When a nosy stranger arrives in her riverside town, school reporter Veena Vale becomes suspicious. But only talking back cat Nightshade will listen to her. To find out the truth of what's going on, the two of them must unravel an ancient curse, tell uncomfortable lies and bake an awful lots of flapjacks . . .



Cosy crime meets magical mystery in the new story from the bestselling author of The Last Chance Hotel, Nicki Thornton! 'Blending magical adventure with Golden Age crime mystery, this delightfully atmospheric spin-off from the author of The Last Chance Hotel confirms Thornton’s place as one of the most original children’s writers around.' WATERSTONES on THE HOWLING HAG MYSTERY MAGIC MUST NEVER BE MISUSED . . . When a nosy stranger arrives in her riverside town, school reporter Veena Vale becomes suspicious. But only talking back cat Nightshade will listen to her. To find out the truth of what's going on, the two of them must unravel an ancient curse, tell uncomfortable lies and bake an awful lots of flapjacks . . . A magical murder mystery story perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Harry Potter By the author of The Last Chance Hotel, chosen as Waterstones Book of the Month and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Award Follows on from The Howling Hag Mystery and The Poisoned Pie Mystery; a series starring fan-favourite Nightshade the cat as 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 great characters, plot twists and intriguing detail.' METRO 'Featuring magical antics, a talking cat and a locked-room murder mystery, Seth’s story reads like an old-school whodunnit with added wizards and spells' BOOKTRUST