When Johnny Dixon, Professor Childermass, and Fergie Ferguson have a party for their friend Dr. Coote, they expect the evening to be a blast - and it is! - but not quite the way they have in mind. As Fergie pounds out a rhythm on a small drum, a howling wind shakes the house and something explodes. Soon Johnny, the professor, and Fergie are in a battle with the fearsome Priests of the Midnight Blood for Dr. Coote's life - and their own.
John Bellairs is beloved as a master of gothic young adult novels and fantasies. His series about the adventures of Lewis Barnavelt and his Uncle Jonathan, which includes THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, is a classic. He also wrote a series of novels featuring the character Johnny Dixon. Among the titles in that series were THE CURSE OF THE BLUE FIGURINE; THE MUMMY, THE WILL, AND THE CRYPT; THE SPELL OF THE SORCERER'S SKULL and others. His solo novel THE FACE IN THE FROST is also regarded as a fantasy classic and among his earlier works are ST. FIDGETA AND OTHER PARODIES and THE PEDANT AND THE SHUFFLY. He was a prolific writer, publishing more than a dozen novels before his untimely death in 1991.