The Dangerous Business of Being Trilby Moffat by Kate Temple

Title: The Dangerous Business of Being Trilby Moffat

Author: Kate Temple

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Lothian/Hachette Australia

Published: 28^th September 2022

Format: Paperback

Pages: 220

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: This is the dangerous story of Trilby Moffat, who took on one of the most treacherous jobs of all time. Well . . . outside of time, to be precise. For fans of Nevermoor and Lemony Snicket.

This is NOT just any old book. THIS is a legal document. It contains a truthful record of how Trilby Moffat was accidentally promoted to the most important job that ever existed. The job of Time Keeper.

A mystery illness is making people bake ancient cakes, speak dead languages and then fall asleep and never wake up. When Trilby Moffat’s mother catches this strange sickness, Trilby must find her only other surviving relative, a 300-year-old aunt who lives in a secret antique shop on the edge of time.

Ahead of Trilby lies an unusual inheritance, an opportunity that will never be repeated and a man in a top hat who will try to kill her . . . more than once.

This is the story of how one ordinary girl finds herself on a deliciously fast-paced adventure, fleeing to an island where time doesn’t exist, cats are particularly rude, and cake is always on the menu. Here she will take on the most treacherous job of all time. Well . . . outside of time, to be precise.

THIS IS THE DANGEROUS BUSINESS OF BEING TRILBY MOFFAT.

~*~

Trilby Moffat has run away with her mother who has caught a strange sickness that makes her bake ancient cakes, speak dead languages, and never wake up. So, Trilby sets out to find her three-hundred-year-old aunt to see if she can help. This aunt lives on the edge of time in a secret antique shop – but Trilby isn’t the only one looking for her glorious-aunt Thumbelina. Trilby soon discovers a rather unusual inheritance – a key that has latched itself around her neck for good, and she’s being pursued by a rather awful man in a top hat who is determined to kill her. To top it all off, she must deal with being stuck in a place with kids who are her age but not, rude cats, and an island where time doesn’t exist so nothing ages. But Trilby has the mean Mr Colin and his lackeys, Carole, and Brian from the Office of the Ministry of the Appropriate Division for the Committee of the Commission for the Corporation of the Agency of Association for Managers Administering Time (O.M.A.D.C.C.C.A.A.M.T) – what a mouthful! Trilby is thrust into the timeless world as she tries to evade them and their determination to prevent her from helping her mum and remaining the Time Keeper. And to top it all off, Trilby must find out who Madam C Bad Cat is!

The first in the Trilby Moffat series by Kate Temple is lots of fun, and sets up the premise, characters, and world in true Kate Temple style. We’re invited into the world wholly and are pulled headfirst inti the timeless space that Trilby, and the ageless children, Xipil and Koji, must traverse across to find out more about the Dreaming Sickness Arwen has succumbed to, and how she is going to protect her inheritance from Thumbelina. I loved these characters – they’re full of zest, life, and I think are some of the best characters ever. The childlike innocence dances off the page and allows the children to drive the story – and Trilby is stuck between being a child and trying to be responsible for her new friends – which worked well, as it gave her layers of being that show she’s not what everyone – Mr Colin, Carole, and Brian – think she is like. She’s more and she can cope with whatever is thrown at her, is determined, and I think will be a fun character for kids to encounter.

I loved that she enjoyed crossword puzzles, and as a result, each chapter heading is a crossword clue – the number of letters in the answer is given in brackets, and I had lots of fun working out the answer, and sometimes, being so into the story that I would stumble across it much later than I thought, and every now and then, found it when it popped up within the chapter (but not always, so don’t be complacent when solving these clues!) This is such a fun story, and I loved peeling back all the layers, because the way Kate has pulled this together is clever, and has something for everyone – it is the kind of story that anyone can enjoy, because I think it is not a specifically girl or boy book, and I loved that what Trilby liked doing was not stereotypically what someone might assign to girl characters. And the characters she came into contact with are layered and interesting well, with a decent mystery that leads into the idea that the book is the first in the series. The premise has been set up really well, and I think it is one that will go off and be enjoyed by many – I know I am hooked and can’t wait to see what happens next.