Matt Saunders – illustratör

A gorgeously illustrated debut middle-grade fantasy about a girl made of dust and bone and imagination who seeks the truth about the magic that brought her to life.

Harry Potter meets Robin Stevens in this thrilling magicalmurder mystery series!'This mystery is a worthy prizewinner ... a jolly, atmosphericmystery.' THE TIMES'Thornton, like [Agatha] Christie, can turn murder into athoroughly comforting bedtime read.' THE TELEGRAPH'All kinds of fun' THE OBSERVER'Featuring magical antics, a talking cat and a locked-roommurder mystery, Seth's story reads like an old-school whodunnitwith added wizards and spells and echoes of ancient sorcery.'BOOKTRUSTSeth is the downtrodden kitchen boy at the remote Last ChanceHotel, owned by the nasty Bunn family. His only friend is his blackcat, Nightshade.But when a strange gathering of magicians arrives for dinner,kindly Dr Thallomius is poisoned by Seth's special dessert. A locked-roommurder investigation ensues – and Seth is the mainsuspect.The funny thing is, he's innocent ... can he solve the mysteryand clear his name, especially when magic's afoot? A magical locked-room murder mystery: Agatha Christiemeets Harry Potter!Readers aged 9+ will love guessing whodunnit with thenovel’s fantastic ensemble castThe Seth Seppi Mysteries continue in book 2, TheBad Luck Lighthouse, and book 3, The Cut-Throat Café Nightshade the cat becomes the star of her very own adventurein the first book Nicki Thornton's new series, The HowlingHag Mystery! MORE PRAISE FOR THE LAST CHANCE HOTEL:'Wonderfully atmospheric' DAILY EXPRESS'A magical blend of murder and mystery for super-sleuthingfans everywhere.' SUNDAY EXPRESS'There are plenty of surprises and some shocks in store asthis intriguing story develops, drawing the reader in and stirringtheir detective juices' PRIMARY TIMES'If you like whodunnits, you’ll enjoy this mystery,inspired by Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton, but set in a magicalworld. Entertaining and inventive' THE WEEK JUNIOR