'An engaging series starter.'--Booklist 'Thank heavens forThe Firebird Mystery...a steampunk novel featuring fantastic airships, steamcars, chases and a detective whose deductive prowess owes more than a little to Sherlock Holmes.'--Independent UK 'Lots of mechanical mayhem and derring-do--breathless stuff!'--Michael Pryor 'Non-stop action, non-stop adventure, non-stop fun!'--Richard Harland Jack Mason grew up as an acrobat in a circus. After the tragic death of his parents, he was sent to live within the gloomy Sunnyside Orphanage in London, a city of fog and snow, filled with airships, steamcars, and metrotowers stretching into space. That's until he is taken under the wing of the brilliant and eccentric detective Ignatius Doyle. But when a girl named Scarlet Bell comes seeking Mr. Doyle's help, little does Jack know how dangerous life is about to become. Scarlet's father has been kidnapped, and the future of the world itself may be at stake. Is the evil hand of Professor M pulling the strings? Mr. Doyle and Jack know there is no time to lose. With all its twists and turns and helter-skelter action,The Firebird Mystery is an addictive story and a spellbinding homage to the world of Victorian literature that will appeal to readers of all ages. An early ebook version of this novel, under the titleThe Steam Punk Detective (no longer available), attracted 48,000 downloads. Text Publishing offered Darrell Pitt an unprecedented eight-book deal. Darrell Pitt began his lifelong appreciation of Victorian literature when he read the Sherlock Holmes stories as a child, before moving on to H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. This early reading led to a love of comics, science fiction, and all things geeky. Please note: the "Love It" publisher offer expired in December 2014.