Book 2: Despite the fact that Elliot Bisby and his best friend Eliza nearly died at the end of their last school year, a rather uneventful summer leaves them eager for the start of a new term. Their excitement fades, however, when they find themselves under the charge of several peculiar new teachers, in particular an excruciatingly energetic Director of Performing Arts. But they’ll soon be worrying about more than homework and musical auditions as people start disappearing in Giggleswick one by one. These mysterious happenings prompt Chief Justice Kennedy Kreville to launch an all-out manhunt for a kidnapper, but with very few clues, almost everyone comes under suspicion, and finger-pointing abounds. Injecting the peaceful little island with a heavy dose of fear, Kreville soon has all of Giggleswick under his spell, and it’s not long before he’s reaching for his gavel. In fact, there’s one person he suspects more than any other, but Elliot’s sure he’s way off the mark, and it’ll be up to him to prove Kreville wrong before anyone else disappears ...