Agaton Sax and the League of Silent Exploders

Nils-Olof Franzen

Description

When taking a well-deserved holiday in the beautiful country of Brosnia, Agaton Sax and his faithful dachshund find themselves on the wrong side of the law when the great detective is declared to be an imposter and arrested. Meanwhile, a gang of criminals are planning to wreak havoc with the most dangerous invention of the century: silent explosives!Agaton Sax must clear his name and catch the dangerous crooks, all whilst dealing with a suspicious Inspector Lispington, a man with one steel shoe, a gang of angry racing car drivers and a pair of interfering aunts.Sounds like just another standard case for Sweden's greatest detective...The Agaton Sax series of books were first published in Sweden, later being translated into English and printed with illustrations by much-loved artist Quentin Blake (perhaps best known for his work on the books of Roald Dahl). The English translations became immensely popular, achieving the status of the most re-issued mystery & detective series in the history of Nordic children's literature.Now, after many years out of print, Oak Tree Books is proud to publish the entire Agaton Sax series, newly translated and illustrated for the next generation. This new collection includes the eleventh book which has never before been released in English.

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 22 novembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781789827354
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Nils-Olof Franzén




Published in 2021 by
Oak Tree Books
www.oaktreebooks.uk
Digital edition converted and distributed by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
Original Text Copyright © 1971 Nils-Olof Franzén
English Translation Copyright © 2021 Andrews UK Limited
Illustrations Copyright © 2021 Andrews UK Limited
Licensed through ALIS , Administration of Literary Rights in Sweden
Translated by Kenton Hall
Edited by Stephen Harris
Thanks to Barnaby Eaton-Jones
Illustrated by Mike Bryson
The right of Nils-Olof Franzén to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.



The Agaton Sax Series
Agaton Sax and the Criminal Doubles
Agaton Sax and the League of Silent Exploders
Agaton Sax and the Scotland Yard Mystery
Agaton Sax and the Big Rig
Agaton Sax and the Colossus of Rhodes
Agaton Sax and the Diamond Thieves
Agaton Sax and Lispington’s Grandfather Clock
Agaton Sax and the Max Brothers
Agaton Sax and the London Computer Plot
Agaton Sax and the Haunted House
Agaton Sax and the Cashless Billionaires



Publisher’s Note
Oak Tree Books have arranged for new translations of the Agaton Sax series from the original Swedish. Although certain passages have been updated for a modern audience, some references important to the original plots of the books have been left unchanged, in particular the mention of characters smoking tobacco that may be seen as inappropriate for younger readers. We therefore advise parental discretion.









