This is a collected digest of one of the stories serialised in the weekly version of Mandy. It was part of D.C. Thompson’s broad range of titles targeted at female readers and was published in 1982.

This is a simple story that plays a neat little trick on you from the beginning. The start of the story, and in particular the horror themed cover, suggest you are reading a supernatural tale, a common subject for this genre. It is actually a mystery reminiscent of a Famous Five or Secret Seven adventure. There is no date given but the fashions, servants, talk of workhouses, and horse drawn carriages all point to something set more than a century ago.

The art is typical of the genre with rigid panels and black and white line drawings. The backgrounds do seem to have more attention and detail than most and there are some strong light and shadow effects.

A Thumbs Up!