Ghosts of the San Juan
Book 1 of the Mogi Franklin Mysteries

Picture
Donald Willerton

Paperback:
Perfect bound, 128 pages , 5.5" x 8.5" 
ISBN 978-1-938288-81-4
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Ebook:
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ISBN 978-1-938288-82-1
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ISBN 978-1-938288-83-8
About the Mogi Franklin Mysteries

Ghosts of the San Juan is the first novel in the nine-book Mogi Franklin series of Southwest-based mysteries for middle-grade boys and girls.

Also available:
The Lost Children, book 2
The Secret of La Rosa, book 3
The Hidden River, book 4
The Lake of Fire, book 5
​Outlaw, book 6
The Lady in White, book 7
The Captain's Chest, book 8
​River of Gold, book 9
About the Book

Mogi Franklin has a gift for solving mysteries. But he also has a gift for getting himself, his sister, and their friends into situations of danger and intrigue.
 
In Ghosts of the San Juan, a student rafting trip involves them with the mysterious disappearance of four men in 1934, launching a trail of clues that Mogi must put together to foil a plan of evil enrichment victimizing the vast Navajo Nation. Attacked at school, then lured into a deadly trap, Mogi must summon all his courage and ingenuity to survive and overcome his foe’s vicious scheme.
 
Set amid the stark beauty of the Southwest’s river canyons, Ghosts of the San Juan is a fast-paced blend of mystery and history with author Don Willerton’s love of the outdoors and skill in bringing its landscapes to life.

Preview

Mogi took a deep breath, carefully opened the door enough for his lanky body to squeeze through, and slipped past the doorway into a corner of the gym He no longer heard the sharp, explosive sounds of glass panes falling to the floor, but the grinding of glass being walked on.
 
The sound was coming from the other side of the swinging doors that separated the gym from the front entry hall. Thinking of what the hall contained, Mogi realized that the only glass was in the trophy cases along the side wall.
 
Why in the world would someone break that? It’s not like the trophies were worth anything.
 
He moved next to the bleachers and crept forward. Carefully. Quietly.
 
The crunching noise stopped.
 
Mogi's heart was pumping up into his throat. Trying to keep his breath from being too loud, he slipped up to the swinging doors of the front hall, pushing one of them slowly, straining to see through the crack. Slowly, he pushed it more, just a little more.
 
Whang! The door slammed into the side of his head and sent him sprawling across the floor. A dark figure darted through the doorway, throwing a large crowbar against Mogi’s chest like a spear. A sharp stab of pain arched across Mogi’s body and he rolled away from the figure, holding his hand over his chest muscle. He felt blood seeping into his shirt as the hurt grew into an angry burn.
 
Rolling back, he saw a man, dressed completely in black, a hood over his face, sprinting across the floor and out the back door.
 
Mogi struggled to get up, once, twice. Finally standing, hunkered over, holding his chest, tears streaming down his face, he ran with a half-shuffle toward the doors. Stumbling through the doorway, he found no one in sight. Whoever it was had disappeared. From the other side of the school, he heard a squealing of tires, the shifting of gears, and then silence.
 
Man, it hurt! He painfully lowered himself onto the sidewalk, pressing his hand against the wound. He felt the flap of skin where the sharp edge of the crowbar had gouged through to the bone. Blood was streaming down his stomach.

About the Author

Donald Willerton was raised in a small oil boomtown in the Panhandle of Texas, becoming familiar through family vacations with the northern New Mexico area where he now makes his home.

After earning a degree in physics from Midwestern State University in Texas and a master’s in computer science and electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico, he worked for Los Alamos National Laboratory for almost three decades. 

During his career there, Willerton was a supercomputer programmer for a number of years and a manager after that for “way too long,” and also worked on information policy and cyber-security.

He finds focusing on only one thing very difficult among such varied interests as home building, climbing Colorado’s tallest peaks, and rafting the rivers of the Southwest (including the Colorado through Grand Canyon). Willerton also has owned a handyman business for a number of years, rebuilt old cars, and made furniture in his woodshop.

He is a wanderer in both mind and body, fascinated with history and its landscape, varied peoples and their cultures, good mysteries, secrets, and seeking out treasure. Most of all, he loves the outdoors and the places he finds in the Southwest where spirits live and ghosts dance. Weaving it all together to share with readers has been the driving force of Willerton’s writing over the past twenty years.

Praise for Ghosts of the San Juan

A new middle-grade adventure series kicks off.
—Kirkus
___________

Ghosts of the San Juan combines the joy of Southwest river rafting with solving mysteries. What could be more fun? Mogi is the twenty-first-century hero our kids need. Don Willerton is a master at putting together history, adventure, and geography. You learn while enjoying how clever Mogi is.
—Tim Stidham
___________

Don Willerton has captured the feel and mystery of a river-rafting adventure. Mogi Franklin knows how to solve age-old questions involving murder, diamonds, Navajo witches, ghosts, and a missing volcano. The author provides a wild ride along the San Juan River canyon of Utah in his suspenseful mystery combined with legends of the Southwest.
—Randy Montz
___________

I appreciated how the storyline progresses, tying together two timelines and weaving some real research and historical info through the plot. I think young readers would really get a kick out of this book. As an adult, I found it really engaging and entertaining.
—Donna G. Bogan
___________

Ghosts of the San Juan is full of adventure and great characters. As an adult, I appreciate the research and style of the author. As a retired elementary school teacher, I would highly recommend the stories for reading groups or read-aloud. There is mystery, history, and people we want to keep following—and lots of fun.
—Lynn Haval
___________

This book is a great read for a lazy afternoon. Get to know Mogi and his sister—a pretty cool pair of southwestern sleuths. Ghosts of the San Juan is an ideal book for parents looking for wholesome entertainment for their youngsters. It’s a fantastic read.
—Lisa Kratzer
___________

Ghosts of the San Juan gives readers a taste of adventure and an introduction to beautiful southwestern landscapes, places, and history, all the while letting them know two smart but ordinary kids who use their intellect, creativity, and intuition in extraordinary ways to solve old mysteries with modern-day consequences.
—Leslie Linke