Count Karlstein

"Using multiple narrators and expertly concocted cliffhangers, Pullman crafts a thrilling page-turner. This gothic farce
features young orphans, evil schemers, a gloomy Swiss castle, a long-lost heir, stalwart lads, capable women, a con man on the lam,
hilariously bumbling police officers, and Zamiel: the Prince of the Mountains, the Demon Huntsman. . . . It's whirlwind plotting, manipulated into a pulsing tale of darkened hearts, treachery, and at long last, redemption."--Kirkus Reviews

"In this deliciously gothic thriller there are enough demon huntsmen, evil guardians, and brooding castles to please even the most desensitized reader."--School Library Journal, Starred

"A welcome diversion . . . [that is] dashing, sparkling, and wildly over the top."--Publishers Weekly, Starred

Philip Pullman is the author of the acclaimed The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and the forthcoming The Amber Spyglass, as well as the Sally Lockhart trio of Victorian mysteries.

It's All Souls' Eve, and Zamiel the Demon Huntsman has come to claim his prey! He's headed straight for Castle Karlstein, where the Count has hatched a wicked plan: he'll sacrifice his two young nieces to save his own life. Can Lucy and Charlotte outwit their evil uncle and his oily henchman, Herr Snivelwurst? Will some last-minute help from Hildi the maidservant, Sergeant Snitsch, and Doctor Cadaverezzi (and his Cabinet of Wonders) save the day -- or send the girls straight to their doom? Only one thing is certain: the Demon Huntsman will not return to his dark wood unsatisfied!

Young Charlotte is locked in a tower room of her uncle's gloomy Castle Karlstein. Her evil uncle, Count Karlstein, has promised to sacrifice his two orphaned nieces, Lucy and Charlotte, to Zamiel the Demon Huntsman--on midnight of All Souls' Eve--in return for his current riches. First, the heartless Count and his "lip-licking, moist-handed, creeping, smarming" secretary, Herr Arturo Snivelwurst, will have to catch them.