The Curious Crime

Is curiosity a crime? Ree discovers the unfairness of being a girl in a male-dominated scientific world, where alternative ideas are swiftly squashed. Enter a fantasy island where Phil the dodo and other unusual wild animals roam corridors, great halls and an underground network of passages of a magnificent museum and science academy. Prevented from following her creative passion as a stonemason, Ree is confined to cleaning the halls at night as a maid. But then the murders start happening... A determined scholar Henri and strong-willed Ree join forces to solve the mysteries and prove their innocence. Review A murder, a dodo, a fantastical scientific setting all wrapped up in one mystery. A fabulous read. Andrew Briggs, author and professor of nanomaterials at the University of OxfordIn a strange, vast and wonderfully imagined museum, an apprentice sculptor and student scientist must solve a murder. Julia Golding has written a gripping helter-skelter story that will keep you guessing and start you thinking. Roger Wagner, artist and painterIn this mythical alternative history where girls are forbidden to study, Ree and her trusty dodo solve a murder in the science museum. Action-packed with themes from across the history of science, this book is sure to delight young and older readers alike. Professor A. A. Louis, Rudolph Peierls Centre for Theoretical PhysicsIn The Curious Crime, Julia Golding has created a truly wonderful exploration of what it means to be human. From the outset we are invited to consider the realities of life in times gone by in a world that draws on our own history. But the mysterious world of the museum also introduces a fascinating distinction, prompting us to imagine a place where asking certain types of question is praised, while other questions are scorned or even forbidden. Through the enquiring eyes of Ree and Henry we discover how asking all kinds of questions is not only necessary for investigating a crime, but fundamental to being human. The fascinating characters we meet in The Curious Crime show us how all human endeavours, including art, music, poetry, science, engineering, and religion are connected by creativity, imagination, and an insatiable quest for better understanding of the world around us. This extraordinary book encourages us to consider the mysteries of humanity from the bonds of friendship and family to the wonders of our world and the universe of which we are a part. This story will inspire and empower readers to ask questions, explore their world and take their place in the irresistible search for answers handed down from one generation of humans to the next. Steph Bryant and Lizzie Henderson, The Faraday Institute for Science and ReligionJulia Golding has a great storytelling gift; she writes with inventiveness and brio, telling a tale packed with incident but not skimping on detail and atmosphere. Linda Newbery, author of The Key to FlambardsThe beauty of thought, the wonder of discovery, and the vivid descriptions of the museum are enthralling; all this amid the excitement and tension of a murderer on the loose. A truly wonderful read, and of course I could not escape thinking about our own museum in London, albeit, that is, on a smaller scale. I encourage readers to enjoy the novel and to savour the interview at the culmination of the book. Shaun Fitzgerald, director, The Royal Institution From the Back Cover Is curiosity a crime? Ree discovers the unfairness of being a girl in a male-dominated scientific world, where alternative ideas are swiftly squashed. Enter a fantasy island where Phil the dodo and other unusual wild animals roam corridors, great halls, and the underground network of passages inside a magnificent museum and science academy. Prevented from following her creative passion as a stonemason, Ree is confined to cleaning the halls at night as a maid. But then the murders start happening... A determined