Who is the real author of The Black Insignia? Is it H. R. Sanders, whose name is printed on the cover of the wildly successful YA adventure series? Or is it Daniel Roche, the enigmatic world traveller who disappears for months at a time? When Daniel's great-niece, Helene, moves to Paris to study archaeology, she does not expect to be searching for answers, but as rumours fly that the 24th volume of the series will be the last, Helene and her friend Guillaume, set out to discover more. In doing so she uncovers a terrible secret from the darkest days of the Occupation.