The Secret of Castle Cant

Lucy Wickwright is the maid of the slightly younger Pauline, future Barroness of Cant. (Cant being a miniscule country which functions almost entirely in a medieval fashion, though it is set in the present day.) There is a wicked Count Orlaff, a stable boy with a crush on Lucy, a beloved uncle, a dying Baron, and espionage galore. To tell more of the plot would give away too much.

My only quibble with the book is that it did not properly end. Clearly it is the first book in a series, and if I want to find out what happens next, I'll have to read "Escape from Castle Cant". And if it doesn't wrap up in two books, it probably never will, because the publisher has wisely dropped the author, for the reason cited below.

(I am reviewing the show more story, not the author. To clarify what ahappybooker has written: The book does not involve a pedophile - there is no pedophile in the story. However, the author of the book is serving time in prison for possession of child pornography. Had I known this before I started reading, I would not have read it. Having leaned of it only after the fact, I will say it is a very good book by an author who is a very bad man.) show less

Lucy Wickwright , hardworking maidservant to Lord Cant's daughter, does what she's told, never lies, and always takes the blame for the whims of her mistress. But Lucy's eagerness to please leads her to become an unwitting ally of a mysterious rebellion that threatens to shake the foundations of the Barony and forever change her life in Castle Cant. When Lucy discovers a shocking secret at the heart of the revolution, will she choose to foil the forces that would exalt her, or betray the one she loves most in the world?

I actually really enjoyed this book and its sequel when I read them several years ago. But then I saw this article, and any illusions I had of this just being a fun book for kids was destroyed:

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-08/justice/oregon.author.child.pornography_1_chi...

The author is currently serving time for possession and trading of child pornography. Really nasty stuff, as it mentions in the article.

I'm grossed out beyond reason, because I can't imagine how his position of trust as an author could possibly have led to crimes against the very children he was writing for. This is all conjecture on my part, but I can't get that image out of my head.

Reading these books is up to you, since they're actually good stories, but the show more subtext and implications behind his words are too much for me to handle. show less

Lucy is the maidservant for the younger Pauline. They live in Cant a very small country that although is set in modern day their people live as if it's still the middle ages. Lucy is an orphan and has been taken into service in the castle. Pauline her mistress is rather a brat and frequently getting Lucy into trouble. Lucy gets inadvertently involved in a plot to overthrow the government. The nobles of the realm are all addicted to gum. Gum however in their country is laced with something that makes it addictive and deadly if usage is stopped. Near the end of the book we learn the true secret of Castle Gant and really is a big surprise. The main plot is Lucy's adventures. Really a very good mystery type book.

This book involves a pedophile convicted of possession of child pornography. Here is the link to the story:
News Article-K.P. Bath

This is why it is so important that Goodreads do not hide reviews that aren't specifically about the book. Readers should have the right to decide whether or not to support an author based on their behavior, lifestyle, beliefs, etc.

This book involves a pedophile convicted of possession of child pornography. Here is the link to the story:
News Article-K.P. Bath

This is why it is so important that Goodreads do not hide reviews that aren't specifically about the book. Readers should have the right to decide whether or not to support an author based on their behavior, lifestyle, beliefs, etc.

This book involves a pedophile convicted of possession of child pornography. Here is the link to the story:
News Article-K.P. Bath

This is why it is so important that Goodreads do not hide reviews that aren't specifically about the book. Readers should have the right to decide whether or not to support an author based on their behavior, lifestyle, beliefs, etc.