The Mystery of the Midnight Peacock

Book excerpt: A fast-paced historical mystery adventure for readers aged 9+ years, with gorgeous Edwardian period detail. Perfect for fans of Chris Riddell's Goth Girl series, Enid Blyton and Robin Stevens's Murder Most Unladylike series. You are cordially invited to Sinclair's Midnight Peacock Ball! The festive season has come to Sinclair's and Sophie and Lil are spending the holidays at snowy Winter Hall. But it turns out that this is no ordinary house party . . . As sinister secrets come to light, our intrepid heroines find themselves faced with a more baffling mystery than ever before! With the help of their friends, can they uncover the truth in time to foil a truly diabolical plot? Or will Mr Sinclair's New Year's Eve Midnight Peacock Ball spell disaster for the dauntless young detectives? Prepare for shocks and surprises in the thrilling conclusion to the Sinclair's Mysteries! ****** Praise for The Clockwork Sparrow: 'A wonderful book, with a glorious heroine and a true spirit of adventure' - Katherine Rundell, author of Rooftoppers 'A real page-turner, it has murders, spies and gangs of thieves. Thrilling!' - Indiana, aged 10 years, LoveReadingforKids reviewer 'Dastardliness on a big scale is uncovered in this well-plotted, evocative novel' - Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times 'It's a dashing plot, an atmospheric setting and an extensive and imaginative cast. Katherine Woodfine handles it all with aplomb' - Julia Eccleshare, Guardian 'An incredible read full of mystery, wonder and adventure...This is now one of my top ten.' - Celeste, age 13 years, LoveReading4Kids reviewer The Midnight Peacock is the fourth book in the Sinclair's Mysteries quartet. The other two books are the bestselling The Clockwork Sparrow, The Jewelled Moth and The Painted Dragon. Katherine Woodfine is a true champion of children's literature. Until 2015 she was Arts Project Manager for Booktrust, where she project-managed the Children's Laureateship and YALC, the UK's first Young Adult Literature Convention, curated by Malorie Blackman. She is part of the founding team at Down the Rabbit Hole, a monthly show for Resonance FM discussing children's literature. Katherine blogs at followtheyellow.co.uk. She lives in London.