The Mystery Rider

By Gerald Holt

While Ben and his sister, Emma, are exploring the salt marsh of Quicksand Bay, they make a sickening discovery and find a badly injured Marsh Hawk.
They are about to take the hawk to CROW, a nearby wildlife rescue shelter, when they are confronted by a dirt-bike rider on a metallic-red machine. The rider offers to help but Ben mistrusts him. After an argument the rider angrily speeds away across the marsh trails.
At CROW, Ben meets a local wildlife conservation officer and learns that poachers are killing birds and wild animals and selling parts for thousands of dollars to overseas buyers.
Is the dirt-bike rider one of the poachers? From then on Ben, his sister, Emma and his friend, Jed, are on the trail of the mystery rider on the marsh.
When Bens pet crow, Jacky, is injured the children spend more and more time at CROW. Finally, Ben and Jacky trap the mystery rider and help the wildlife officer catch the gang of poachers.
And Jacky surprises everyone!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479773640

Gerald Holt

Gerald grew up in war-torn Britain during WWII. He watched the RAF spitfires fight the Battle of Britain in the skies overhead and was directly affected by the fighting when the family home was bombed and they had to move, only to find the move ultimately brought them in the direct path of the V-bombs aimed at London. When the war was over he attended the two oldest schools in England. Gerald was in the British army before moving to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) where he was a Detective Inspector in the police. He moved his family to Canada in 1967 and in 1970 they moved from Montreal to White Rock a small community south of Vancouver where he still lives today.

Book preview

�&Qabook_preview_excerpt.htmleX�n�����K�Fcy� ���d g-��M�9lɦ��O��7�����=����8�
kȾ��SU���vW�?>���������{S�߽�S}�����d�Ƽ�������>?}0�^�~{|���Iutv0��M�b��w��|ߛ!�яc}����g�w�i]�M�l���κs g�C��b�~l�?�;�r�&ט��8g������Ǻ�������fg�`�0\4�d�3�5>'stNL�-�IwO�ŚOo���=���y�3a�a�� 쩰w��K6)�c�[{t�i� �vFS-�����:E�`��>��&��ж�L���Ə�j�0��л�[��8=M���?�o�w~<������$3��=cͺ$��K@��:1�7�����<�Л
a��A
���H��ٸ���X;��/>���ߍ_�'�SⒽ����«��|���u����՝�9����(�M.L=Lr���Ɵ�Ns}� M8�\��?j�!z ��w�B`h ���XL�zu�=L�E�a��C���s%a��d<փKx��
H5�a��9��ĝ�\��*����-�+���#"ҕ���ͤR����F����ԉ5Kft'Ӝ�8����j�}�]N��.������O~�؏�I_cɴ0'
m�I�x�c_t�k�co^%(>�b�z7$���QY����kY3*�Z��$ ��v��m��xF� �+�V~/��g��pO������� ��ȕ"w�Ȓ����ͷ��9-<G꣱� ��i�3�q&Y�D+�Ts���_�4%�\V�Z�]�����Ս� R���V� ����ڛ_�A2��d�P'e�:��cX�nm
:o�c�����e�����D3~c���f#�0V,K>e$�) 2�U(���XX-R�Cw��s"m���4��D�i[��S3��e��E����]�+���b�>��S��S��'!P�,2��*��C8J�D@��=���#�̓�UB�X�.5�) ���<����z��8=�����+3�<ì�4#�I�I�b�_� `�*)S��ކM���o�å�E�q7q/�PRE�r4�F0@P����ԝ,��A�Uv�<�Qr��͢}~+?��O��C���ŒZ-��8�Ͱʉ`5��BUp5ʍ� ��e�\��4�v���ƹ��~)l���
Ѵ�;DŹb�@Pѯ�O\ÄB��*�Z�G���ll�u�m�w���=ki�'�t&�� E��l�z9iR��Xf���Aڨ�������+�D������N� �����&��*<��b�Bbe����X��X1E��O�W��1Ksa
�b���$��c�q�Izf�Ē�\l�WH��v�*)"�%��5�K�Kc
�%p@ ����%~"��Y3-�W�BWD��|� ���JA��6�>����:hx�N��f���+6AtD�bjVUl�f��C�գ�`&w%�Ѕ�t�6_x�t� �R8�7OL �R��O�te�P=��T�e/*�kg����VA#���LƵcx�a� Å��J�~�V ����64[�.@�n�'V#�B���x�Pǔ�?c*)+�IC~Z�@զ��r65�e}����c�G���b(P^�H���V�ka��Ȩ\¸���//ډ�S!$� �^9*ueWM%Z��2��X�"_�I�K�m}1Gر�괌�4������}�
���B:��`NP��O��I瞬��R�l�8�L��<�x�Π�{���7Z<��0&��7�y���6J���KF�Hp�ꌀ�1��`6��YCJk�Ա�R�(������kÂtQ�TmI�y�겓��N�ʖi��9���G#��>�d'�I��Z����E����U��x���]���얁(j����������\c� ����l1~����Y�Gz�fwQ�0�Q�Ҕ��"�4{IZ�\ G���-����%���y���X�@�v��(��Sq}A�.2�&����@��7��с����0So����:�RDJ�9Pg��������]At.���ck�LD9q���\!F�S�ѕ���
@c'D8m�n��J6I d_�2ηY/�t|K����ys��RF�9��:>%���o��H� Qf�y�{�-~�H�wh��pG��&�؆��M��fW��TM�Bf��[t|�a���� V�Wy�0\�ܥ��t�OD�yH�
}&_ 7`*�����mE�w�����E�C F�%������U�ҷ٣!���㈟�D&�1����a�(�/"�Wս���ӛ?
��N%