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The Faceless Fiend

Being the Tale a Criminal Mastermind and a Princess with a Butter Knife

Illustrated by Bill Slavin
Published by Xander Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About The Book

Following The Strictest School in the World, the tale of The Faceless Fiend leaps from the woods around Lower Owlthwaite to the depths of darkest London as our fried seek to foil the nefarious schemes of the Faceless Fiend and his Masked Minions

It’s the autumn of 1894 at eccentric Aunt Lucy’s house in Yorkshire, England. Fourteen-year-old aviatrix Emmaline Cayley; “indestruckable” copilot Robert “Rubberbones” Burns; and Princess Purnah of Chiligrit, recent escapee from St. Grimelda’s School for Young Ladies, are merrily jumping off the roof at the request of their new tutor, the nutty American inventor Professor Bellbuckle.

But trouble is on the horizon for this madcap crew: St. Grimelda’s wants Purnah back, the government wants her to return to the school and, worst of all, a terrifying master criminal known as the Faceless Fiend want to kidnap her.

Following The Strictest School in the World, the tale of The Faceless Fiend leaps from the woods around Lower Owlthwaite to the depths of darkest London as our friends seek to foil the nefarious schemes of the Faceless Fiend and his Masked Minions. The villainous plot to abduct Princess Purnah leads to wild chases, food fights, ridiculous costumes, balloons over London, famous fictional detectives, rat-killing contests, heroic dogs and assorted mayhem, all culminating in a thrilling finale on the newly opened – and opening – Tower Bridge.

About The Author



Howard Whitehouse is the author of The Strictest School in the World, The Faceless Fiend and The Island of Mad Scientists, which comprise the Mad Misadventures of Emmaline and Rubberbones series. He used to own a plastic viking helmet that sat on his head like a tiny horned eggcup because it had been designed for a small child. One day, when Howard wasn’t looking, his wife threw it away. It is probably somewhere in New York’s Hudson Valley, where he lives.

About The Illustrator

Bill Slavin is the award-winning illustrator of over seventy books for children, including the Mad Misadventures of Emmaline and Rubberbones series. His career began at a young age when he wrote and illustrated “Zok the Caveman.” The book was such a success in his grade three classroom that he promptly followed it up with “The Adventures of Black Cloud, Son of Zok.” It is stashed away somewhere in his farmhouse in Millbrook, Ontario.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Xander Books (November 28, 2023)
  • Length: 304 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781950423279

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