Lauren St John was born in Africa and her love of this continent with its rich history and fauna spills from every page of the many books she has written. This novel, however, is set in Cornwall and introduces us to Laura Marlin, an orphan, who moves from a children's home to the house of a spooky uncle she doesn't know very well. Thank goodness for her best friend, four legged husky Skye, who can help her make sense of the many mysteries in her life: What secret does Dead Man's Cove harbour? Why does Tariq, the boy in the neighbourhood, never speak? And what about the mysterious messages left for her? Mysteries abound in this novel that will appeal to most readers over the age of 10. I loved accompanying Laura on her quest to solve the many riddles in her path and was sad to have finished the book so quickly as it was an excellent read!