Carruthers is summoned to the Baltic by his friend, an accomplished yachtsman, who reveals his suspicions concerning German activity in the North Frisian Islands.

"This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that's not quite true. At its heart, it's a love story, isn't it? Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex-movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island. I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time -- it caused a real stir in the tabloids,...

Twelve-year-old orphan Roo Fanshaw is sent to live with an uncle she never knew in a largely uninhabited mansion on Cough Rock Island and discovers a wild river boy, an invalid cousin, and the mysteries of a hidden garden.

"Stuck in a decaying mansion surrounded by sea monsters, Sophie Seacove's only hope for escape is to find the mysterious Monster Box before the other inhabitants of the house get to her first"--