REVIEWS: 'This is one of the best debut novels for 9+ I've come across recently, and recalls Joan Aiken and Sally Gardner in its confident blend of historical fact with creepy fantasy.' The Times
'With a brilliantly scary villain in Count Cazalon, a appealing group of young heroes and enough gruesome moments to please fans of horror, it will keep readers gripped until its final exciting revelations.' Bookbuzz
'... if you want a very different, exciting read, then this book is for you.' The Historical Novel Society
Sorcery and mystery with a dose of horror and history. Eleven-year old Jem Green works as a kitchen boy in the London household of a powerful Duke. He doesn't know who his father is and his life consists of never ending drudgery. But when the sinister Count Cazalon pays a visit to the Duke, Jem's world is turned upside down. The count is planning something terrible and Jem appears to be central to his wicked scheme. With the help of newfound friends - apprentice sorceress Ann, mind-speaking mute Ptolemy and his pet monkey Cleo, all prisoners of the Count in his macabre mansion - Jem must find out why he is so important to Cazalon and stop the devastation the count is about to unleash. An absorbing adventure set in the reign of Charles II, just before the Great Fire of London.
