Bernie mutters to me. ‘No way. Who’d go into the mangroves at night?’

I swallow. Not me. Not into Sebastian land. No one would head into crocodile heartland in the middle of a dark night. No one, unless they had a very good reason.

Andy and his best friend Eli live in a small coastal town in far north Queensland.

When Eli’s cousin Jacob is arrested for a jewellery theft, Andy and Eli both know he is innocent.

The police have evidence. But something is not right, and Andy and Eli need to work out what, and fast or Jacob will end up in jail.

So, with the help of twins Bernice and Fletcher (AKA Bernie and Fletch) and Andy’s trusty sausage dog, Washington, they set out to hunt for clues to what really happened. The trail points to a mysterious red-bottomed boat rumoured to be hidden deep in the mangroves.

Does it hold the evidence they need to prove Jacob’s innocence?

Can they find it without getting lost forever?

And how will they outwit Sebastian, the legendary gigantic saltwater crocodile?

Charlie Archbold’s action-packed new middle-grade adventure is a fun story of sleuthing, courageous deeds, the triumph of good over evil – and the power of friendship.

Charlie Archbold is an educator and writer. Her first novel, Mallee Boys, was a CBCA older readers honour book. The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat, her first middle-grade novel, was shortlisted for the Text Prize.