Thirteen year old Lemony Snicket has been apprenticed to S. Theodora Markson. She has a job to retrieve a stolen object that "has been valued at upwards of a great deal of money." Fortunately for Theodora and Lemony, the woman hiring them already knows who stole it. Unfortunately, the people she claims stole it don't seem to realize that it was stolen, or even care about it at all. 
 This was a cute detective story like the ones I loved to read when I was little. I loved it! It reminded me of The Mysterious Benedict Society in some ways. It's full of quirky characters, adults and children, that Lemony meets while he investigates and tries to follow the orders of the inept Theodora. I read it in a couple of hours and now I'm off to get the sequel. I'm dying to know what happens next! This is fun for children and adults.