The second book in the New York Times-bestselling series - a gleeful gothic mystery perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Robin Stevens.

Having solved the mystery of Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude’s non-murder and uncovered the location of Grand Uncle Vile’s long-lost treasure, Shenanigan Swift might just be in the running for junior detective of the year. But when robbers target Swift House, her sleuthing skills are tested like never before.

The trail leads Shenanigan and her sisters to Paris and the Hotel Martinet, home of the estranged French branch of the Swift family. From there, the girls must venture into the spooky catacombs below the city to track down Ouvolpo, a gang of daring thieves who design each of their crimes as audacious pieces of performance art.

What links Ouvolpo and the Swifts? Who kidnapped Cousin Pomme? And why has Uncle Maelstrom taken to wearing an earring again? All will be revealed . . .

BETH LINCOLN

Beth Lincoln is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Swifts. Raised in a former Victorian railway station in the North of England, her childhood fears included porcelain dolls, the Durham panther, and wardrobes that looked at her funny. She grew neither tall nor wise, and never learned to play an instrument - but she did write stories, a bad habit that has persisted to this day. When she isn’t writing, Beth is woodcarving, or making a mess of her flat, or talking the nearest ear off about unexplained occurrences. Her favourite things include ghosts, crisps, and weird old words like bumbershoot and zounderkite. Among its many accolades, The Swifts was the winner of the Nero Book Award for Children’s Fiction and the Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Award. Beth lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her partner and hopefully, by the time you are reading this, a dog.