Herbie and Violet are going to uncover one secret or another that has been hiding in Eerie-on-the-Sea, and for some reason, they all seem connected to the legend of a sea-monster.

When Violet Parma stumbles into the Hotel, closely followed by a mysterious and scary man with a hook for a hand, she asks Herbie to help her find her parents who went missing in a long and wintery night many years ago. If anyone at the hotel loses something, Herbie will find it and keep it safe for them in his Lost-and-Foundery that has existed for many a century and houses a miraculous collection of things long left behind.

In a small seaside town that you will not have heard of, Herbert Lemon is the Lost-and-Founder of the Great Nautilus Hotel. 'If the impossible is possible anywhere, it’ll be possible in Eerie-on-the-Sea.' As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? Featuring black-and-white spot illustrations, this lighthearted, fantastical mystery kicks off the Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series - now available in paperback with a bright new cover featuring Herbie and Violet. And the town legend of the Malamander-a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true-is rearing its scaly head. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued by a strange hook-handed man. She’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find her parents. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age who lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby.

It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. “Fans of Lemony Snicket or Pseudonymous Bosch will find their next adventure here.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

Malamander thomas taylor