№ 01
The Detective
Falcon Greene
Notices what everyone else misses — objects, angles, the things people don't say. She prefers the thrill of the chase to the safety of sitting still.
●Debut Novel · Ages 9–14 · Mystery
The Moorland
Mystery.
Trapped in a storm-locked hotel on the Scottish moors, two best friends must find a killer before the killer finds them — with only a stray cat, a stubborn Highland pony, and each other to rely on.
Written at age 13A novel by Martha Kidston
Scroll · The Storm Is Rising
Case File 001
The Book
A murder, a storm,
and nowhere to run.
Two best friends. One locked hotel room. A knock at the door that changes everything.
Cut off by a raging storm with no signal and no way out, the guests of the Highland Stormwatch Hotel find themselves trapped. Somewhere among them is a killer.
Trust is a luxury they no longer have. With a growing list of suspects, they must piece together the truth before the storm—or the killer—strikes again.
Highland Stormwatch HotelLocked-room mysteryAges 9–14
The Author
Written at age13
Meet Martha Kidston.
“Love the Earth, climb trees, be yourself, be creative — the only limit is your own imagination.”
Martha is thirteen years old and lives near Cambridge with her parents and little sister. The Moorland Mystery is her debut novel.
A lifelong lover of crime fiction and the natural world, she set out to write the kind of mystery she wanted to read herself — fast-paced, atmospheric, and unafraid to trust young readers with a real puzzle. She doesn't have any pets of her own, which didn't stop her imagining two unforgettable ones into the story.
◈ Character inspiration: Purrlock Holmes and Warrior, the “Mind Palace cats” — borrowed in spirit from real cats belonging to Martha's friends.
The Cast
Who you’ll be following.
Two girls, one cat with a detective’s instincts, and a hotel full of people who all have something to hide.
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№ 02
The Narrator
Finn Carlton
Reads people, not just clues. She is the one who has to decide how far she's willing to follow the shadows.
№ 03
The Third Detective
Purrlock Holmes
A stray found on the first stormy night. Sharp, observant, and goes nowhere without noticing everything.
Inside the Story
The moor doesn’t forgive mistakes.
A glimpse of the world — from the illustrated pages of the book.
Classified
The case doesn’t end at the last page.
Hidden inside the book — in the illustrations, on the endpapers, in places you won’t expect — are codes that unlock a real, ongoing investigation online. Only readers who finish the book have everything they need to close the case.
Where to Buy
Get The Moorland Mystery.
Available in paperback and eBook.
For Schools & Librarians
Bring the case into the classroom.
Free discussion guide, printable hotel floor-plan puzzle, and a class-wide entry point into the online investigation — built for readers aged 9–13.
Request the Schools Pack →For Press
Press & review copies.
A 13-year-old debut novelist, illustrated throughout, with a real-world companion investigation. Get in touch for interviews, review copies, and press assets.
Contact for Press →Follow the Case
Updates from Martha.
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