H. C. Chester

Pippa, Sam, Thomas, and Max possess extraordinary abilities that make them stand out from the crowd. After surviving a harrowing encounter with a notorious villain, the four friends are relieved to be safe in their home at Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But their relief is short-lived. The museum is facing financial ruin and might close its doors forever. The stakes are raised from dire to deadly when their dear friend, the famous wax sculptor Siegfried Eckleberger, is found murdered. Determined to uncover the truth, the uniquely talented orphans launch their own investigation. Their search for answers uncovers a web of clues linking Siegfried's demise to the murder of a wealthy heiress, and more chillingly, to the dark secrets of their own hidden pasts. To save their home and avenge their friend, they must solve the puzzle before the killer strikes again.

Growing up in Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have always felt at home among the extraordinary. Blessed with unique, almost magical abilities, they consider the museum's eclectic performers their true family. Their relatively peaceful life is interrupted by the arrival of a fourth child, a talented knife-thrower named Max, whose presence sparks an unexpected chain of events. Chaos strikes when one of the museum's most prized and gruesome attractions, a rare Amazonian shrunken head, is stolen. Knowing the theft could ruin Mr. Dumfrey and close the museum forever, the four children team up to recover the artifact. Their rogue investigation pulls them out of the museum's safety and into a grim mystery involving scandalous murders, shady characters, and a terrifying secret about their own origins that someone is willing to kill to keep quiet.

Sam, Philippa, Thomas, and Max barely survived their last encounter with the wicked Nicholas Rattigan, and they are desperate for a little peace. But for these extraordinary kids, a quiet life is completely impossible. Before they can even catch their breath, a string of brazen bank robberies throws the entire city into a state of panic. To make matters worse, Professor Farnum, the ringmaster of the museum's famous flea circus, is suddenly arrested for a murder he did not commit. Now, the four friends must put their unique talents to the ultimate test. They have to clear the professor's name, wage a bitter war against a rival freak show, and root out a spy who has secretly infiltrated their home. As they dig deeper into the mystery, they uncover a massive, sinister plot that goes far beyond a simple crime wave. Everything points back to their worst enemy, and they must stop him before it is too late. Step into a gripping mystery full of strange wonders and deadly secrets where nothing is exactly as it seems.