Nobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in the winter. Especially not when darkness falls and the wind howls around Maw Rocks and the wreck of the battleship Leviathan, where even now some swear they have seen the unctuous Malamander creep…
Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl. No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander. Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up. And it just got stranger…
Reviews
“Taylor assembles the sort of supporting cast that makes anything seem possible . . . Odd encounters and narrow escapes set in motion by the arrival of Violet Parma, searching for parents who had disappeared on the beach 12 years before, lead her and half reluctant young Herbert Lemon, who had himself washed up as a baby in a crate of lemons, to a desperate climactic struggle. A lack of firm resolution hints at future visits to this winningly strange town.”
Booklist (starred review)
“Fans of Lemony Snicket or Pseudonymous Bosch will find their next adventure here.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
“This creepy, quirky debut trilogy opener—think H.P. Lovecraft crossed with John Bellairs—is dank, misty fun.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Filled with humor, adventure, and wonderful strangeness, this book is a treat.”
Anne Ursu, author of The Lost Girl
“Malamander is the kind of book I dreamed about as a kid . . . This book is so much fun, I’m already dreaming of my next visit to Eerie-on-Sea.”
