The Headmaster's Cave

The Adventures of George and Flanagan, Book 1

By: D S Allen

Narrated by: Tara-Louise Kaye

No one goes into The Headmaster’s Cave. George Stewart is no hero, but when his friend disappears he must confront his deepest fears to rescue Dougie and finally uncover the mystery of The Headmaster’s Cave.

The 100th anniversary of the disappearance of seven children and their headmaster is approaching. The knowledge that the infamous headmaster Henry Morris, George’s ancestor, may have been implicated in their disappearance has haunted his family for generations.

When George and Dougie receive an unexpected email stating that the mystery has been finally solved, Dougie and Katie try to persuade George to journey with them. But not even the enticement of uncovering the mystery can tempt George to follow the word of a stranger to the dangerous and "haunted" cave. Only when Dougie goes missing will George and his friend Katie, accompanied by his dog Flanagan, journey to rescue their friend.

On their way, they must not only battle their fears, but overcome the local bullies, nature's deadly obstacles, and Old Maggie and her dog pack. But that’s nothing compared to the terror that awaits them in The Headmaster’s Cave, when the mystery is finally revealed.

©2018 D S Allen (P)2019 D S Allen

A scary adventure

The Headmaster's Cave is a book full of adventure, suspense, intrigue and searching for the truth. I love how the storyline came together little by little until you could see the big picture. Most of the characters were strong and well developed throughout this book. The storyline was well written and kept you in the edge of your seat until the very end. It was an amazing ride with Tara-Louise Kaye as the amazing narrator. I received this audio book at my request. I am leaving my honest review here of my own volition.

A Series with a Lot of Potential

At its core, The Headmaster’s Cave is less a mystery and more of an adventure story about two children and their dog trying to get a friend out of trouble at the infamous Headmaster’s Cave. On this level, it’s an enjoyable tale. The friends have a series of adventures on their way to the cave and eventually find their friend and have even more adventures before they are able to get home again. Unfortunately, the mystery elements are not as strong as the adventure elements.

The Headmaster’s Cave is an infamous location because one hundred years ago the headmaster of a local school and seven students disappeared there. For ten decades the entire town has condemned the headmaster as a sick murderer on the basis that he and the students disappeared. The cave is now blocked off because other people going to the cave have been trapped by the rising tide and drowned, but apparently the idea that the headmaster and the students might also have been trapped and washed out to sea has never occurred to anyone. He must be a brutal murderer because…well there isn’t actually any reason to think this.

Now if only the schoolmates of our hero George (descended from the allegedly murderous headmaster) had believed this legend it wouldn’t in any way detract from the story. Kids can be cruel and they don’t always think things through. But all the adults also believe the accusation and despite the one hundred years that have passed, their anger is sufficient to still cause trouble for George’s family. Had it been thirty years ago, or even fifty years ago, I might have understood this, but one hundred years feels like ancient history.

The children are lured to the Headmaster’s Cave (which requires them to hike all day and camp out at night to reach) under the promise that they will learn the truth of what really happened there a century ago. I found it believable the kids would have tried to go, but wish that the story was not set in the modern day with cell phones so it would be a little more believable that their parents would buy their stories about staying at each others’ houses. In any event, reaching the proximity of the cave is when the story transforms from being an okay adventure to an exciting action-packed drama. The villain is wonderfully crazy and the kids have to be both very brave and very smart. In addition, elements dropped earlier in the story come back into play here in a most rewarding fashion. And of course, the mystery is resolved and it’s both moving and satisfying.

I think this series has a lot of potential. It’s difficult to write convincing stories about children and Allen has compiled an endearing cast here. I’d like to see more.

I received this book free from Audiobook Boom in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting pre-adolescent adventure

I enjoyed listening to this pre-adolescent adventure, but I wanted to know more about the White Lady and George's vision. I see it says this is book 1, so there is probably more to come. I think this book/audiobook is perfectly suited for the intended audience of 8-10 year olds. For myself, I got a bit hung up on the kids having cell phones for flashlights and emergency calls. Until that point, it reminded me of the adventures my friends and I had growing up, but we had to do without those modern conveniences. Still, it's a fun adventure with a little drama, some scares, eerie people, and a dog pack. The back-and-forth between George and Katie seemed very realistic, and I enjoyed the camaraderie between the three friends. Good fun for younger kids.

The narration was good, relaxed, and well-paced.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request from the author, publisher, or narrator and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Excellent adventure and start of series!

This audiobook is a wonderful start to the series that begins with a missing Headmaster of 100 years past, and the adventures of George and Flanagan - but this is only book 1! Exciting and nail-biting thrills, utterly fun and you will be ´excitied for the next book in the series (I am!).

A definite recommend and one you'll want to play a few times over!

*Note: I was given a free copy of this audiobook for my fair and honest review, and this is it. I am sure you will enjoy as well as I did!