TheMinistry of Unladylike Activity

Robin Stevens was born in California and grew up in an Oxford college, across the road from the house where Alice in Wonderland lived. She has been making up stories all her life.

When she was twelve, her father handed her a copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and she realised that she wanted to be either Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie when she grew up. She spent her teenage years at Cheltenham Ladies' College, reading a lot of murder mysteries and hoping that she'd get the chance to do some detecting herself (she didn't). She went to university, where she studied crime fiction, and then she worked at a children's publisher.

Robin is now a full-time author and the creator of the internationally award-winning and bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series, starring Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong, and the brand-new Ministry of Unladylike Activity. She still hopes she might get the chance to do some detecting of her own one day. She lives in Oxford.

As funny, clever, and warm as we've come to expect from Robin Stevens, The Ministry of Unladylike Activity is such a delightRobin Stevens is Agatha Christie for children: her books have all the rich satisfactions, all the twists and pleasures and the enormous delights of instant mystery classics. I am always hungry for the next oneEmotionally involving, enjoyably logical and engaging . . . The sense of place, time and voice are carefully created, and whether you solve the mystery before May, Eric and Nuala or not, you will make the 400-page journey - despite deaths on the way - with a spring in your stepA new crew of resourceful children takes the helm . . . Meticulous, lightly worn research and sharp character observationThe author of the bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series is returning to what she does best, which is creating a fictional world full of child detectives, period details, sumptuous settings and, yes, murder . . . Spirited and fun, this is a must for young murder mystery fansExpect excitement, intrigue, friendship and a puzzling mysteryMuch superb Agatha Christie-style whodunnitryThis is an exciting book full of suspense . . . I give it 10/10!Rip-roaring stuffA fiendishly plotted, astutely observed novel that's equally perfect for avid Stevens fans and new readers. Absolutely thrilling!

The start of a thrilling new World War Two mystery series from the number-one-bestselling and multi-award-winning author of Murder Most Unladylike.

'Robin Stevens is Agatha Christie for children' - Katherine Rundell on the Murder Most Unladylike series

'Superb' - Observer

'Absolutely thrilling' - Louie Stowell

1940. The world is at war, and a secret arm of the British government called the Ministry of Unladylike Activity is training up spies.

Enter May Wong: courageous, stubborn, and desperate to help end the war so that she can go home to Hong Kong (and leave her annoying school, Deepdean, behind forever). May knows that she would make the perfect spy. After all, grown-ups always underestimate children like her.

When May and her friend Eric are turned away by the Ministry, they take matters into their own hands. Masquerading as evacuees, they travel to Elysium Hall, home to the wealthy Verey family - including snobby, dramatic Nuala. They suspect that one of the Vereys is passing information to Germany. If they can prove it, the Ministry will have to take them on.

But there are more secrets at Elysium Hall than May or Eric could ever have imagined.

And then, someone is murdered . . .

Join May, Eric and Nuala in the first unputdownable book in a fast-paced, mysterious and adventurous new series from million-copy-bestseller, Robin Stevens.