Title: K-9 Cop: Case #1 The Dreck Report
Author: Erna Mueller
Publisher: Erna Mueller
Pages: 220
Genre: YA
Format: Paperback/Kindle
No
one thought as highly of Lieutenant
Spencer Watley as he did himself. This selfish cop met 14 year-old Justin
Andrews during an important stakeout. Determined to nab a group of cyber
killers, he wasn’t going to let anything get in his way, especially a smart
mouthed teenager like Justin.
After
Spencer bids him good riddance, he is killed by the hackers and stands before
the gates of heaven. But - what’s this? After a life of putting dangerous
criminals behind bars, he’s locked out?
He
yells at the angel blocking his entrance, only to find out he needs to go
through the J.R.P. program before he can enter. That’s the Jerk Redemption
program, otherwise known as sensitivity training boot camp, which
to his horror consists of non-stop Oprah and Dr. Phil reruns. Or he can go back
to earth and help Justin’s dysfunctional family. Spencer opts for the lesser of
two evils, to help Justin.
But the Angel pulls a fast one
on Spencer. He can only go back to earth in the body of his K9-Partner. Spencer
refuses, but like it or not, Spencer becomes a dog. He falls back to earth and is slowly morphed
into a dog that closely resembles a mop.
And if being a dog wasn’t bad
enough, Spencer also swallowed an important microchip his killers need to hack
into PC’s and steal millions. Now the criminals are hot on his trail for the
only existing microchip that’s logged in his belly.
Justin and Spencer butt heads
constantly; both are stubborn and willful, neither one wanting to give an inch.
Spencer needs to find out what the killers are up to, so he swallows his pride
and forms a bond with the boy. Spencer relays to Justin his past and together
with the help of Justin’s girlfriend, Shahla; they discover the hacker’s plans.
Spencer has broken down Justin’s reserve and he finally learns the meaning of
unselfish love.
But it’s too late, the hackers
have captured them.
Can Spencer maul the shins (and
other choice areas) of his kidnappers and stop them from their evil plan?
Can a selfish man find a heart?
You bet. He just has to become a dog first.
Book Excerpt:
Justin
Andrews’ heart pounded so hard he thought it would punch out his throat. He
trudged across St. Ignatius High School Seattle
A
spring wind blew through the private school's grand hall window. Solitude and
long shadows contrasted with another day of classes and activities. The daily
exodus of uniformed schoolboys took place an hour ago, without Justin.
He
opened the computer lab door and politely stepped aside as his father entered
the flower-scented room. Baskets of bright, freshly cut bouquets covered every
flat surface, including half the floor. Condolence tags hung on most.
“You
were lucky to get a scholarship to this school,” muttered his father, Eugene
Andrews, as he steepled his hands and assumed a confident expression.
Mr.
Andrews was thin as a rule, which even his hair obeyed, and his business suit
hung on his spare frame in straight-ironed lines.
“We
can barely afford their activity fees, and how do you show your appreciation?
By spending valuable time in Principal Hammersmith’s office because of your
usual antics!
I hope
you were as embarrassed as I was.” Mr.
Andrews' red face had grown haggard, but he
returned to his normal tone. “I’m trying my best to understand you, but it’s
difficult when you act before you think.”
Justin
stopped tapping the keys of one of the classroom computers. He brushed back his
sandy colored hair and tried hard to look unruffled by his father’s venting.
Tall for his thirteen years, his even features
were dappled with impish freckles, and his deep blue eyes sparkled. He frowned,
recollecting that Principal Hammersmith had accused him of having “an understated confidence that bordered on
impudence.”
Vicky
Andrews, Justin’s sixteen-year-old sister, lounged in a computer lab chair,
black backpack on the floor, waiting to go. She plucked a daisy from one of the
bouquets, broke off the stem and stuck the blossom in her hair. She casually
twisted the hem of her black T-shirt and listened to the scolding, ready to
spring in as mediator if needed. Her eyebrow ring and bright pink hair screamed
independence; an attitude she freely cultivated in her public high school.
“Chill
out, Dad,” Vicky said, as she chewed away on
a sizable wad of gum. “You’re making such a big deal out of this.”
“Big
deal? It's a disgrace. Your brother pasted Principal Hammersmith's face on a
picture of a mountain goat.”
Vicky
tried to muffle her giggle with little success.
Her
father glared at her. “So you think it's funny, do you?” he asked as he
continued to pace the floor.
“Sorry.”
“Not how your mother and I
raised you. Did you see his screensaver?”
Justin had photoshopped
Sister Constance's face on a female goat in a very compromising position with
the Mr. Hammersmith goat. Eugene
Justin's fingers tap-danced across keyboards. He deleted another goat screensaver and
set it back to the original portrait of Principal Hammersmith's stony face
sternly guarding the entrance of St. Ignatius. More clicks, another computer,
another step closer to undoing his creation. His father walked over to the
window and his voice rose as he spoke to Vicky.
