The Secret of the Treasure Keepers by A.M. Howell

I enjoy historical mysteries generally though I haven’t read many children’s historical mysteries. This was so much fun to read with an engrossing mystery and likeable characters. Things soon take a turn for the worse, spelling more trouble for the family. With help from Burch, Nancy begins to look into the mystery herself, while events surrounding the comet’s sighting play out alongside. Nancy realized even before really arriving there that there is much more to the story for why would their usually truthful mother suddenly lie to them why has she been keeping her family a secret all this time? Nancy’s suspicions are further heightened when she sees her mother go out at night. Nancy overhears the town’s mayor talking down to her grandfather and on another occasion pretty much threaten him, but her grandfather reveals nothing except telling her to avoid the unpleasant man. Their mother has merely told them that she must help her father, a keen astronomer, watch Halley’s Comet. Their grandfather, who is an apothecary, stays in as well, and his shop is visited by no one with the exception of young Burch, the son of the haberdasher, who does errands for him.

When they get there, to the intriguing Cupola house, the girls are told that they must stay indoors, keep curtains drawn and be seen by no one.

But when Nancy and Violet leave with their mother as usual, Nancy finds to her surprise that they are not headed to school but to Bury St Edmonds-to visit their grandfather who they had been told was dead. Violet’s father and Nancy’s stepfather is a solicitor while her mother (and the girls) try to do their bit for the suffragettes. As the book opens, we meet twelve-year old Nancy Rivers and her seven-year-old sister Violet preparing to leave for school.

The Secret of the Treasure Keepers by A.M. Howell