Conducting Business with Professor Spice

Book excerpt: Every Thursday, Gerald Gladwell visits Professor Anson Spice's tobacco shop. Gerald gives the professor an envelope from his employer, Mr. McGulliver, and Spice gives Gerald a small velvet pouch of tobacco. In almost two years of completing this weekly errand, Gerald has never questioned the contents of either the envelope or the pouch. But one particular Thursday, a question from a friend piques Gerald's curiosity: 'When have you ever seen Mr. McGulliver smoke a pipe?' This seemingly innocent question convinces Gerald that there may be more to his timid employer than he had previously suspected. When he discovers his missing sister's diary in Mr. McGulliver's office, he is unwittingly drawn into a world of adventure, mystery, and magic. If Gerald ever wants to see his sister again, he'll have to face ugly truths about those he trusts most. In a twisting, extraordinary series of trials that tests his loyalties and limits, Gerald learns that he'll need all the help he can get to deal with the consequences of Conducting Business with Professor Spice.