Mary and Younee leave for Australia in the 1840's to begin a new life. On the voyage, a murder is committed and the captain encourages Mary to solve the crime. An inspection of the deceased's life portrays him as an unsavoury character with a sordid past. Mary establishes half the ship wants him dead and the other half have their own reasons to escape to Australia. A ship full of secrets! Mary has two days to solve the crime with its numerous twists and turns. But Mary has a secret. Her best friend Younee is a gremlin who can read her mind, run faster than any other creature on earth and hide on her shoulder, under her hair. On numerous occasions he has stopped her death on the streets of London with some humourous results but their meeting was not accidental. Someone or something is playing with their lives. Mary doesn't have a past (at least one that she can remember) causing Younee to ensure Mary undergoes a stage of self awareness. Once Mary reviewed her position in society (being a waif ranks awfully low), she realised that without money she didn't have a future and the effect of old money would be lessened by distance, so they emigrate to Australia. This novel is a witty and humorous look at human nature, solving crimes and unlikely friendships. By the time you finish the last page, you will have been witness to a dastardly murder in England, a devious death on the voyage, a shipwreck on a coral reef and the establishment of the Unique Detective Agency in Sydney and be ready to read book 2.