Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Penny Treadwell is the feisty thirteen-year-old heiress of the bestselling magazine The Penny Dreadful. In the third book of this electrifying series, Penny receives a story for the magazine about a strange and supernaturally-tinged crime and she's instantly gripped.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-7-Penelope Treadwell, 15, is the managing editor and chief writer for Penny Dreadful magazine, featuring the adventures of detective Montgomery Flinch. She employs an out-of-work actor to portray the great sleuth in public. (Who would believe that a proper young lady could write such blood-and-thunder tales, after all?) In this third installment of the series, Penelope suffers a bad case of writer's block and the journal has fallen on hard times. In desperation, she announces a contest for readers to suggest ideas for the Master of the Macabre's next case. Notes pour in, but only one sparks Penelope's interest: "I am a living man, but these experiments are turning me into a ghost," the message reads. "I have even walked through the walls of the Tower to steal for them the king's crown.." The only signature is a small sketch of a black bird. Inspired by the letter, the young writer concocts a rousing saga about a fiendish hooded villain, the Black Crow, who slips past the guards to make off with the royal jewels of England. The new issue of Penny Dreadful is a runaway bestseller. Then Penelope receives a visit from Inspector Drake of Scotland Yard-with a warrant for Flinch's arrest. It seems there actually has been a robbery at the Tower of London-and the crown jewels are missing. With her actor/alter ego under arrest for treason, her magazine shut down, and her livelihood threatened, Penelope investigates and uncovers a deadly conspiracy that threatens London, the royal family, and the British monarchy itself. This exciting blend of mystery and alternate history is set against the backdrop of the delayed 1901 coronation of King Edward VII-and suggests a very different reason for the postponement than the illness that history records. Real historical figures, from X-ray discoverer Wilhelm Röntgen to Arthur Conan Doyle to Kaiser Wilhelm II, are integrated seamlessly. There is even a dash of steampunk, as the villains prepare to unleash a diabolical Atomic Army of living X-ray soldiers on the countries of Europe. VERDICT An exciting choice for mystery fans who appreciate a touch of the fantastic.-Elaine E. Knight, formerly at Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Edge is back at the top of his game in this latest genre-bending story of 15-year-old Penelope Tredwell, author and editor of the pulpy Penny Dreadful, and the hapless actor who stands in as her public face. It's 1902 and Prince Edward will soon be coronated. First, however, the crown jewels are stolen, and then the royal family disappears. A story contest at the Penny Dreadful reveals major clues, and Penelope investigates a conspiracy involving the German Kaiser, x-ray scientist Wilhelm Röntgen, and a frightening and frightened gaggle of atomic German sailors. Though this volume is the last in the trilogy, the conclusion hints at some hard-won successes for Penelope in the future, including the freedom to write under her own name.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2015 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Glowing men who can walk through walls have stolen the crown jewels--and author Montgomery Flinch (Penelope Tredwell's pen name) is taking the fall. In her third adventure, it's up to fifteen-year-old Penelope to clear Monty's name, and perhaps even save King Edward VII himself. Edge's phantasmagorical reimagining of history will intrigue readers, especially those with an interest in the history of scientific discovery. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.