The Faceless Fiend: Being the Tale of a Criminal Mastermind, His Masked Minions and a Princess with a Butter Knife, Involving Explosives and a Certain Amount of Pushing and Shoving.

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

A sequel, The Faceless Fiend contains all of the humorous, action-packed ingredients, including the original cast of characters, that so engaged readers of The Strictest School in the World. Set in late-19th-century England, The Faceless Fiend mimics that period’s practice of lengthy, detailed subtitles that described a book’s contents.

While Emmaline Cayley, the 14-year-old aspiring aviatrix, was the focal character of the first volume, Robert Burns, also known as Rubberbones, 12, and Princess Purnah, 13, are now more centre stage. Because Princess Purnah’s homeland, Chiligrit, abuts Russia and controls an invasion pass to India, the Russians have installed a puppet on Chiligrit’s throne. However, the Russian Czar, recognizing that Chiligrit’s citizens would prefer Princess Purnah, sends the head of his secret police, the Faceless Fiend, who, due to an explosion, truly has no facial features. The Fiend’s task is to kidnap the princess from the Yorkshire home of Aunt Lucy (where the princess has been staying since being rescued), and also snag Emmaline from St. Grimelda’s School for Young Ladies.

The Fiend’s minions succeed in snatching the “princess” and taking her to London, but their captive is actually Rubberbones in disguise. Again, a rescue becomes the quick-paced plot’s focus. Whitehouse introduces a few new London-based characters, including Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Slavin’s pen-and-ink illustrations perfectly complement the story’s historical period and comical tone. The Faceless Fiend’s contents tie up Strictest School’s loose ends, but the new work leaves its own unfinished business, including questions about the Fiend’s death. Recommended.