The Mystery of The Uninvited Guests

Something large is moving toward Berryville. Muttenson's nose catches it before dawn; Milo confirms it from the shadows — a great horde of rats, four days out and coming with purpose, following a map someone drew just for them. The peaceful village mobilizes for a threat. Border points are posted. Plans are made. The Stinkerton cousins are given strict instructions to hold their positions.

But when the rats arrive, nothing goes the way anyone expected. These aren't raiders. They're tired. And two young rats press their faces to the bakery window like creatures who have never once been allowed to want something. Jerry notices — and files it away.

The real mystery isn't whether the rats are dangerous. It's what they actually came for, and who pointed them toward Berryville in the first place. Answering it will take more than detective work. It will take someone brave enough to walk out alone, ask the hard question, and truly listen to the answer.

Warm, funny, and quietly big-hearted, The Mystery of the Uninvited Guests is the fourth book in the Stinkerton Detective Agency Mysteries — a cozy woodland series for readers ages 6–10. A story about belonging, about the difference between a door that's closed and a door that simply hasn't opened yet, and about what it costs to do the right thing when fear says otherwise.