From the author of The Last Chance Hotel comesa brand new magical mystery ...'Blending magical adventure with Golden Age crime mystery,this delightfully atmospheric spin-off from the author of TheLast Chance Hotel confirms Thornton's place as one of themost original children's writers around.' WATERSTONESon book 1Is Oakmoss Hornbeam the unluckiest boy in the world? Orhas someone cursed him?When a black cat crosses his path, mysteriously blown in by astorm, Oakmoss believes it's his worst omen yet. But Nightshade,a cat of considerable talents, knows when it's game onor game over.With the help of newshound Veena Vale and magical crime investigatorDexter Stormforce, she sets out to become a lucky charm forone very unlucky boy ... A magical murder mystery story perfect for fans of RobinStevens and Harry PotterBy the author of The Last Chance Hotel, chosenas Waterstones Book of the Month and nominated for the CILIP CarnegieAwardFollows on from The Howling Hag Mystery, a seriesstarring fan-favourite Nightshade the catas the star of her very own mystery! Praise for THE LAST CHANCE HOTEL:'A jolly, atmospheric mystery.' THE TIMES'All kinds of fun' THE OBSERVER'[A] mash-up of murder mystery and fantasy ... full of greatcharacters, plot twists and intriguing detail.' METRO'Featuring magical antics, a talking cat and a locked-roommurder mystery, Seth's story reads like an old-school whodunnitwith added wizards and spells' BOOKTRUST