Gloriously macabre, with the darkly gothic Droprock Asylum, an inescapable institution for the mad, at its heart, this is a wickedly entertaining and sinister story. Rex distrusts Acantha, his new step-mother from the start but it is only when, after having been poisoned by his wife, his father attacks him and is incarcerated in the asylum by its sinister overseer, Mr Chapelizod that the full horror emerges. Deliciously grisly details pepper F.E Higgins’ brilliantly invented world.
Deep within the heart of the Moiraean Mountains lies the town of Opum Oppidulum - home to the freezing Lake Beluarum and it's rumoured monster. An inescapable asylum stands in the centre of the lake, enclosed by the sheer cliffs of Drop Rock island. When Ambrose Grammaticus, famous inventor and master engineer, viciously attacks his own son, Rex, he is hauled to the island and imprisoned. Rex knows his evil stepmother, Acantha, is behind his father's 'madness', but how can he prove it? Only the asylum holds the answers ...this is a twisted tale of treachery, lunacy, greed, revenge and pure unadulterated wickedness.
F E (Fiona) Higgins is a first time author, who has been described as
“a rising star” of children’s literature, and mum of a four-year-old
daughter Before becoming a full-time writer, she trained as a
teacher and taught in Primary Schools in London until the year 2000;
other jobs including starting a home Internet business followed. Fiona
had a number of shorter stories published and produced several
full-length books which didn’t get published. Her first book,
“The Black Book of Secrets” has been published to great acclaim and has
been nominated for the prestigious Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize.
