The Phantom of New York, volume 1 – Peter and the Crown
by A.L. Janney
Genre: MG/YA Adventure
Release Date: December 2017
‘This is a story about vigilantes and magic.
About prophecy and hope.
About a boy and his hotel.
When twelve-year-old Peter Constantine wakes up in the Crown Hotel with a new identity, life is over as he knows it. But perhaps that’s not such a bad thing…
A dangerous man Peter only knows as “The Client” is after his family, so they’ve relocated to New York City. With help from unlikely friends living at the glamorous hotel, including the ghost on the tenth floor, Peter’s new life begins. Soon, however, he learns of a plot to destroy his new home, a plot only the Phantom can foil.
Peter and the Crown is the first book in the Phantom of New York series, an adventure for readers aged ten and up. If you like smart, funny characters and “can’t put it down” escapades, then you’ll love Alan Janney’s Phantom of New York series.’
Peter Constantine did not know he was moving to the Crown Hotel, not even on the night his mother woke him from a sound sleep and told him they had to leave. He stumbled from his twin bed and rubbed his bleary eyes as his mother dropped a heavy backpack onto his shoulders. It couldn’t be morning yet—he was too exhausted. His mother and father loaded two yellow taxi cabs with a dozen suitcases and duffle bags and set Peter between themselves in the back seat. The over-burdened taxis pulled away from their home in New Jersey and Peter returned to sleep, unaware he’d never see his house again.
He did not wake when, two hours later, his parents unloaded their luggage at a gas station and waited shivering until two police cars arrived. A kind officer carefully guided a sleepy Peter into the backseat. Again his mother and father loaded luggage and climbed in next to him, and off the police cars went, driving over the George Washington Bridge and plunging into the looming skyline of New York City.
“It’s not fair,” Peter’s mother said. “He didn’t get to say goodbye to his friends.”
“Nothing about this is fair.” Peter’s father yawned so big his jaw cracked. “But at least we’re safe.”
His mother tried not to cry. Peter murmured in his sleep, something about Batman, and shifted into a more comfortable position.
This late, the Crown Hotel was quiet. The two police cruisers parked under a vast red awning and the officers helped the Constantine family haul suitcases through the lobby, up one flight of stairs, and into a small apartment. Peter, who had never fully woken up, was placed onto a bed by his father and tucked in by his mother. The police officer shook his father’s hand and said, “They won’t find you here. Your family is safe.”
“I think you’re right. At least for a while.”
“Do you need anything else?” the officer asked.
“No. Thank you. You’ve been very good.”
“Are you sure? This is the last time you’ll see us.”
“I know. It’s for the best. Goodnight, officers.” His father closed the door behind them and stayed there for a full sixty seconds, eyes shut, and that was how Peter’s new life at the Crown began.
Winner of the 2016 National Indie Excellence Award!
You work hard.
I write adventures.
Let me entertain you.
My favorite adventurers: Ender, Frodo and Sam, Rand, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, Katniss, Spenser, Peter and Alicia and Amy (from The Passage), Jack Ryan, Dirk Pitt, and many others, including my two sons and my super hot wife.
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