Jane’s earlier mysteries, all exciting and fun to read, have found an appreciative audience. "Mystery at Shadow Pond" will add new friends to the large number of boys and girls who look forward to a book by this favorite author.

“THE first thing I saw at the border was a man’s butt as he stuffed smuggled cigarettes down his trousers. I met prostitutes whose profession was sanctioned as temporary marriage by clerics. I was offered alcohol and all the drugs under the sun in the north, and saw illegal pubs with people drinking. And I saw the most fabulous crown jewels and palaces anywhere.“All this I experienced travelling overland and learning tips to pass on to you. I saw Tehran, the Shah’s Golestan Palace, Persepolis, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Yazd. Many women took their hijabs off whenever they could, and people played music under the bridges of Isfahan. I discovered the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism and visited its funeral towers where the dead were laid out to be eaten by vultures. These were near the Star Wars-like desert city of Yazd, where wind towers drew cool air through underground caverns to air-condition the houses of hundreds of years ago.“I went mountaineering and saw old mosques and palaces and cafes lined with smashed mirrors and others with stained glass.”

In 2018, Kiwi adventurer Mary Jane Walker decided to tour the islands that lie off the coast of Scotland. She made it around the Orkney and Shetland groups, and to the inner-Hebrides islands of Raasay, Mull, Iona and Staffa as well. She was amazed to discover that Norse influences were as strong as Gaelic ones, indeed stronger on the Orkneys and Shetlands. She discovered archaeological sites dedicated to the excavation of amazing ancient communities that predated the Vikings and the Gaels. There's still plenty more to see and one day she will return to the islands to finish her journey, and to visit the related, Danish archipelago of the Faroes as well.