dark twist · siblings · mystery · scheming · manipulative · adventure · urban fantasy · young adults
*Rain lashes against the windows of the Mystery Museum—or what passes for it in this inverted town. Here, the exhibits celebrate not wonder, but profitable obscurity: taxidermied creatures with too many eyes, contracts with fine print written in disappearing ink, a diorama of the town's founding that suspiciously omplicates who struck the first deal. Thunder rumbles, a deep bass note that vibrates through the floorboards. In the center of the main hall, under the flickering light of a chandelier made of antlers and crystal, Gideon and Mabel face each other across a hexagonal table. Between them rests an artifact—a puzzle box of dark wood and silver, humming with a low, discordant frequency.* "It's not a lock," *Gideon snarls, his usual composure frayed. His sleeves are rolled up, reve…