An Outrageous Mistake
‘Good morning, sir.’
‘Good morning.’
‘Is your name Agaton Bax ?’
Now, before you shut this book in a fury, return to wherever you bought it and demand a refund in a firm but polite tone, I must ask for your patience.
I’m sure that it has been a long, hard day and you have just settled into your favourite reading chair, snuggled under your duvet, or – and I don’t want to make assumptions here – retired to your underground nuclear fallout bunker in the back garden, with the promise of time spent in the company of Sweden’s finest private detective.
You may well have a lovingly prepared snack nestling in your lap and are anxious to the point of nail-biting to renew your acquaintance with the editor-in-chief of The Byköping Post. [1]
You may even have enjoyed his other adventures so much that you recommended them to all of your friends, but now fear that you have been made – by some counterfeiter – to look a fool.
Never fear, you are in the right place. This is the book you hoped it would be and our hero is – at this moment – equally perplexed at the suggestion that anyone might labour under such a ridiculous name as Agaton Bax .
‘No,’ said the small bowler-hatted man, furrowing his brow. ‘My name is not Agaton Bax.’
The police officer in front of him held out his hands in apology. ‘I’m sorry, sir. I can’t read my own handwriting. Agaton Cax , perhaps?’
‘Absolutely not,’ said the detective.
‘Dax?’
‘My dear man, if you are going to work your way through the entire alphabet, we will be here for longer than I can spare.’
‘Agaton Fax ?’
‘What is it you want, exactly?’
‘So, you are Agaton Fax!’
‘No, I am not.’
‘I must tell you, sir, that it is a very serious matter to lie to an officer of the law.’
‘I am aware of that.’
‘Then explain yourself, Mr Gax .’
‘I’m afraid it’s not Gax either.’
The officer frowned, ‘I thought I had you there.’
‘It was a valiant effort. But I should probably save us both some time by stressing that my name is neither Hax nor Jax; nor is it Lax, Max or Nax.’
‘Ah…’ a smile crept across the officer’s face.
‘Or Pax. Which, as you may or may not know, is the Latin word for peace. Something I would like to be left in, if that’s all the same to you.’
‘I’m afraid I can’t do that, Agaton Sax .’
‘Ah! Good morning. I am at your service.’
‘You are Agaton Sax?’
‘The very same.’
‘Just as I thought!’ boomed the officer, conveniently setting aside the last few minutes of conversation. ‘Agaton Sax, criminal mastermind! You are under arrest.’
Agaton Sax goggled [2] back at him.
‘Have you lost your marbles, my good man? Criminal mastermind? Never! I am Agaton Sax, the finest private detective in Europe! How dare you attempt to arrest me! I’ll have you know that the Chief of Police is a very good friend of mine, and she’ll be outraged to discover that you’ve treated me in this awful fashion.’
The officer grinned a second time, with decidedly greater confidence. Agaton Sax swallowed nervously.
‘Funny thing that,’ the officer replied, ‘because the Chief of Police is the one who ordered your arrest. Shall we pop along and see her together?’
Now, I could understand if, at this juncture, you were both terribly confused, and slipping back at an astonishing rate towards annoyed.
I would absolutely understand if you had further questions.
What is going on? Who is this police officer and why is he trying to arrest Agaton Sax? And why is the Chief of Police, supposedly his friend, ordering said arrest? Are you sure you’re not making this up as you go along?
The first thing you should know is that none of what you’ve heard so far took place in Sweden, and especially not Agaton Sax’s hometown of Byköping. [3] Nor did it take place in London, England – where Agaton has been known to work alongside his friend Inspector Lispington at Scotland Yard.
No indeed. This bewildering scene took place during a charming summer’s evening on a railway platform in Massovina, capital city of the country of Brosnia. [4]
The Brosnian police officer was not a bad man. In fact, if you looked at the breast pocket of his light blue uniform, you would see that he had been twice decorated for kindness to the elderly. He also rang his mother twice a week and doted on his two cats, both of whom were named Henry (to prevent jealousy). He was, however, dedicated to his job. When told to locate and arrest criminal masterminds, he didn’t have to be asked twice.
Having done so, he blew his police-issue whistle and was joined by seven of his fellow officers.
‘Is this some sort of joke?’ asked Agaton, his face growing red with anger.
‘I am not in the habit of joking,’ said the officer.
‘This is for the best,’ replied Agaton. ‘For you appear to have a most peculiar sense of humour. I demand an explanation for this tomfoolery.’
‘You shall have one, sir. Very soon.’
‘Soon’ couldn’t come quickly enough for Agaton, who was – in this order – handcuffed, bundled into a waiting police car, and driven to the headquarters of the Brosnian Secret Police.
He remained silent as he was transported through the streets of Massovina. Silent enough that you could almost hear the sound of his incredible brain beginning to whir in search of answers.
***
Now, while it might be instructive (and possibly even relaxing) to watch Agaton Sax quietly ponder his predicament, this is as good a time as any to catch up with some of the events that led to this point.
It happened something like this: [5]
Agaton Sax needed a holiday. His last few cases had taxed even his extraordinary capabilities to their limit, and he had become tired and a little grumpy. After snapping for the fourth time over the choice of jam Aunt Matilda bought in the weekly shop, he had been encouraged by his elderly relative to take a little trip. She had, at the time, been carrying a large and heavy saucepan, while advancing on him menacingly.
And so, Agaton booked his train journey with considerable haste.
He chose Brosnia for two reasons. One, he had never been there. Two, he had – in the course of a previous adventure – become friends with the Brosnian Chief of Police. It had seemed the perfect choice, although there was no way he could have predicted the way things would turn out.
Tickie, Agaton Sax’s faithful dachshund, had joined him for the journey, being in equal need of new sights at which to wonder, as well as new varieties of cats to chase.
They had arrived ten days prior, checked into their hotel, then immediately set out to explore the city that would be their home for the next two weeks.
As we mentioned earlier, it was summer and the evening was an ideal one for discovery. A long, broad boulevard stretched from one end of the city to the other; Agaton and Tickie ambled down it at an amiable pace.
Massovina was a pretty city of precisely the right size. It was large enough to contain everything a visitor or resident might need, yet small enough not to feel too crowded or overwhelming. There were large buildings and busy main streets of course, but there were also numerous quirky side alleys, lined with the sort of shops in which you might buy earrings made entirely from seashells or a lamp made entirely from earrings made from seashells.
It was in front of such a shop that Agaton Sax and his canine companion had stopped that evening, although it was the neig