The Beasts of Clawstone Castle

Here’s a story that bubbles with humour, incorporating into its lively plot a cast of comic characters including ghosts and wailing banshees, a herd of graceful wild cattle and a nail-biting chase to a remote island off the coast of Scotland.

Madlyn and her brother Rollo are spending the summer with elderly relatives, benignly eccentric Sir George and his sister Miss Emily, who live in a dilapidated old pile of bricks, known as Clawstone Castle. The castle is open to the public to bring in desperately needed money to pay for the upkeep of its herd of white beasts, believed to be unique and from ancient stock. The trouble is, though, that Uncle George and his sister are devoid of any business acumen. Determined to find a way of attracting the tourist crowds, Madlyn puts into action a plan that involves the help of some hard-working ghosts, including a pair of sweaty, severed feet that dance with alacrity and emotion to a reel. Unfortunately her success attracts the attention of Lord Trembellow, a money-grabbing businessman intent on ruining Sir George. And when a vet, supposedly from a government ministry, steps in and orders that the cattle be culled, the plot takes on a sinister, and thrilling, turn.

Immensely entertaining and beautifully crafted, the story offers suspense, a satisfying conclusion, superb characterisation, and, above all, good-natured humour.