The Mystery of Villa Polyphemus. Puzzle Mysteries Collection
At the beginning of July, twelve-year-old Scilla meets Leo on the beach of Malavoglia, along the Riviera of the Cyclops. Both are fascinated by a strange, decaying mansion overlooking the sea: an old lava-stone villa locals call Villa Polyphemus. Inside lives Countess Petra Marquett, an eccentric and reclusive crime writer. For years she shared the villa with her cousin Orsola, until a mysterious quarrel — after which the cousin vanished without a trace. Since then, rumors have spread that the countess may somehow be responsible.
When Scilla finds a copy of one of Marquett’s novels at a market stall, she comes up with a plan. The next day, she drags Leo with her to the villa, pretending they only want an autograph. In reality, she intends to uncover the truth. To their surprise, the countess lets them in.
What follows is an unusual summer of investigation — and initiation into the art of mystery writing. Through riddles, hidden clues, and cryptic messages scattered across the villa, Scilla and Leo begin to explore its dusty rooms, secret passages, and forgotten objects.
The clues appear in unexpected places — inside a grand piano with blocked keys, in ancient vases concealing parchment messages, and in coded references that connect to the myth of Odysseus and Polyphemus, reflected in the villa’s very name. Gradually, the children begin to suspect that everything around them — the eerie atmosphere, the whispered stories, and even the carefully timed warnings reinforced by the gardener Tano — may be part of a deliberately staged illusion.
After weeks of investigation, Scilla and Leo finally reach the last hidden room, convinced they are about to uncover the truth. Instead, they find the countess waiting.
With calm amusement, Petra Marquett reveals that she knew from the beginning why they had come. The rumors had drawn them in — and she simply chose to play along. The riddles were never meant to hide a crime, but to share her passion for mystery storytelling, to construct a perfect narrative, and perhaps to ease her own loneliness. Disappointed, the children leave the villa. But on the seafront, something unexpected happens.
A crowd has gathered: the fishing boat of Nitto, one of the villagers who had spread many of the rumors, has drifted ashore empty. He is missing. While others assume he drowned at sea, Scilla and Leo notice something strange: his fishing nets are still piled neatly on the pier, and the boat’s rope appears to have been cleanly cut. The detail immediately recalls the line engraved on the tower door — a phrase they had deciphered from Virgil’s Aeneid during the countess’s lessons: “Cut the rope that binds you to the shore.”
For the first time, the children begin to suspect that, despite Petra Marquett’s explanations, a real and dangerous mystery may still be unfolding. From a window of Villa Polyphemus, they glimpse the countess watching the sea. The two friends exchange a look. If this time the mystery is real… they are already on the case.
The Mystery of Villa Polyphemus is part of the Puzzle Mysteries series, a highly engaging middle-grade collection (age 10+), created by a remarkable group of acclaimed Italian authors from the Book on a Tree collective. Each stand-alone novel is a brilliantly constructed interactive puzzle that reinvents the classic whodunit with fresh, contemporary twists. With no supernatural shortcuts, every mystery is solved through logic, deduction, and sharp observation. Readers are treated as real detectives, invited to gather clues, untangle deceptions, and solve the case alongside unconventional young protagonists. From gothic Alpine boarding schools and isolated islands to luxury trains and high-pressure contemporary concerts, each book offers a distinctive setting and a fresh angle on the genre. In this series, every clue matters — and every reader becomes the detective.