“It
would be one thing if his disrespect was limited to the school, but . . .” He
yanked the curtains wide open and pointed at the athletic field. The computer
lab famous goat love played on the new billboard-sized screen looming over the
football stadium. And at Main
Street
“This
is an offense punishable by a year of kitchen duty.”
Justin's
father bobbed his head back and forth in that parental duck-neck way.
“I'm
not even going to ask how you accomplished that.”
“It
helps to know the operator.”
“You
mean an adult helped you do that?”
“Yeah.
A guy who works here at the school who operates the billboard liked it too. He
downloaded The Love Hammer's-”
“Justin!”
“It's
the file name! Okay, Hammersmith. He had him as a teacher when he was in
school, before Mr. Hammersmith became principal. Anyway, he wanted to pay me
for the file of the screen saver image he saw in the lab.”
“You
received money for that?” his father asked outraged. “No. I gave it to him for
free.”
The
veins in Mr. Andrews' thin neck stood out in vivid ridges.
“Ah,
come on, Dad, you know The Hammer, I mean Mr. Hammersmith had it in for me.
It's just not fair what he did to me.”
“You
still need to have some respect for authority, Justin. Do you really believe
your revenge was justified? That any revenge is justified? What if someone had
done that to your mom's picture?”
“No
fair.” The words sank into a dark place within Justin's mind where rationality
always triumphed over emotion, and his breath caught. “Yeah, no, I was wrong,
I’m sorry.”
“You’d
better be sorry, though that’s not a big help now!” Mr. Andrews stopped pacing,
leaned in and whispered, “I have to pay to have the whole newsletter reprinted
and I still need to buy groceries. Do you want to know where the cash is coming
from? Remember that allowance you had?”
Vicky’s
slouch perked straight up. “Newsletter? What newsletter?”
“Justin
put an obituary of Principal Hammersmith in the school’s newsletter.”
“Those
weren't supposed to get mailed. Besides, I'm writing a letter of apology, and
you've got to admit,” he gestured to the bouquets, “the school did receive a
lot of flowers. Aren't they beautiful?” Justin smiled nervously then returned to de-goating the computer lab.
“You're
lucky they're not going to expel you!”
Vicky
raised a challenging pierced eyebrow. “The reason Justin wasn't expelled was
because of the special grants this school receives. His high test scores sure
bumped up the school average. They're not going to get rid of him.”
Mr.
Andrews sighed and rubbed his face. “Maybe your Mom and I shouldn't have let
them put Justin two Grades ahead.”
“But
he still gets straight A's, Dad. Academics aren't the issue. It's Mom.”
“He
still needs to learn discipline.”
“Come
on now, it’s tough for Justin. Put yourself in his place. He’s only thirteen.
Most of the other guys are already sixteen. They give him a hard time.”
“I'm
almost fourteen, and I can take care of myself.” Justin puffed up as one more
pair of amorous goats disappeared.
“He
misses Mom,” Vicky sighed. “We all miss Mom. Don't be so hard on him.”
Mr.
Andrews' cell phone played a disco jingle. He sighed before answering, “Eugene
Andrews. Yes Ma'am. Sales projections ready by tonight. Fine.”
Vicky
winced and gave a pained expression as the call ended.
“Look,
I have to get back to work before I get fired,” Mr. Andrews said to Vicky and
blew a heavy sigh. He straightened his tie, and picked lint off his sleeve as
he crossed the room.
“As
for you, young man," Mr. Andrews said looking back at Justin, "you’ll
receive your punishment tonight after dinner.” Dad slammed the classroom door
behind him.
A
vision of stacks of dirty dishes and a lonely soapy sink hovered in Justin's
mind. “I know Dad's going to ground me until I'm eligible for Medicare. After I
finish changing these screen savers I'm going to the park. I need to be alone.”
Vicky
patted him on the shoulder. “If I want to find you, you'll be in your tree,
right?”
About the Author
I was born in Austria U.S. U.S. Austria America Austria
I traveled the world and lived in many
exciting cities such as Paris Munich London Seattle
My new book, K-9
Cop, is adapted from my multi-national
award winning screenplay. The book has won several awards including first
place in the 2009 National Good Read Competition sponsored by awomenswrite.com.
Please visit my web site at http://www.k9cop-woofwoof.com for more reviews and other info.
For More Information
GIVEAWAY
DETAILS:
Erna is giving away one audiobook of K-9 COP!
Terms & Conditions:
- By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
- One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter.
- This giveaway begins October 6 and ends Dec 19.
- Winner will be contacted via email on Monday, Dec 22.
- Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!
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