Curious Crime

Julia Golding

Description

'In a strange, vast and wonderfully imagined museum, an apprentice sculptor and student scientist must solve a murder. Julia Golding has written a gripping helter-skelter story that will keep you guessing and start you thinking.' - Roger Wagner, artist and painterIs curiosity a crime? Ree discovers the unfairness of being a girl in a male-dominated scientific world, where alternative ideas are swiftly squashed.Enter a fantasy island where Phil the dodo and other unusual wild animals roam corridors, great halls and an underground network of passages of a magnificent museum and science academy. Prevented from following her creative passion as a stonemason, Ree is confined to cleaning the halls at night as a maid.But then the murders start happening... A determined scholar Henri and strong-willed Ree join forces to solve the mysteries and prove their innocence.

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 19 octobre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9780745977881
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

"The beauty of thought, the wonder of discovery, and the vivid descriptions of the museum are enthralling; all this amid the excitement and tension of a murderer on the loose. A truly wonderful read, and of course I could not escape thinking about our own museum in London, albeit, that is, on a smaller scale. I encourage readers to enjoy the novel and to savour the interview at the culmination of the book."
SHAUN FITZGERALD, DIRECTOR, THE ROYAL INSTITUTION
"A murder, a dodo, a fantastical scientific setting all wrapped up in one mystery. A fabulous read."
ANDREW BRIGGS, AUTHOR AND PROFESSOR OF NANOMATERIALS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
"Julia Golding has a great storytelling gift; she writes with inventiveness and brio, telling a tale packed with incident but not skimping on detail and atmosphere."
LINDA NEWBERY, AUTHOR OF THE KEY TO FLAMBARDS
"In a strange, vast and wonderfully imagined museum, an apprentice sculptor and student scientist must solve a murder. Julia Golding has written a gripping helter-skelter story that will keep you guessing and start you thinking."
ROGER WAGNER, ARTIST AND PAINTER
"In this mythical alternative history where girls are forbidden to study, Ree and her trusty dodo solve a murder in the science museum. Action-packed with themes from across the history of science, this book is sure to delight young and older readers alike."
PROFESSOR A. A. LOUIS, RUDOLPH PEIERLS CENTRE FOR THEORETICAL PHYSICS
"Julia Golding has created a truly wonderful exploration of what it means to be human. From the outset we are invited to consider the realities of life in times gone by in a world that draws on our own history.
But the mysterious world of the museum also introduces a fascinating distinction, prompting us to imagine a place where asking certain types of question is praised, while other questions are scorned or even forbidden. Through the enquiring eyes of Ree and Henri we discover how asking all kinds of questions is not only necessary for investigating a crime, but fundamental to being human.
The fascinating characters we meet in The Curious Crime show us how all human endeavours, including art, music, poetry, science, engineering, and religion are connected by creativity, imagination, and an insatiable quest for better understanding of the world around us.
This extraordinary book encourages us to consider the mysteries of humanity from the bonds of friendship and family to the wonders of our world and the universe of which we are a part. This story will inspire and empower readers to ask questions, explore their world and take their place in the irresistible search for answers handed down from one generation of humans to the next."
STEPH BRYANT AND LIZZIE HENDERSON, THE FARADAY INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE AND RELIGION

Text copyright © 2018 Julia Golding
This edition copyright © 2018 Lion Hudson IP Limited
Illustration copyright © 2018 Laura Tolton
The right of Julia Golding to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by
Lion Hudson Limited
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Business Park
Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England
www.lionhudson.com
ISBN 9780 7459 7787 4
e-ISBN 9780 7459 7788 1
First edition 2018
Cover image: © Laura Tolton
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
For Andrew Briggs and Roger Wagner
Contents
Ree’s Map
Part I: Palaeozoic
1. Of Dodos and Men
2. Lord John Interrupts
3. Never Take a Dodo to a Tea Party
4. Coal Dust and Tiger Cubs
5. A Prisoner’s Last Request
Part II: Mesozoic
6. Why Tasmanian Wolves Do Not Make Good Pets
7. Head to Head
8. White Chalk and Rebel Talk
9. Sailing Boats and Sisters
10. Walking the Plank
11. Death Comes to the Dodo Pen
Part III: Cenozoic
12. Stone Axes to Grind
13. Dreamtime
14. Seeking Sanctuary
15. Funeral Rites
16. Renegades
17. Poisoned Pen
18. Flame Out
19. Hands Carved in Stone
An Interview with Julia Golding

