Blood Hound (9 page)
Authors: Tanya Landman
That’s the way
to do it!
My name is Poppy Fields. I was deady
excited about my first trip to America.
But then people started getting
themselves killed in really weird
ways. Nothing made sense until
Graham and I investigated, then the
murders seemed to tie together as neatly
as a string of sausages. A little too neatly…
Stage fright!
My name is Poppy Fields. When
Graham and I landed parts in a
musical, we didn’t expect real
drama. But then the star got a
death threat and the bodies
started stacking up. Before we
knew it, we were at the top of
the murderer’s list…
On the trail
of a murderer!
My name is Poppy Fields.
When we designed a murder
mystery trail for the school
fayre, it was supposed to be
a bit of fun. But before long
the head was dead and
Graham and I were hunting
down a real life killer.
Murder is a
beastly business!
My name is Poppy Fields. Graham and I
were first on the scene at a series of
murders at the zoo, but who was
behind them? We had to prowl around
a bit to investigate – and what we saw
was not pretty. How would we escape
before we, too, became dead meat?
Roll up, roll up!
My name is Poppy Fields. When the
circus came to town, the posters
promised certain death. This made
Graham and me suspicious, and we
were proved right when someone was
killed in the ring. With the circus
performers still in grave danger,
we had to work fast to discover who
was firing the shots…
Words can be dangerous.
My name is Poppy Fields. When we
offered to help out at our local
literary festival, Graham and I had
no idea just how murky the
world of children’s books really
was. Before you could say crime
novel, the authors were receiving
anonymous threats. Then
fiction started turning into fact…
Greek tragedy?
My name is Poppy Fields. When
Graham and I jetted off to the
celebrity wedding of the century,
I couldn’t believe my luck. Sun, sea,
scandal – what more could anyone
wish for? But then things turned
nasty, and when people started
dropping like flies it was time
to investigate…
hound
Tanya Landman is the author of many books for children, including
Waking Merlin
and
Merlin’s Apprentice, The World’s Bellybutton
and
The Kraken Snores,
and three stories featuring the characters Flotsam and Jetsam. Of
Blood Hound
, the ninth title in her popular murder mystery series, Tanya says, “When someone suggested banning dogs from my local park, a furious argument broke out – with Dog Lovers on one side and Dog Haters on the other. I wondered what would happen if things turned nasty…”
Tanya is also the author of two novels for teenagers:
Apache
, which was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Booktrust Teenage Fiction Prize, and
The Goldsmith’s Daughter
, which was nominated for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Since 1992, Tanya has also been part of Storybox Theatre. She lives with her family in Devon.
You can find out more about Tanya Landman and her books by visiting her website at
www.tanyalandman.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any other kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy or replicated, as they may result in injury.
First published 2011 by Walker Books Ltd
87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ
© 2011 Tanya Landman
The right of Tanya Landman to be identified as 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 book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:
a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-4063-3974-1 (ePub)