You may think that life as the owner of a Chocolate Factory is all toffee-tasting and jellybean sampling, but you’d be wrong!

Archie McBudge is delighted (and slightly shocked) to have inherited a chocolate factory (as well as a huge house and fortune) from his Great-Uncle Archibald. Surely that will be the end to all his family’s problems? Afraid not. Cousin Jacqui Puddingham-Pye is less than impressed and seem hellbent on owning the factory herself, by whatever means necessary.

It would also seem that some strange magical force is at work. A secret note left for Archie by his Great-Uncle reveals instructions for a magical treasure hunt he must complete to prove he’s worthy of inheriting the factory, along with a warning that when in the town of Dundoodle, you should expect the unexpected…

With the help of his friends, Archie must solve the mystery or the factory will be shut down and any hopes he had of a financially secure future will disappear.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  For me, there was just the right blend of magic, sugar and mortal peril (in the form of the murderous Puddingham-Pye twins) to make ‘The Chocolate Factory Ghost’ a deliciously compelling read.

It would seem that David O’Connell has found the perfect recipe for success:

~A dash of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

~A dollop of Hogwarts.

~Just a hint of Sherlock Holmes.

I’d like to know what’s next for the McBudge Factory and just what devious plan Jacqui Puddingham-Pye will concoct next to get her hands on the fortune.

Library Girl.

*Many thanks to David for sending me a copy of his book to review*