Showing results by author "Pieter E Haumann" in All Categories

It's the holidays, and the Darvils have come to visit in the city. With the change of scenery and the cold weather outside, the children have to find something other than their normal adventures on the farm to keep themselves busy. When they discover that pets around the neighborhood have been disappearing under mysterious circumstances, the children form Drifter's Detective Agency and are soon faced with the disappearance of a pair of the world's most endangered birds, the Spix's Macaw.

When Robert and Annie return to Devil's Leap for their school holidays, they discover that things on the farm had changed since they were last there. Not only is there a sinister pair of nature conservationists examining a rare species of monkey beetle but there is also a new family on the farm—the Bheles. After hearing old man Joshua tell them a tale of the haunted house at the far side of The Follies, the children embark on an adventure that will not only strengthen the bonds of friendship between them but also lead to a stunning discovery.

With Christmas just around the corner and the discovery of the Renaissance diamond still fresh in their minds, Robert, Annie, Anton, and Ellie discover that things around Darvil Manor have been mysteriously disappearing. After tracing the culprit to a traveling circus, which set up nearby Devil's Leap, the children investigate, but is there more to the story than initially appears? And what do the mischievous clowns, Hubble and Bubble, have to do with this mystery?

It’s Easter on Devil’s Leap, and after having spent an entire day painting eggs in all variety of shapes and colors, the hunt is on. However, the children find a little more than they had bargained for when it is discovered that one of the eggs they found is made entirely out of gold. What secret does this mysterious golden egg contain? What does this have to do with Lord Darvil and a rather peculiar truck that visited the farm nearly a century earlier? Find out what the children discover when they investigate the mystery of the golden egg.

During a surprise visit by the Bheles, the children explore the city, where they make a startling discovery linking their past adventures. What do a rich old man and his nephew have to do with a secret discovered on the farm Devil’s Leap months before? And will the children discover any secrets leading to the unmasking of an age-old mystery? All this and more in the third installment of Adventure Shorts.

While visiting Devil’s Leap, the drought-stricken farm belonging to their mother’s old school friend Archibald Darvil, Robert and Annie learn of the mysterious disappearance of Lord Darvil, the patriarch of the Darvil fortune, who disappeared 100 years earlier along with the largest diamond ever found on the farm—the supposedly cursed Renaissance Diamond. Together with their new friends, Ellie and Anton, two dogs, and a cat, the children embark on an adventure that will not only unearth age-old secrets but also change the landscape of the farm forever.

Elizabeth Viljoen had a bright future ahead of her. She had just made partner at a prestigious law firm and was on the cusp of getting everything she ever wanted. Then why was her body discarded in such a bizarre setting? Legendary detective Esopus van Tonder, now in the twilight of his career, faces his toughest case yet in trying to solve this seemingly senseless murder. Following a stellar career, can the detective make sense of the details of this case?

The children are all back together again, and this time, they take a trip to the coast where they discover that recent heavy weather had unearthed a long-forgotten secret. What will the children discover as they explore the secrets hidden below? And what does a small smuggler’s town have to do with a long-lost treasure?

After their discovery of the treasure map, the children settle in for a relaxing end to their holidays. That is, until Robert spies a large and sinister ship lurking in the fog on the ocean. Join the children as they discover the secrets of the Phantom Galleon and unearth even more clues as to what happened to Lord Darvil. How do the brass pieces fit together, and what do these have to do with a ship long thought to have been blown to smithereens?