The Painted Dragon

Before her, the dark mouth of the railway tunnel yawned open, vast and pitch black. Then came a flicker of light ahead – and the scream of a train, rushing out of the tunnel towards her.

The two most daring detectives in London are back and now they’re faced with their most daunting and dangerous challenge to date.

When a priceless painting is stolen, our dauntless heroines Sophie and Lil find themselves faced with forgery, trickery and deceit on all sides!

Be amazed as the brave duo pit their wits against this perilous puzzle!

Marvel at their cunning plan to unmask the villain and prove themselves detectives to be reckoned with - no matter what dangers lie ahead...

It's their most perilous adventure yet!

The Painted Dragon is the third book in the Sinclair's Mysteries quartet. The other two books are the bestselling The Clockwork Sparrow and The Jewelled Moth.

A fast-paced historical mystery adventure for readers aged 9+ years, with gorgeous Edwardian period detail. Perfect for fans of Chris Riddell's Goth Girl series, Enid Blyton and Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series.

Praise for The Clockwork Sparrow:

‘A wonderful book, with a glorious heroine and a true spirit of adventure.’ - Katherine Rundell, author of Rooftoppers.

‘A real page-turner, it has murders, spies and gangs of thieves. Thrilling!’ - Indiana, aged 10 years, LoveReadingforKids reviewer.

‘Dastardliness on a big scale is uncovered in this well-plotted, evocative novel.’ - Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times

‘It's a dashing plot, an atmospheric setting and an extensive and imaginative cast. Katherine Woodfine handles it all with aplomb.’ - Julia Eccleshare, The Guardian

‘An incredible read full of mystery, wonder and adventure...This is now one of my top ten.’ - Celeste, age 13 years, LoveReading4Kids reviewer

Katherine Woodfine is a true champion of children's literature and one of Waterstones’ own, having started her career as a bookseller in our Lancaster branch. Since then she’s gone on to have a distinctly bookish career; until 2015 she was Arts Project Manager for Booktrust, where she project-managed the Children's Laureateship and YALC, the UK's first Young Adult Literature Convention, curated by Malorie Blackman. Alongside writing her brilliant children’s books she is also part of the founding team at Down the Rabbit Hole, a monthly show for Resonance FM discussing children's literature and you can follow her blog at followtheyellow.co.uk. She lives in London where, when she’s not writing or reading, she says she loves‘art galleries, Earl Grey tea, wearing cosy jumpers, going for long windswept walks, black and white films, red shoes and of course, cake.’