Uncle Theodosius has returned from one of his journeys around the world and has brought back a most peculiar specimen: a dodo bird, which everyone believes to be extinct. The bad thing is that the poor creature has a lot of enemies, almost all of whom attend the welcome-home party held by James Moriarty's father in honour of the explorer. James Moriarty may not be the most sociable or pleasant boy in the world, but when he sets his mind to something, nothing can stop him. A mystery in which you'll meet the Dodo, Darwin, a school mistress with secrets, a little killer dressed in black, a baroness with a glass eye, a gourmet who will eat anything, an African enchantress, a ruined aristocrat, a lying actress, the author of Alice in Wonderland, Alice herself, and a giant African land snail.