Spook Squad is the third book in the Abbey series after Abnormally Abbey and Class Clown. For those unfamiliar with Abbey, she is a 14-year-old gifted/cursed with the ability to interact with the dead. Ghosts have been coming to her since she was a child, but it’s not as glamorous as it sounds. Life can get scary when the dead intrude.
In Spook Squad, Abbey’s ability has attracted the wrong sort of attention.
That attention arrives in the form of a domineering federal agent who insists that Abbey help her with something dangerous. She tells the story of a roguish fellow, Manfred Krug, who traveled the world as a fabled trader in the 1920s. As his diary details, Krug returned from Shanghai with artifacts holding the power to gather and focus otherworldly energy. The agent warns that if the relics fell into the wrong hands, it would be a disaster of biblical proportions.
Enlisting her ride-or-dies, Abbey, Kelly, and Lexi search some of the most haunted places in Minnesota. But someone else—someone dangerous—is after those same artifacts, and they’re right behind Abbey and her spook squad.
One of my favorite characters to write in the book is Manfred Krug. Why? First, he was inspired by a chef of the same name. We had taken a cooking class, and our instructor was so colorful that I knew I’d find a place for him in one of my books. Second, I set Manfred’s scenes in 1920s Shanghai, a place like no other. We see the city through his eyes as we read his diary entries, and get to experience this amazing place as he did.
The research for his journey was also a highlight of the writing process.
“Life in Shanghai goes from good to great when you enter the alleys. This is where the real living happens. The tightly packed alleyways are called Longtangs, translated as community lanes. The living quarters are tall, two or three stories, of stacked wood buildings that tower over the mazes within. Due to their small dimensions—often no wider than 15 to 20 feet—these interior lanes are designed for pedestrians rather than vehicles.
The smells, sounds, and interactions of Longtang’s residents are unlike anything I’ve experienced anywhere else. Small stands sell food and other items, as well as haircuts and various services. The alleys branching off the main lane become even more intimate, with residents cooking, washing clothes, or talking with neighbors.
Residents sit outside watching the world go by. Children play while elders gossip. Passersby greet one another. Street vendors tout their goods. Neighbors cook together and usually eat their dinners outside, where they can see what other families are having. Toilets are shared. And that for good and for bad, there’s no privacy in the Longtangs, and you get to know everything about your neighbors. If there are quarrels between families, everyone in the neighborhood gets involved. It was life unlike anything I’ve experienced.”
Manfred’s journey through 1920s Shanghai is not just a captivating tale—his actions in those long-forgotten alleys set off a chain of events that threaten Abbey’s world today. The vibrant life of Shanghai’s Longtangs, with their maze-like lanes and bustling communities, becomes a key part of the mystery in Spook Squad. What Manfred did with those powerful relics is the question that haunts Abbey and her friends as they race against a dangerous enemy. If you’re ready for a thrilling adventure that spans both time and the supernatural, dive into Spook Squad today and join Abbey in uncovering secrets that refuse to stay buried.