The Swifts

The second book in the New York Times-bestselling series - a gleeful gothic mystery perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Robin Stevens.

Shenanigan Swift hates burglars . . .

So when the famous criminal gang Ouvolpo target Swift House and swap a valuable painting for an exploding inflatable bird, Shenanigan sets off in pursuit, determined to make them pay

The trail leads to Paris, home of her eccentric French cousins, the Martinets. The two sides of the Family have been squabbling for centuries, but when a body is discovered at the scene of Ouvolpo's latest robbery, the quarrelsome cousins must join forces to solve the mystery

Did Ouvolpo kill hotel caretaker Bernard? Why is Uncle Maelstrom wearing an earring again? And what does it all have to do with a disappearing clown

Can Shenanigan uncover the answers and set right a century-old injustice? Or will she be left adrift as her Family pulls itself apart

The Swifts won the 2023 Nero Children's Fiction Award and the Barnes & Noble Children's Book Award, and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal.

About the Author

Beth Lincoln is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Swifts.

Raised in a former Victorian railway station in the North of England, her childhood fears included porcelain dolls, the Durham panther, and wardrobes that looked at her funny. She grew neither tall nor wise, and never learned to play an instrument - but she did write stories, a bad habit that has persisted to this day.

When she isn't writing, Beth is woodcarving, or making a mess of her flat, or talking the nearest ear off about unexplained occurrences. Her favourite things include ghosts, crisps, and weird old words like bumbershoot and zounderkite.

Among its many accolades, The Swifts was the winner of the 2023 Nero Children's Fiction Award and the Barnes & Noble Children's & YA Book Award.

Beth lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her partner and hopefully, by the time you are reading this, a dog.

About the Illustrator

Claire Powell is a bestselling children's book illustrator who got her first book deal in 2016 and has never looked back. After spending many years in London, Claire now enjoys a quieter life in the rolling hills of Derbyshire with her partner Stefan (who may not agree that living with Claire is quiet).

About the Author