The Last Chance Hotel

Gr 4–7—Seth Seppi maintains a pitiful existence at the Last Chance Hotel; he's an abused kitchen boy in the space where his father once ruled as chef before he disappeared. Now Seth chafes at scrubbing pots and avoiding the notice of Tiffany, the owners' cruel daughter, hoping against hope that his cooking abilities will someday take him away from this isolated hotel. When a famous guest, one of an odd group of magicians assembled at the hotel, dies during dinner, poisoned by the special dessert Seth made for him, Seth's fate looks dire indeed. He sets out to clear his name, aided by his cat, Nightshade, and several members of the magical community. Can they unravel the crime and find the guilty party in time to save Seth from arrest? In this delightful Harry Potter–meets–Agatha Christie adventure, readers are presented with a classic locked room murder complicated by magic. As Seth and members of MagiCon—the Magic Constabulary—investigate the murder, Seth learns about the existence of magic, and the tensions within the magical society over reforms instigated by the now deceased Dr. Thallomius. Red herrings and sinister suspects abound as Seth alternates between fear for his future and thrill at each piece of magical history and lore he learns; history which may hit closer to home than he ever could have dreamed.