Books published by publisher Southwood Books

Sam Jasper is not a "scream-and-wet-pants" kind of girl. When she finds a set of strange clues left by her great-grandfather, John Jasper, who was an archaeologist in China just before World War 2, she leaps at the chance to find his diary, which she hopes will lead to treasure. With the help of local boy Kai, Sam becomes involved in a helter-skelter action adventure – breaking into the Forbidden City, chasing along the Great Wall and through the streets of old Beijing, and meeting a descendant of the last emperor. But someone else is also after the diary, and he will stop at nothing to find it first – for there is a lot more at stake than treasure, and Sam gradually realizes she is in great danger as she uncovers treachery and crimes that go back to 1937, when Japan invaded Shanghai in the run-up to the World War 2.Sam's story is accompanied by John Jasper's diary entries as he documents the last days of Shanghai's fabulous International Settlement before life changes forever on the day of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. And both Sam and John must face betrayal and peril as their stories connect across the years.From decadence to internment, emperor to gangster, Dangerous Secrets! is packed with historical events and real-life characters – such as Du Yuesheng, business leader and Shanghai's biggest crime boss, and the Dragon Empress, Cix Xi. Travel with Sam across China to exotic places including the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall as she tries to unravel the clues to the diary and find out why it is so important that someone would kill for it."A rip-roaring ride for all the family!""I couldn't put it down!""It was very exciting: I had to keep turning the page to find out what happened next.""Historical fiction at its very best."For a signed paperback version, please contact info@lynnparr.co.uk.