Children's Winner of the 2023 Nero Book Awards

Discover the hilarious New York Times bestselling mystery adventure perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Lemony Snicket.

On the day they are born, each Swift is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, and it is assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift has other ideas.

So what if her relatives all think she's destined to turn out as a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can be whatever she wants - pirate, explorer or even detective.

Which is lucky, really, because when one of the Family tries to murder Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, someone has to work out whodunit.

With the help of her sisters and cousin, Shenanigan grudgingly takes on the case, but more murders, a hidden treasure and an awful lot of suspects make thing seriously complicated.

Can Shenanigan catch the killer before the whole household is picked off? And in a Family where definitions are so important, can she learn to define herself?

'A stunning debut . . . laugh-out-loud funny' - Observer

'Murder most splendid' - The Telegraph.

A stunning debut . . . This is an exquisitely written book about identity and wordplay that's as warm, masterful and up-to-date as it is laugh-out-loud funny. -- Kitty Empire * Observer *
Deliciously, quirkily Gothic -- Robin Stevens * New York Times Book Review *
Murder most splendid in this ghoulish debut -- Emily Bearn * The Telegraph *
Gothic mystery brimming with bonkers characters and boundless energy * Daily Mail *
A fun read with diverse characters and an enticing setting. -- Alice Clifford * The Sun *
A mystery that is as clever and impish as its heroine * Publisher's Weekly Starred Review *
An absolutely delightful debut * Kirkus Reviews Starred Review *
A witty confection of highly colourful characters * The Horn Book *
A delightful pick for sharp readers enamoured of gothic sensibilities and clever prose * Shelf Awareness Starred Review *
This witty, imaginative entry deserves a prominent space on the MG shelf. * PaperBound *

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 Nero Book Award for Children’s Fiction 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. 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).