About this item
Seth is a kitchen boy at the remote Last Chance Hotel. His father has long ago left, leaving him imprisoned until he is old enough to set out on his own. If there's any hope he has, it's to be the greatest chef that ever lived... just like his father. One night, a band of magicians begin to arrive to participate in a secret meeting -- a Prospect Selection Procedure to determine the most talented magicians in the world, judged by their leader Dr. Thallonius. Seth has one task: to make Dr. Thallonius the greatest dessert he's ever tasted. Then, maybe he will help Seth find a way to freedom. But when the doors to the private meeting open, and Dr. Thallonius lay dead on the floor, the group blames the dessert, which means that it's Seth who will pay the price. But Seth knows he's innocent, and only has so much time to eliminate each suspect and prove his innocence.
About the Author
Nicki is a former bookseller, and lives in Oxfordshire where she ran a bookshop for more than ten years. She is passionate about books, bookshops and reading for pleasure.Nicki Thornton's 'wickedly funny and wildly original haunted whodunit' The Last Chance Hotel, was a Waterstone's Book of the Month in October 2018 and has gone on to be an international bestseller, being translated into fifteen languages.With lashings of Harry Potter-style magic fused with an Agatha Christie whodunit, The Last Chance Hotel is an exuberant and wickedly funny mystery for 9 to 12 year olds.It won the 2019 Ealing Junior Book Award, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2019, was shortlisted for the 2019 CrimeFest Best Crime Novel for Children, the 2019 Oxfordshire Book Award, the Warwickshire 2019 Junior Book Award and longlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards 2018. It was also a 'Best Book of 2018' in The Observer, The Telegraph and The Sunday Times.Two sequels have followed. 'The Bad Luck Lighthouse' returns to a world of sinister sorcerers, even darker magic, and a plot so full of twists it will keep readers guessing right until the end with another unbeatable mystery for Seth to solve.'The Cut-Throat Café' sees Seth and his talking cat Nightshade race to discover the source of a series of deadly attacks on magical apprentices.Nightshade features in her own series of spin-off magical adventures. She joins forces with young witch Raven Charming trying to uncover the source of bad magic in 'The Howling Hag Mystery'. And in 'The Poisoned Pie Mystery' Nightshade deals with a case of disastrous - and possibly deadly - bad luck.Nicki writes a regular Mystery Journal at nickithornton.co.uk
