Isaac Turner’s father, Diggory, works on the Great Clock in London’s Big Ben. Isaac works beside his father when he’s not at school. On the night this story begins, they need to stop the clock to adjust the time. Diggory goes to investigate a strange noise, and soon Isaac realises his father has disappeared. The only thing that remains behind is his dad’s pocket watch.
Isaac is taken to his father’s friend, the Speaker of the House of Commons at Westminster, Solomon Bassala. Solomon’s daughter, Hattie, is a bit older than Isaac, but much more adventurous. When she was on the roof of their apartment, she saw a figure moving about in Big Ben’s tower: could he have kidnapped Diggory? Parliament is about to debate changing to digital time, with 100 hours in a day, so Solomon is very busy with that. As there’s no-one else to help, Hattie convinces Isaac that they should investigate his father’s disappearance themselves.
What they uncover is a conspiracy to make digital time essential. There are people who will make a lot of money out of the changes. The man Hattie saw in the tower when Isaac’s dad disappeared is part of that plot. Hattie’s adventurous spirit and Isaac’s science skills make them a formidable team. They solve cryptic clues and are kidnapped themselves. They race across London to try to find Diggory.
An added bonus to the narrative in The Clockwork Conspiracy is an insider’s guide to famous London landmarks. Sedgman is in total control of this excellent, fast-paced story.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
Age Guide 9+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sam Sedgman is a bestselling author, confirmed nerd and enthusiastic ferroequinologist.
His first novel for young readers, The Highland Falcon Thief, was published in January 2020, winning Children’s Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Co-written with his friend M G Leonard, the book was the first instalment of the bestselling middle grade series ‘Adventures On Trains’.
Before writing stories for children, Sam worked as a digital consultant for the National Theatre, which meant nosing around backstage with a camera and a microphone, cajoling theatre makers into explaining how stories are built. Forever interested in piecing things together, Sam is a lifelong fan of puzzles, games and detective fiction, and once founded a company making murder mystery treasure hunts for adventurous Londoners.
When he isn’t writing, Sam can usually be found admiring a handsome timepiece, watching Alfred Hitchcock movies, or explaining some weird fact to you. He lives in London, on top of a railway station.
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