Skylar Robbins Mysteries Series

Thirteen-year-old sleuth Skylar Robbins plans to become a private detective like her grandfather. Stuck at her bullying cousin Gwendolyn's Malibu estate for the summer, Skylar brings her fingerprinting kit, portable spy tools, and her journal for taking notes in secret code. She had no idea how dangerous the next eight weeks would prove to be. As soon as Skylar gets to Malibu, mysterious things begin to happen. She discovers a hidden garden behind a rusted gate in Gwendolyn's huge back yard. Her new friend Kat, who claims to be a witch, recognizes magical elements throughout the garden and declares it the perfect place to perform spells. "We are going to grow gems." "Grow what?" There was no way I heard her right. Kat's eyes gleamed. "Gems. You know, rubies, emeralds, sapphires? Gems!" Ignoring the rising tide, they sneak down to the beach at midnight and search three caves for magic seeds to plant in the abandoned garden. Practical Skylar didn't believe in magic. Until their spells begin to work. Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills has been a #1 Best Seller in Children's Detective ebooks, Children's Fantasy & Supernatural Mystery ebooks, Children's Sword & Sorcery Fantasy ebooks, and Children's ebooks: Mystery & Detectives/Spies.

A deserted mansion perches on a steep hillside, overlooking a rocky canyon. Tattered curtains hang behind broken windows, and a turret stretches toward the sky. Three years ago the wealthy owner disappeared suddenly, leaving behind a house full of secrets: A mysterious note, tantalizing clues, a hidden floor, one piece of a treasure map, and a missing fortune in diamonds. Thirteen-year-old sleuth Skylar Robbins moves into the mansion with her parents and embarks on a new and dangerous mission. Armed with her detective kit, and with the support of her BFF Alexa and a team of secret agents, Skylar sets out to decipher the clues and find the diamonds. Can she outwit a gang of nasty construction workers and find the hidden jewels before they do? Or will the perils of middle school--like battling ruthless bully Emelyn Peters for the attention of class hottie Dustin Coles--get in her way? Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of the Hidden Jewels is an Amazon #1 Bestseller in Children's Detective Books, was voted Book-of-the-Month by LASR readers, won the 5-star Reader's Favorite award, and was a Top Ten Finalist for an Author Academy Award in the YA/Middle Grade category.

Thick fog ballooned over the Malibu sand on Zuma Beach. The slate-gray ocean was deadly still. A mansion that everyone in Shadow Hills thought was haunted perched silently, shrouded in shadow. The back yard contained a magic garden where an eighth-grade bully named Gwendolyn plotted revenge. Gwendolyn opened her witchcraft box and looked at the nest of hair she had stolen from her cousin Skylar Robbins's brush. She planned to use the teen sleuth's shiny locks in a nasty spell. Maybe giving Skylar a giant patch of hairy warts. A year of horrendous dog breath. And loud, unstoppable farts whenever Skylar was around a cute boy! Unfortunately, Gwendolyn had skimmed the instructions, and missed one very important step. The first day of eighth grade was right around the corner. Bullies who had known Gwendolyn since third grade and called her Dumbdolyn and Zitface would be joining her again in a few short days. So, with the help of a friendly wizard and a stolen hank of Skylar's hair, she performed a beautifying spell on herself before school started. But she ignored the old wizard's warning: "Don't let your ego turn you nasty. Or the spell will slowly reverse. Or worse." Would Gwendolyn start eighth grade with a new gorgeous face and long, lustrous hair? Or would her mean-spirited actions cause a series of embarrassing middle school disasters that no eight-grader could ever have imagined? Gwendolyn's Revenge is a fantasy novella that is a standalone read, and a mini-sequel to Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills.

"Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of the Island Idol, by Carrie Cross is a rip-roaring young adult adventure/romance story that will keep readers on their toes. Centered around current technology and full of references younger readers will appreciate, this book has everything needed to engage readers and keep them coming back for more from Skylar and her gifted cohort." -- Excerpt from Literary Titan 5-Star review. Bastiian is having a party next Friday night. Anyone welcome at 3 Palms at 10 is invited. Free food, no parents, and we're playing My Secret Kiss. Who's going? My Assistant Detective Alexa pointed at the screen. "Sky. A boy-girl party and Daniel's going. Brendan and Dustin signed the list too. We have to go." "Alexa, what's My Secret Kiss?" "Everyone secretly draws names picking who they have to kiss. Then everyone rates the person they kissed. The bad kissers with the least points get eliminated." "No way." My mind was racing. The disgusting possibilities were endless. Would I be forced to make out with boys I didn't like, or guys I didn't even know, just to act normal at a party? Was I crazy for even considering going? My brain started to tick. I'd paid for some new gadgets with chores money, and I'd gotten others for Christmas. These filled out my detective kit nicely. My night vision goggles might come in handy. The Soundtrap would let us eavesdrop on conversations. Best of all was a canister of Invisi-powder. When you dusted it on your face and hands and wore black clothing, the non-metallic, gray-black powder let you blend into the shadows, so you were completely invisible. "We are going to go to that party. But nobody's even going to know we're there." Sneaking into the party sounded risky, and pretty scary. But it wasn't until after the field trip began, and I'd put my detective skills to a true test, that I really found out the true meaning of terror and danger. Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of the Island Idol won the coveted Literary Titan Gold Book Award. Three Skylar Robbins mysteries have been Amazon #1 Bestsellers in Children's Detective Books. Other accolades include being voted Book-of-the-Month by LASR readers, three 5-star Reader's Favorite awards, a winner in the 2021 IAN Book of the Year Awards, and one was a Top Ten Finalist for an Author Academy Award in the YA/Middle Grade category.

Xandra Collins was rich, famous, and missing. After inheriting a fortune, she vanished without a trace, leaving her 100-year-old mansion abandoned. A frightening enemy had been stalking the wealthy heiress. Thirteen-year-old detective Skylar Robbins moves into the deserted estate with her family, and vows to crack the case. Skylar teams up with her BFF Alexa, and Daniel Gannon—the most brilliant boy in middle school—to solve the mystery of Xandra Collins’s disappearance. Secret codes and mystifying clues lead to a hidden key. Skylar and Daniel must outsmart Xandra’s enemies and brave life-threatening waves to locate the lock and solve the mystery. Can the team determine how the heiress went missing...before Skylar suffers the same fate? Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of the Missing Heiress won the 5-Star Reader's Favorite award and seal. "Cross’s characters are credible and finely drawn, her Santa Monica location is perfect, and her plot is suitably twisty and filled with suspense. Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of the Missing Heiress is most highly recommended." A favorite of both boys and girls, ages 9 to adult.