In contrast, bedraggled Violet Parma, bursts through Herbie’s basement window in the middle of a storm, swiftly pursued by the monstrous Boathook Man. I mean, it’s not as if there’s much need for jumping and exclamation marks in the daily life of a lost property attendant.” “ Now, you’ve probably worked out by now that I’m not a Quick, Herbie, jump kind of guy. He is a steady, honest, reliable twelve year-old, described in his own words thus: He has a small cubbyhole in the hotel’s Reception and a large basement room full of one hundred year’s worth of lost property. The action begins in the Grand Nautilus Hotel where the town’s adopted son, Herbert Lemon, found as a boy in a crate of lemons, works as the hotel’s “Lost-and-Founder”. The author, Thomas Taylor, has obviously had great fun with the names he has used for his cast and the buildings which feature heavily in the plot, all of which add to the enjoyment of reading. On top of the mystery, the book is written in a playful style, breaking the fourth wall in a manner that reminded me of Lemony Snicket. It is populated by a cast of wonderfully inventive characters, the descriptions of the town alongside the perfect map mean that you can picture every wind-battered location and the story has more twists and turns than an eel racing through the brine. This book sinks its fangs and claws into you and will not release you until the final page. Welcome to the mysterious seaside town of Eerie-on-Sea, a desolate place in the winter months where the sea mist hides a multitude of secrets!
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