The Girl and the Ghost: Family Secrets by Jacqueline Harvey

Title: The Girl and the Ghost: Family Secrets

Author: Jacqueline Harvey

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Puffin, Penguin Australia

Published: 21^st October 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 368

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: A trip to Paris and Versailles, an escaped convict, an ancient underground cave network, family mysteries and . . . ghosts.

Josephine Eloise Thomas is in Paris receiving a huge reward for solving one of the world’s greatest art heists. But she’s not alone. Gabriel Barbier, the gorgeous French boy who helped her solve the crime is there too, along with their families and the ghost of Louis XVII, who is still Josephine’s big secret, for now at least. Amid the celebrations the chilling news that Anastasia, the mastermind behind the crime, has escaped from custody sets everyone on edge.

Upon arriving home to the chateau, the search for information about Josephine’s mother along with the hunt for Louis’s long-lost love, Madeleine Aubert – both reveal more twists and turns than Josephine could ever have dreamed of.

Then, when Josephine’s best friend Harriet arrives from Singapore, the discovery of a prehistoric underground cave network takes the girls, Gabriel and Louis on an adventure like no other . . . but at a dangerous cost.

Will Anastasia stay away or exact her revenge on the children who put her behind bars? Can Louis help save them this time or will things go horribly wrong? And will Josephine EVER get a kiss from Gabriel?

~*~

Jet, Gabriel and the ghost of Louis XVII are back. But this time, Louis has brought another ghost with him, Madame Bertin, who knew his mother. They’re fresh off solving the Louvre art heist, and getting Anastasia Ivanoff sent away. But during the celebrations in Paris, they find out that Anastasia has escaped. Everyone is on edge, and Jet’s parents, Ellie and Matt, are deeply concerned. Not only that, but Jet is also grappling with telling people about Louis, and looking forward to seeing her best friend, Harriet again. But things are complicated – how does she explain Louis; will Gabriel and Harriet believe her? To top it all off, Jet is still looking for information on Madeleine Aubert, and now, she has her own family secrets to uncover. Her mother’s past is starting to come out, and she’s determined to find out more about her.

Book two of The Girl and the Ghost series from the fabulous Jacqueline Harvey is here, and it delves deeper into Jet’s past, the chateau and their lives in France. The threads that started in the first book are still there, still being tugged at, and new things are starting to come in. New clues about Madeleine, about Louis’s past, and about Jet’s past. It is truly a family-centred story, where everyone is there for each other. There are some secrets that Jet feels she cannot tell people. She’s not sure how people will react to Louis, and she’s growing up. Things are changing between her and Gabriel, as well as with Harriet, it seems. Of course, there are going to be all sorts of obstacles along the way, and there is one new character that I knew would be connected to everything from the start in some way. Well, maybe not everything, but there was a sense that this person might answer some lingering questions. Of course, this is something Jacqueline does very well, creating ongoing plots that feed through her series, and evolve with the characters. It means readers will be engaged throughout the series and want to come back to each subsequent book.

This series is fantastic. It is a shift from things like Alice-Miranda and Kensy and Max (which are also wonderful books), with some of the same mystery elements and awesome characters. Yet its difference is what makes it stand out. Ghosts and France are a wonderful combination, and they come together so well in the first two books. I must say that Jet is one of my favourite characters, and I think she’s a lot like I was as a young teenager, which is so awesome. Her curiosity and love of writing shape this series, bringing the stories to life, whether it’s finding out what Madame Bertin needs, helping Louis, or finding out about the cave paintings her the chateau she lives in. It also feels like no character is introduced without a purpose in this series. There are a couple of characters who appear in the background, linked to Chateau Du Lac, whom I think might be a bigger part of things at some stage.  There will always be hints dropped in mystery books, and in Jacqueline Harvey’s books, these elements work very well, and move things along effectively.

I’ve been keen for this one since I read the first book, and I was not disappointed at all. It delivered on everything, giving me answers, continuing the mystery and tension and also giving me more questions to lead into the next book. I want to know if they find out more about Madeleine, if she’s connected to anyone in the future, and what will happen when Louis is able to move on. My heart did break for him at one point, but his resilience is there. As is Jet’s and her ability to adapt, to be open, and to be ready to talk when she needs it. She’s growing up, which the book is very open about. Because kids need to see these things talked about in books, they need to see the role grief plays in our lives, and the way family dynamics can play out. This is such a great series, something that will appeal to a wide range of readers, and I hope that fans of the first book will adore this book.

I’m looking forward to the next book, and to find out more about what Jet, Louis and Gabriel found at Versailles, and how that will tie into everything happening with Louis and why he was stuck in the locket. This is such a fun series!