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Summary: Lewis Barnavelt and his Uncle Jonathan are in England visiting their cousin Pelham ("Pelly") at the Barnavelt Manor. After several days, Lewis befriends the housekeeper's blind, overweight, yet intelligent son Bertie. Bertie and Lewis share many qualities, although Lewis is not blind or quite as smart as Bertie. Lewis is fascinated by the garden maze. While Lewis is looking at a map of the maze, he notices an "X" in the middle of the maze. Lewis sets out through the maze to see what is lying beneath the spot where the "X" is marked on the map. Suddenly Bertie appears at Lewis's side, so the two boys continue toward the center of the maze. The boys find an entrance leading underneath the maze and see a brick structure. The boys are unable to get it open, so they start to leave. They hear an evil laugh and feel hands coming out of the hedges attempting to grab them. Finally they get out of the maze, unhurt but severely frightened. The boys are convinced that some supernatural force is behind this. Afraid of getting into trouble, the boys decide to keep their nocturnal adventures to themselves.
The next day Lewis and his uncle leave for Germany. Bertie tells Lewis he will send letters if the evil spirit causes any trouble at the manor. While Lewis is in Germany, both boys begin to have dreams about the demonic spirit. On the day Lewis is to return to England, he gets a letter from Bertie. In the letter Bertie writes about the strange things that have happened since an odd man named Mr. Prester has moved into the gatekeeper's house. One night all of the chickens died mysteriously.
When Lewis gets back to the manor, the boys walk around the gatekeeper's house. All of a sudden they hear rustling and the tall grass starts moving as though something is walking through it. The grass near them is pressed down by some unseen force and the rustling gets louder. When the boys reach the driveway, the thing stops chasing them as if it has reached a magical barrier.
While reading up on the Barnavelt family history, Lewis learns about the Amulet of Constantine that blinds evil spirits. He also finds out about a Witch-Finder named Malachiah Pruitt who tried to execute Lewis's ancestor, Martin Barnavelt, for witchcraft. Lewis realizes he and Bertie have unleashed the spirit of the evil witch finder. The next day, Lewis awakens to find his uncle and cousin are mysteriously missing. Lewis and Bertie bravely travel back to the center of the maze to find the amulet. There, they find both the amulet and the crown of King Charles I.
When the boys go to get something to eat, they fall under the power of Malachiah Pruitt. Pruitt forces the two boys to go to the room where he holds his trials. Lewis's hypnotized cousin and uncle are already there. The maniacal ghost of Pruitt has the time of his life issuing threats and recalling past experiences of executing innocent people. When Pruitt orders Lewis to get the crown, Lewis secretly attaches the Amulet of Constantine. Things go terribly for the Witch-Finder when he puts on the crown. He screams in agony as his ghostly body rapidly loses form until it vanishes completely.
Lewis explains what has happened to his cousin Pelly and Bertie's mother. Cousin Pelly sells the crown, and even though it turns out not to be King Charles' crown, he receives a lot of money. With the money from the crown, Bertie is able to get his eyes fixed.
Publishers Weekly: "Classic Bellairs...Chock-full of deliciously spooky details, this tale is utterly spellbinding."
VOYA: "An excitingly chilling read ... Supplies a good ghostly dose of Gothic chills that tingle the imagination."
Kirkus Reviews: "The atmosphere and supernatural effects are particularly eerie ... Satisfyingly hair-raising."
Amazon.com: * * * * *
Behind the Books: A Closer Look at John Bellairs: * * * *