Part I
Palaeozoic
Palaeozoic era : from the Greek palaios , meaning "old", and zoe , meaning "life".
Extract from Henri’s notebooks
Chapter 1
Of Dodos and Men
There was a creature trapped in the rock.
Ree ran her fingers over the capital stone, feeling for the shape that lay just under the surface. A fin like a shark. Spindly hind legs like a frog. A beast that inhabited two worlds, walking out of the water to colonize land. The desire to release it burned in her chest as she took up her chisel. She loved this moment just before she began to carve her picture.
But what were the eyes like? The museum fossils gave no clues. Perched on the scaffolding, Ree looked beneath her at the display case covered with a sheet. Scuffing at a corner with the toe of her boot, she pushed the cotton aside. Exactly as she remembered, the stuffed turtle gazed mournfully up at her. Eyes like that would be perfect for the creature she was carving, she thought, imagining it leaving the tropical sea for the last time.
The dodo perched on the scaffold next to Ree croaked and deposited a dropping on the planks.
"Philoponus, behave," murmured Ree, picking up her mallet, "or do I have to put you back in your pen?"
Her friend, the last known survivor of the species, made a deep grumble before he pecked up a fragment of stone she had already chiselled off. He hated it when she stopped paying full attention to him and concentrated on her craft.
"Are you sure you should be eating that?" she asked absent-mindedly.
Phil stretched his neck, his long broad beak with its hooked end pointing at the vaulted glass ceiling. He shook himself. Downy grey feathers flew.
Ree sneezed. "Idiotic overgrown pigeon. Look, I’ve got to work and you know it." Settling the wooden handle of the chisel in her palm, she raised the mallet and gave a tap to the well-worn end. The blade cut into the sandstone, releasing a trickle of dust. Her fingertips caressed the gritty surface, wiping it clean. Her father had taught her that each block she worked already had its own ideas about what it should become. She had to ease the picture out, not force it against its will.
The boards creaked as her father, the foreman of the works, approached. A stocky man, nose bent on the bridge, he moved with the even pace of one who knew things should not be rushed. His knees clicked as he crouched beside his daughter.
"How is your project coming along, Ree?"
She took a swig from her water bottle to clear her throat. "Good, Da. I’ve decided to do the animals moving out of the water onto land – you know, like the guides tell the visitors?"
"That’s grand." James Altamira scratched Philoponus’s neck, causing the bird to shiver with delight and lean heavily on the chief stonemason. The dodo really was the most affectionate, if attention-seeking, creature. "But keep your hat on right and tight, darlin’. Lord John and the trustees are making a surprise inspection some time this week."
With a sigh, Ree picked up her cap and pulled it down over her ears, tucking her plaits inside. She wanted to cut her hair short but her father insisted she keep it long, ready for the day when she would have to go back to wearing women’s clothes. It was a dickens of a pain though because the dodo thought it funny to pluck off the cap when she least expected. The dangerous joke had grown very tired. She had given up wearing the cap this morning, trusting that her high position would keep her hidden.
"Don’t even think about it," she warned Phil, recognizing the look in his pale eyes, black pupils dilated. Most people would mistake the expression as wide-eyed innocence. She knew it to be mischief. "You’ll get me into hot water."
Ree took a few more taps, feeling a little self-conscious with her father observing, even though she was used to playing "Reece", his gifted "son" and apprentice. Girls were not allowed to work as stonemasons. Thanks to their professional bond, none of her fellow craftsmen would give her away, but the museum authorities would be horrified to know that some of the best carvings had been done by a female of the species. This, as Ree told Phil many times, was a cork-brained prejudice that should be popped out of people’s heads so her skill could flow freely.
Ree’s thoughts branched off in another direction. "What if Lord John wants to speak to me, Da? You know how Lord Hoity-toity loves to talk to us, pretending he can do what we do."
"Well, he tries hard." Her father grimaced, tugging on one end of his rust-brown moustache.
"You had to redo that stonework he slapped together for the central column as soon as he went back to his mansion for the evening. And he was so pleased with himself, thinking he’d done a good job."
"Darlin’, you have to learn that the masters must be kept happy if we’re to have a job. What harm does it do anyone if he feels he’s one of us?"
"He’s not really though, is he?"
Her father shrugged, refusing to debate the issue. "And if he does quiz you during the inspection, then I’ll say you’re shy." Father and daughter exchanged a grin. Ree was many things but shy was not one of them.
"Bloomin’ high-ups."
"I know you don’t like Lord John, Ree, but he’s a good man. He allows us to let loose our imagination and invent our own designs. He says he wants this to be a cathedral to man’s creativity."
"Just man’s though." Ree raised her chisel to the uncut surface but then lowered it. It was never a good idea to work when angry.
Her father squeezed her shoulder. "It won’t always be like this. In fact, it wasn’t like this when I was young. Girls went to school. Some entered the profession