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Abandoned

A Jennifer Malone Mystery

ALSO BY JOHN SCHLARBAUM

Barry Jones’ Cold Dinner – A Steve Cassidy Mystery

When Angels Fail To Fly – A Steve Cassidy Mystery

Off The Beaten Path – A Steve Cassidy Mystery

A Memorable Murder – A Jennifer Malone Mystery

Lasting Impressions

Aging Gracefully Together – A Story of Love & Marriage

The Doctor’s Bag – A Sentimental Journey

Abandoned

A Jennifer Malone Mystery

SCANNER PUBLISHING

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2017 By John Schlarbaum

Published in eBook format by Scanner Publishing

Converted by http://www.eBookIt.com

All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrievable system, without the prior written consent of the publisher is an infringement of the copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-2932-8

Cover photo credit:

“Chair With Three Legs” by Miguel Ángel Avi García

See more stunning photos at:

www.flickr.com/photos/miguelangelavi/

Graphic cover formatting: Jennifer Hawksworth

Acknowledgements

Finding the right balance in a novel’s storyline and its characters is a defining moment for any author. As I write the first draft my main goal is to find out how it ends. That may sound odd, but even though I have a vague idea how I’d like the story to conclude, the characters often have their own ideas. Once I’m satisfied with the second draft, it’s time to give it to a trusted group of readers with no qualms about giving me the good, the bad, and the ugly on every word, page, chapter and character.

Special thanks to these friends who read each chapter as it was written. This isn’t as exciting as it would seem, when you realize it might be a week, or two, or six before I sent out another 4-5 pages! It was a long process and I truly value your patience with me: Jessica Jarvis, Jennifer Laugher, Lori Wightman and Lori Farmer.

To Dorothy Schlarbaum, Jennifer Thorne, Tina Medford, Kevin Jarvis, Cathy Brooker, Priscilla Bernauer, Mary Stafford-Bocian, Sandra Musyj, Irene Carson and Rebecca Bornai – I am eternally grateful for your opinions and suggestions.

For allowing me to create wonderful new characters with distinct personal traits and backgrounds, I want to thank Jennifer Grant and Beth Grant. It was a pleasure to dig a little deeper into your lives and bring your characters to life!

Also, thanks to the devoted readers who pledged their support during the Kickstarter campaign to make this book a reality!

Last, but never least, my heartfelt gratitude to Lori Huver, whose unwavering support keeps me smiling each and every day!

John Schlarbaum

November 2017

Dedication

To Hudson, Owen, Kara and Luke

The next great generation of readers!