James R. Hannibal presents a thrilling adventure through history, complete with mysteries, secret items, codes, and a touch of magic in this stunning middle grade debut. Thirteen-year-old Jack Buckles is great at finding things. Not just a missing glove or the other sock, but things normal people have long given up on ever seeing again. If only he could find his father, who has disappeared in London without a trace. But Jack s father was not who he claimed to be. It turns out that he was a member of a secret society of detectives that has served the crown for centuries and membership into the Lost Property Office is Jack s inheritance. Now the only way Jack will ever see his father again is if he finds what the nefarious Clockmaker is after: the Ember, which holds a secret that has been kept since the Great Fire of London. Will Jack be able to find the Ember and save his father, or will his talent for finding things fall short?"

Jack and Gwen are back in this dynamic follow-up to The Lost Property Office. The chase to recover some of the Crown Jewels, specifically the infamous cursed ruby named for Edward the Black Prince, son of King Edward III, leads Jack and Gwen deep into the strange world of tunnels, cathedrals, and river systems beneath London to find the Thieves Guild, then back along the jewel’s journey through the royal houses of Europe to its origin at a forgotten mine in India.

Jack discovers new abilities, travels to exciting lands, and thwarts a conspiracy brewing deep within the ministries in this epic addition to the action-packed Section 13 series. Jack Buckles is on trial for his life. The Ministries of Secrets and Guilds, led by Ignatius Gall, are conspiring to put the Ministry of Trackers down for good—starting with Jack’s very existence as a Section 13. His only hope is to prove that Gall is the real danger, not him, and it leads Jack and Gwen from the back streets of London, through the Austrian Alps, to the great reaches of central China. Joined by their new friend Liu Fai, Jack and Gwen set out to stop Gall before he can uncover ancient Chinese artifacts, said to grant immortality. But a clockwork monster threatens them at every turn, and its ticking gears only serve as a reminder that Jack’s judgment day is fast approaching—and that he’s running out of time.