Zaiba and Poppy have a new friend, Olivia, whose family has recently moved to Oakwood Manor. This home has a long and interesting history and there are plenty of rooms to explore, some of which have secrets to uncover.

There’s also one other minor detail; the Manor is haunted. Plates have been smashed, furniture moves on its own, items have gone missing and now sinister messages have been found within the home.

“Wow, that’s a lot of creepy stuff. Why do you live here again?”

Although, not everyone agrees that this is a case for the Ghostbusters.

“From a scientific point of view, there is absolutely no hard evidence to prove that ghosts exist.”

Zaiba’s brother, Ali, may be right about that but whether the cause of the disturbances is supernatural or otherwise, it’s definitely something the Snow Leopard Detective Agency UK are going to figure out. They have their next case and some extra investigators to help them solve it.

Ali also has a new friend, Olivia’s younger sister, Flora. Ali and Flora both share a love of knowledge so they’re well matched. There are also Ade and Layla, whose parents are guests at the party Olivia’s parents are hosting.

I would love to live in Olivia’s new home. Befitting a good mystery, there are secret passages and there’s even a murphy door in the library. This home has its very own library! 😍

While adult me solved the mystery alongside Zaiba, kid me probably would have been befuddled by all of the people acting suspiciously.

You could jump straight into this investigation without getting lost but some details of previous investigations are mentioned, so I’d recommend reading the series in order.

I always enjoy Daniela Sosa’s illustrations and they help bring the story alive here. From highlighting friendships to pointing out the clues (or are they red herrings?), the details line up well with the text.

Stick around after you solve the investigation for some fun extras: detective tips, some Oakwood Manor history, information about jinn, fun things to do during a sleepover, a recipe, jokes and an excerpt from Zaiba’s first investigation.

“If there were two things that went well together, it was chocolate mousse and crime solving!”

I’m already looking forward to Zaiba’s next investigation, The Smuggler’s Secret.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing, an imprint of Little Tiger Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

Another exciting mystery for Zaiba and her friends when the new home of one of them appears to be haunted. Can they solve the mystery and bring any villains to book? A fantastic read for younger readers who love a good mystery.

A third Agent Zaiba and this series goes from strength to strength. Zaiba is the same charming, intelligent young super sleuth we all love and it is her character that draws readers back time and time again. Her kindness, determination and acute understanding of mysteries are admirable qualities. She treats everyone with respect and kindness and we could all learn from her.
When Zaiba, her friends and family are invited to a party at the new family's home, they are in for more than they bargained for. Zaiba has come prepared to tackle the mystery of the haunted house. She has her kit, her team and her wits about her. This is a challenging mystery as all the guests are stuck together waiting for the police to arrive after a brick is thrown through the window. Zaiba and her gang must work quickly to determine who threw the brick and who has been causing all the thefts and problems for the family since they moved in. It is someone in the house and time is ticking.

These mysteries are perfect for young readers- introducing them to the genre and to detectives- creating an entirely new generation of mystery readers. There is a melding of Nancy Drew within these stories as Nancy was a great detective and treated people fairy and kindly while getting the mystery solved. Girl power!

My daughter adores Zaiba and her crew and is now reading this third in the series as well.
This is one series I hope carries on for a long time- Zaiba is brilliant!

This is the first Agent Zaiba mystery I've read. I was worried I would needed to have read the others, but it wasn't an issue. In fact, I can't wait to read the others after reading The Haunted House!

This is a fun whodunit book for Lower KS2 children. The mystery kept me hooked and guessing all the way through. Zaiba and her Snow Leopard Detective Agency unlock a series of clue to find out who or what is behind the mysterious goings on at Oakwood Manor.  I think many children would love to be a part of S.L.D.A U.K!

The author cleverly leaves a series of clues that leave you suspicious of the vast majority of the characters! Zaiba is a brave and methodical thinker who leaves no secret corridor uninvestigated.  The setting of the book is just the kind of mysterious building that all children would be thrilled to explore with Zaiba and her friends. The little details about the Manor's history really brought the story to life.

I'm not sure what left the greater impression on me though...Zaiba's mighty detective skills or Ali's mouthwatering stuffed aloo burgers!

I'll happily be buying the books for my daughter and to include in my class reading corner. It's a lighthearted, easy read that makes for good escapism.

Thank you Little Tiger for the preview on Netgalley. Zaiba has a new fan.

Zaiba befriends the new girl in school and is invited to what has to be one of the oldest houses in the city. She discovers that mysterious things have been happening, and that there is talk of ghosts. How fortunate that Zaiba is a detective and more than willing to take on this case with her friends!

This might be the third installment in a series, but you can get into it without any prior knowledge. We're roughly told what happened before, in bits and pieces here and there, avoiding a boring info dump.

The setting is gorgeous: In an old manor, at a house warming party which will be followed by a sleepover. I loved how diverse the cast it, Zaiba is no token minority person. Every character had their own story to tell.
But let me be honest with you, I have a thing for old houses. Especially if they come with secret compartments and hidden rooms. I'd love to go there exploring myself.

The crime as such was pretty straightforward and my strong suspicions about the culprit's identity proved to be right. But I had a fun time with this, and am sure that especially younger readers will have some, too.
If you look for a middlegrade book with an American-Pakistani main character, look no further, you found it.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

Agent Zaiba investigates her friends house that they believe to be haunted - but is it really?

I was very much looking forward to reading this book - I have not read any of the previous Agent Zaiba Investigates books before so was submerged into this world from the very beginning.

Some of the narrative of the book was confusing - I couldn't keep up with who was who and where different parts of the setting were in relation to the house, some parts of the book were quite waffley and didn't really seem to have a point - however, this is speaking from an adult point of view, I can see this book being very appealing to children aged around 8-12, as it is similar to the writing I have seen these children produce themselves.

In summary, to recommend this book to adults to read, I wouldn't - it is not engaging or interesting enough to be a book enjoyed by adults. However, I would definitely recommend this book to children - it suits the majority's level and feels very much like it is written by one of their own