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The After School Detective Club
The After School Detective Club
Series · 5 books · 2020-2024
By
Mark Dawson
Books in series
#1
The Case of the Smuggler's Curse
2020
Lucy, Max, Charlie and Joe aren't looking for new friends – they have too many of their own problems to worry about. But when the four of them, and Charlie's faithful dog, Sherlock, spot a phantom figure on Southwold beach one winter's night, they are thrown together to unravel a mystery that none of them expected. The deeper they dig, the bigger the adventure becomes – motorboats and tracking devices, bedroom breakouts and daring sea rescues are all in a day's work for the After-School Detective Club. But when their investigations lead them into trouble with the police, there is only one thing left to do – they must go undercover for a final showdown with a ruthless gang of smugglers who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
#2
The Secret of Ragnar's Gold
2022
The friends can't believe their luck when they get the chance to stay in a castle for their Easter holidays. The castle is everything they had hoped for, with a moat and an ancient burial mound that gives it an air of mystery. But things are not what they seem and a treacherous discovery in the grounds reveals a 300-year-old treasure map. The race is on. The After-School Detective Club is in pursuit of Ragnar's gold – a hoard of treasure said to have been buried by a Viking warrior and guarded by his demon hound... that is, unless someone else gets there first.
#3
Mystery in the Marshes
2023
"[A]dventure-loving readers will find the developing friendships between the four children amusing and the mystery moderately exciting.... A jolly adventure story..."— Kirkus Reviews, review of The Case of the Smugglers’ The After School Adventure Book One The third in a series of gripping adventure stories featuring mystery, excitement, and friendship. Max is distraught when he receives a letter from the school telling him he has to go on a weekend of cycling and camping for the Duke of Wellington awards scheme. But things vastly improve when his friends agree to come with him. It isn't long before they find adventure – or adventure finds them... They make a friend named Byron and set up camp in a forest near his home. But that night they wake to see strange lights and a fierce wind blowing through the trees. Moments later Byron arrives, running and screaming that 'they' are after him. When the gang follow him, they find his backpack but no sign of the boy. It looks like Byron has been abducted by a UFO! But surely that's not possible... is it?
#4
Case of the Dastardly Dognappers
2023
"\[A\]dventure-lovingreaders will find the developing friendships between the four children amusingand the mystery moderately exciting.... A jolly adventure story..."— Kirkus Reviews, review of TheCase of the Smugglers’ The After School Adventure Book One Things in Southwold get off to a bad start! Max has to do extra lessons while Charlie has been roped into helping with the decorating. Meanwhile Lucy loses an important race to a new girl in her school, Miranda Fitchwitherington, who seems to enjoy being as mean as possible to Lucy and the rest of the gang. And there is more bad news – when the gang meet Captain Tom, walking his own dog, Pugly, he tells them about an outbreak of pet thefts in the area. When they meet a lady looking for her lost dog, their worst fears are realised – there are dognappers on the loose in Southwold!
#5
Legend of the Headless Horseman
2024
Summer is here and the After School Detective Club are looking forward to relaxing by the sea, but Charlie is dismayed to learn that her mother has booked a week-long yoga retreat in Ireland. What is worse, she expects Charlie to go with her. Unimpressed by the prospect of staying in a cottage in the wilderness on their own, Charlie persuades her mum to let her friends come too. Things start to get exciting when the children hear the legend of a ghostly spirit who takes the form of a headless horseman and is said to bring bad luck to whoever see him. And when a valuable race horse goes missing, it's up to the After School Detective Club to save the day.
Author
Mark Dawson
Author · 74 books