Malice in Underland

Meet Malice Morbid Malign. She’s from Underland, land of sorcery, spooks and skulduggery. But, she and her family live in Topside, and mischief is their business. And the business of mischief is a very serious matter! The Malign family hate books, they hate bathing and they especially hate helping. But when grandad ghosts mysteriously start disappearing, including her own beloved grandad, Malice has no choice but to help. She partners up with her uncle Vexatious, to solve the case of the missing grandad-ghosts.

Malice Morbid Malign isn't like the rest of her family. But when her younger sister, Antipathy-Rose, finds a sphere of solid amber in one of the forbidden swag rooms at Malignant House, and bites right through it, she unwittingly unleashes a world of trouble. Trapped within the amber sphere is Maniacal Malign’s time-stopping pocket watch.  Maniacal Malign had been in exile for several centuries, but the moment Antipathy-Rose’s gnashers crack the amber, he is summoned back to monstrous action. Malice, Uncle Vex and Seth find themselves on a time-sensitive mission.

Every year a Halloween Ball is thrown by the Topunders for their friends in Underland. It's a big deal—excellent gloating fodder—and every Topunder family wants the honour of hosting it. Finally, it seems as though the Malign family luck has changed; this is their year. Preparations are in full swing when the Underland Mayor is ghostnapped, throwing Underland into turmoil. Worse is to come when the mayor is discovered in the Malign oubliette. It is down to Malice, Seth and Uncle Vex to prove Ma and Pa's innocence and bring the real culprits to justice.