Darkus’s dad is missing – vanished from a locked room in the Natural History Museum. The police are baffled; how can someone disappear without a trace?

Moving in with his eccentric uncle, Darkus discovers a new friend in a giant beetle – and it wants to communicate.

But can a boy and a beetle be friends? And can they find Darkus’s dad together?

• The first book in MG Leonard's acclaimed trilogy, followed by Beetle Queen and Battle of the Beetles!
• Featuring exotic beetles, a daring quest, a mixture of bold male and female characters and a truly venomous villain
• Includes brilliant illustrations by Julia Sardà
• From the author of Hunt for the Golden Scarab, Twitch and the Adventure on Trains series, co-written with Sam Sedgman

About The Author

M. G. Leonard has made up stories ever since she was a little girl. Back then, adults called them lies or tall tales, so she didn’t think to write them down. Now, she makes up stories about beetles, birds, trains or anything that sparks her imagination. Her books have been translated into over forty languages and won many awards. She is the vice president of the insect charity Buglife, and a founding author of Authors4Oceans. She lives in England, by the sea, with her husband, two sons, a dog called Nell, and a variety of exotic beetles.